SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 639

WHEREAS, The Broken Spoke, Austin's iconic country dance hall, was honored with the dedication of an Official Texas Historical Marker on April 12, 2023; and

WHEREAS, Native Austinite James White opened the Broken Spoke in 1964 as a cafe in a former lumberyard on South Lamar Boulevard; the business quickly won the loyalty of country music lovers with its jukebox and live performers, and in 1966, it expanded to its current size with the addition of a bandstand and a large dance floor; from the outset, it featured the same atmospheric decor it has today, complete with red-checkered tablecloths, pool tables, and low ceilings; as Mr. White put it in the famous pronouncement he would make from the stage each night, the Broken Spoke has always been "a real Texas honky-tonk . . . not Car-neg-ie Hall!"; and

WHEREAS, Within a few years of its opening, the dance hall began booking well-known country music artists, such as Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys, Tex Ritter, Ray Price, and Ernest Tubb; in the 1970s, it became a popular venue for Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson, and other outlaw country acts, and George Strait was among the performers who cut their teeth at the Spoke early in their careers; the music royalty who have graced the stage through the years also includes Kitty Wells, Roy Orbison, Dolly Parton, and Garth Brooks, and the impressive lineup of stars is commemorated in the "Tourist Trap" museum that occupies a room at the nightspot; and

WHEREAS, Standing alongside the performers in most of the museum photographs is Mr. White, who together with his wife, Annetta, ran the Broken Spoke for more than a half century; his friendly greeting welcomed generations of patrons, and his unwavering allegiance to the venue's traditional country roots made it a cultural landmark known around the globe; although Mr. White passed away in 2021, the White family continues to operate the Spoke, maintaining its traditions of hosting live music five nights a week, offering lessons for those taking their first steps across the sawdust-covered dance floor, and serving its famous chicken-fried steak; and

WHEREAS, Over the years, the Broken Spoke has been featured in countless publications and on such television programs as Austin City Limits and the Country Music Television special "Honky Tonk Sounds"; it also served as a location in the Willie Nelson movie Honeysuckle Rose, NBC's Friday Night Lights television series, and the movie Wild Texas Wind, which featured Spoke mainstay Asleep at the Wheel; in 2010, the dance hall was inducted into the Texas Western Swing Hall of Fame, and Donna Marie Miller authored a book about its history titled The Broken Spoke: Austin's Legendary Honky-Tonk; and

WHEREAS, For nearly six decades, two-steppers and country music aficionados have found a slice of honky-tonk heaven under the neon lights of the Broken Spoke, and this beloved cultural treasure is indeed deserving of this official acknowledgment of its historical legacy; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas, 88th Legislature, hereby commemorate the dedication of an Official Texas Historical Marker for the Broken Spoke dance hall and extend to the White family and to all those associated with the venue sincere best wishes for the future; and, be it further

RESOLVED, That an official copy of this Resolution be prepared for the Broken Spoke as an expression of high regard from the Texas Senate.

Eckhardt, Alvarado, Gutierrez, Parker

________________________________

President of the Senate

I hereby certify that the above Resolution was adopted by the Senate on May 23, 2023.

________________________________

Secretary of the Senate

________________________________

Member, Texas Senate

________________________________

Member, Texas Senate

________________________________

Member, Texas Senate

________________________________

Member, Texas Senate