Rise and Fall of the Armadillo World Headquarters (1981)
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 21 ธ.ค. 2017
- Rise and Fall of the Armadillo World Headquarters (1981)
The Armadillo World Headquarters which opened it's doors on August 7, 1970 and closed on December 31, 1980 is probably Austin's most internationally known venue, which hosted every genre of music and performance. Interviews include Eddie Wilson (manager), Spencer Perskin (Shiva's headband), M.K.Hage Jr. (landlord), Fletcher Clark (Promotions manager), Randy McCall (accountant), Hank Alrich (manager AWHQ), Charlie Daniels, Joe Ely, Maria Muldaur, Jerry Jeff Walker, Steve Fromholz, Commander Cody, Micael Priest (artist), Jim Franklin (artist), Dale Watkins (bar manager), Bruce Willenzik (operations manager), John Reed.
Produced by Richard Gaylord and Mark Hanna, KTBC.
Re-edited for AMN by Tara Veneruso in 1994.
Austin Music Network collection.
AR.2001.007-000511 - เพลง
I lived across the street at 1st street terrace apartments for about 15 months. I hung out and ate in the beer garden many days a week. I played softball with Ray Wiley Hubbard's Cowboy Twinkies. I recall seeing Bb King, of course all the regulars, pointer sisters and on and on. Later I moved and lived across the street from the Alliance Wagon Yard. This 17 year old Missouri runaway had a good time down in Austin Texas. But I feel the loss of the Armadillo to this day.
That beer garden was my hideout!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I went there for the first time in September 1970, not long after it opened. They had pieces of carpet that you could take to where you wanted to sit on the floor. They sold only apple juice and popcorn...no beer. Maybe some chips and peanuts or orange juice or water. I recall seeing Shiva's Head Band. There weren't that many people there, and the ones who were there were smoking herb. I loved it, and I started going there at least twice a month over the next several years. I can't count the times I went there because it was a lot. I lived in Austin for over 50 years, and I saw all of the changes that the Armadillo went through, plus it's destruction.
Eddie Wilson, who cofounded the Armadillo, had an online sale of memorabilia about 4 years ago, and I was able to purchase 4 pieces of art drawn by Jim Franklin. I also bought the Shiva's CD on Amazon, so I have a few things to remind me of those days. Peace.
I worked there a total of ten days. Best ten days ever.
Until I watched this I never realized that my life in Austin coincided almost exactly with the life-span of the Armadillo. At the age of 19 I moved to Austin in June 1970 and moved away in October 1980. I remember when the Armadillo opened and though I wasn't much of a concert-goer I did go to several concerts there and it was a great place. I consider 1970-1980 to be the Golden Age of Austin and the Armadillo played a huge part in making that so.
Wonderful idealistic time, just like the 60's in San Francosco, where we really thought and believed that all you need is love.
i woeked there as a photographer. I will never forget that part of my life. Still have lots and lots of negatives. I also took photos of concerts for the statesman.
I moved to Austin from Dallas in 1974. That was a great change in my early teenage years. I hated Dallas back then. (Like it now) Austin was so cool and laid back. Armadillo world headquarters was the only place a
young teenager could hang out in the beer garden and get drunk when no one was watching. I went there almost every weekend, at least one night every couple of weeks. Everyone fit in there. I went to school and was in class in Jr. high with a Threadgill daughter, a singer. She was so pretty and had long blonde hair. Austin women are the prettiest, and friendliest women you ever met.
Freedom as a teenager. Good night Austin, Texas wherever you are.
I done went and got old.
Drinking age was 18 back then.
I moved to Austin in 87'. I moved right around the corner from what was the Armadillo World Headquarters (sadly an ugly bank building by the time I got there). My dad's apartment door opened to the backstage entrance of the the Austin Opera house. I used to jump the fence and talk to all the musicians getting off tour busses for shows there. My friend (who lived in the complex attached to the recording studio next door) and I worked at the Armadillo Christmas Bazaar (held at the AOH for several years) for a couple of years wrapping gifts and cleaning up after the events. We snuck in the back door so many times to see countless shows and were exposed to many of the people that helped run the World Headquarters. We had no idea how lucky we were at the time. Even though I moved to Austin after the World headquarters was gone, the legacy of that place drove the spirit of my childhood and drove my own musical path.
I came to Austin in 1970 and left in 1981.
I was a young single Hippy mother..the Armadillo and Soap Creek Saloon were two of the places I could take my young boy and feel safe and at ease..his little self wandering about and folks making sure he was safe..and I could sit in the beer garden and have my nachos and Lone Star...I danced so much in those days.
I am so glad to have been in Austin at it's Prime..I have not been back since 1981..but I have seen the Space Age skyline....it just wouldn't be the same.
Oh, and Blues Tuesday at Soap Creek with usually Stevie Ray and Miss LuAnn...pot smoke in the air..dogs under feet..and my son asleep with two chairs pulled together under the table...no way you could do that in these times..someone would probably report you as a bad parent...little do they know...freedom is magic.
I moved to Austin in 71 and left in 81. I probably saw you at the Armadillo or Soap Creek or Buckhorn, or Opry House, or Threadgills, or Treehouse or ........."
Some of that energy has reincarnated in San Marcos 26 miles South. (That's thirteen twice, and the zip code is 78666. It is also the home of the alma mater of the arguable Antichrist type figure LBJ.) I live on the Eastern/flat side of the campus, about 1.3 miles off. The flat side. Here in "San Mucus" we have the Flying Armadillo Disc Golf Club.
You gotta be stupid to think no one would think you were a bad parents then because I'm sure many did as well.
Bitch.
I was at Ft, Hood from late ‘68/until June ‘71. Spent every minute we could in Austin. Didn’t look like a hippie anymore so meeting people was a little tough. Vulcan Gas was first music venue I went to. Remember Shivas Head Band, Incredible String Band and many others at the Armadillo maybe even ZZ ? Often think or wonder where I’d be if I’d stayed in Austin like I was thinking? Ah well
SO glad I got to see this place at least once, my TX hubby drug our gang down from Dallas & were gitfted to a great concert. Sensory overload to say the least....seeing Jerry Jeff again was our goal , he never disappointed us in all the times we saw him.
Austin was so cool back then, hippie hollow, Marshall Ford, Perdanalez, paleface park, you could see so much for very little dough, had a good job offer in Houston, lasted one weekend nothing against Houston but Austin was in my blood had to go back.
At Hippie Hollow you might see something you would never be able to unsee. LOL
I moved to Austin in 97 I missed the culture there there's so much history but not just history music history Rock and Roll History country music history Blues history natural makes Austin Capital music of the world
But all the history has died unfortunately
@@josearriola3087 yep time goes on
This makes my heart soar and cry for its loss at the same time. It was truly a magical time. There was Vulcan Gas, the New Orleans Club, Charlie's Playhouse , the 11th Door and other clubs before, but the Armadillo really pulled it together if only on a very frayed shoestring. I remember one night when Maria Muldar and Linda Ronstadt were in town the same night, the former at AWHQ, the latter at the acoustically disastrous Frank Erwin Center (UT basketball arena). I chose the Armadillo because it was a much better experience and Maria was magnificent. One probably money losing night was hearing a concert by the Gary Burton Quartet with Pat Metheny and Steve Swallow, probably less than 200 people at that ethereal concert. Tracy Nelson and Mother Earth, Delaney and Bonnie, Shiva's Head Band, Them Old Greazy Wheels, Frieda and the Fire Dogs, and so many others no one will ever hear again.
Zappa, Commander Cody, Dan Hicks, Bruce, JJ Walker, Willie, Charlie Daniels, Marshall Tucker, just so many artists. Ricky the guacamole queen and all of the staff were always your friend. Who knew what a truly vibrant and original cultural experience was occurring then. Thank you all for making my life so much richer back then.
Ken Featherstone, Micael Priest, Danny Garret, Kerry Awn, Jim Franklin and so many other graphic artists were associated with it also. The Hage family in particular were the most important financial supporters in allowing AWHQ to even exist, let alone sustain, over a decade.
"Greazy Wheels" that rings a very distant bell. Never saw them, but I'm pretty sure they played a lot here in Houston as well.
AWHQ and The Warehouse in NOLA were the places to see music. Thanks for the memories.
It was a wonderful place that brought a wide variety of extremely
talented people to Austin.
My girlfriend and I came to Dallas over Easter vacation, we were seniors in Highschool and lived in Harrisonville Missouri just 45 miles south of Kansas City, anyway my Mom, Grandma, girlfriend and I drove to Dallas, my girlfriend and I left my mom and Grandma in Dallas and we went to Austin to see my cousin Phil, this was in 1974 , we fell in love with Austin immediately, Phil took us to see Boz Scaggs at The Armadillo World Headquarters and it was wonderful, back then you could drink at 18 , we had cold Lone Star, music, and the best nachos in the world, we knew we were going to move to Austin and as soon as we graduated Highschool we moved to Austin, we saw so many great acts at The Armadillo World Headquarters, Freddy King played there alot , Jerry Garcia and sometimes Merle Saunders, Joe Ely , Alvin Crow, it was hot in the summer and cold in the winter but they had great music and the beer garden served great food during the day, I loved going to The Armadillo World Headquarters
Loved the dillio in 77/78 when i lived in Austin man we had some times ✌😎
Just discovered this remarkable documentary, bringing a cascade of memories.
Thank you so much for sharing your vomit of gratitude
I loved that place!!!!!!
I was fortunate enough to spend some time at AWH, and nothing was more fun than an afternoon in the beer garden followed by an evening concert. I have always wondered why no one started another, similar place with outdoor dining and drinking and good music. It wouldn't be the same of course but that is such a winning combination, and they could start their own history. The Armadillo was dearly loved and is greatly missed!
My college student years ended me up in Austin on the UT campus there from 1980-83, in the aftermath of this legendary institution. Some of the energy of the Armadillo reincarnated in form of the Kerrville Folk Festival. This is a great historical video, on the strength of which, you could produce a neat full length feature.
Kerrville Folk Festival started in 1972 and it's still going.
I could walk into "The diller" and not know a soul but knew I was with family.
Yes...as I was often there alone...for the nachos and chance music experience. I lived across the street.
Can't tell Y'all how many times or how many band's I've seen there from '74-'76
I loved the place. I hit it at the right time and grew along with it. Good memories of good times.
I was at that Christmas arts & crafts festival that Maria Muldaur is talking about that they had right before it was closed. I was out in the beer garden for a few shows in 1973, my year of living in Austin. I was mostly making a living selling blood plasma that year so never could afford to go in.
RIP Mr. Walker
It's April 30th, 2019 and I'm just now coming across this....
I hit Austin in 75 AWH was a afternoon hangout Beer garden 3 dollor pitchers LoneStar. Saw several shows Toot's & the Maytal's . Jimmy Cliff, Emmylou Harris, Loved that place.
i saw zappa there and discovered the joy of angel dust....unique place and time...
My claim to AWHQ Fame...I was the 1st and only busboy in in the beer garden to ever get promoted to beer-tender!
this place is in my hometown, wish i had been more than 1 yr old when they closed! hehe LEGENDARY! been looking for footage of this place for a long time for my music research purposes, thank you very much for sharing!! big love! billion thumbs up
This place IS just as important historically as Winterland in San Francisco, this is important Texas history
D Harrell I was at the closing of Winterland, another sad loss to "progress".
I saw my friend Jerry in there! Peace!
My most prized possession is a brick from the dillo. Miss it so!
I saw Bugs Henderson there when he recorded his live album. Someone next to me handed me a roach of wacky weed, my introduction. Heady times for an 18 year old!
Went about three dozen times. It was like a stoned hippie paradise.
Saw a lot of fucked up crazy things but never saw a fight break out.
cis everybody knew how badass the AWHQ Security was.
The last show I went to was the night John Lennon Was killed. It was a Charlie Daniels show.
Charlie Daniel Band my 1st show for Armadillo's 5th Birthday! I was only 15 pourin' down pitchers!
Went many times I remember when they tore it down we were I mourning, they built a bank, just what Austin needed another bank of course now Austin is unrecognizable is the city I used to come to and have a blast
I can't believe I blew right past this place! I got one long ride hitchhiking through Dallas to Houston on my way to New Orleans. Too good of a ride to pass up. Never know which way the Winds of fate will blow. Was this the same place that had the bumper stickers "Onward through the Fog"? You'd see those bumper stickers all over the place on the road back then. They were from Austin somewhere.
I wish I could of been there man
I get that, there is one place near Pierre South Dakota now over the years has grown into a building that can since 2014 Do live music that is different as they let nearly anyone play. The Hidden Timber band Brother on upright bass was one of the ones, though the music on TH-cam from Black Market beef is not great, they had an extra guitar player on the record.
The place also has a bar and restaurant and sells fishing stuff being near the water. There are other places that have live music but they only are a bar and restaurant in town.
NEVER forgot the sticky crusted carpet people would sit on, to smoke one "hitters"
That was my memory also the carpet, big bummer if you got so fucked up you had to lay down. What a hole, had so many great times there.
We need more honky tonks
Many of those artists are still alive and super rich ..it disgusts me that they didn't use some of their money to preserve such an iconic venue
Yes, please discuss it with us.
Liberty Hall?
A lot of the same acts played here at Liberty Hall in Houston. I saw Little Feat there 4 times! (mid 70's) Wish I could've been at that now legendary Springsteen show. ('75?)
But as I understand it, the Armadillo was also a place to hang out, drink etc. More than just a concert venue. I could be wrong. 🤷♂️
The fall of Armadillo is not the Music . Its the drug sells . I played there b4 many time
amazing they are so open and blatant about exploiting labor, often unpaid by their own admission. what a set of ghouls. i especially love the 'oh i dumped in 50k of my inheritance' (in 1970 dollars?).
one wonders if anyone who actually built the place was ever properly compensated...
It is my understanding that the place never made a profit. I learned accounting at the University of Texas so someone who knew this about me asked me to look at some financial statements from another very "hip" venue in Austin. I could see that it was a money pit and told the guy that if you invest you will be flushing money down the crapper. He didn't take my advice and the predictable financial disaster happened, but, Boy Howdy, being part of the inner circle, the investor spent a couple of years drowned in slutty hippy chics and the best illegal narcotics that money could buy.
coke, ludes, and jelly reds did not have anything to do with it? LMFO
Remember the skinny hippie looking bouncer? I seen him throw bikers out of there! Landing on there heads and shit.
Quality of this video equalled the quality of the Armadillo and the bands that played there..very substandard for the most part. It was a hippie hangout for losers without jobs (or money) and bands without talent, plain and simple. One of the OVER hyped things of Austin past. Good riddance to that horrible building and the maggots that called it home......
This 67 year old has money, owns 3 houses, retired in 2012.
You are broke a f
☮️
@@johnthonig8832 " owns 3 houses?" Double-wides in Mustang Ridge hardly qualify as "houses" and getting fired from Jack in the Box is not usually considered "retirement". That being said my comment was about Armadillo and its so-called" mystique and the lack of GOOD rock band that ever played there. I understand Rory Gallagher, Thin Lizzy and SRV played there...swell. And that's about it. It was more of the "KOSMIC KOWBOY" crap that called Austin home back then..
Sadly, the air was full of deadly toxic tobacco smoke.
I was stationed at Fort Hood from July to December 1978. Twice a buddy and I drove to Austin and went to the Armidillo. One time we saw Asleep at the Wheel, but I don't remember who else. I remember drinking a beer out is nice outdoor area before going inside to enjoy the music.
I can't believe I blew right past this place! I got one long ride hitchhiking through Dallas to Houston on my way to New Orleans. Too good of a ride to pass up. Never know which way the Winds of fate will blow. Was this the same place that had the bumper stickers "Onward through the Fog"? You'd see those bumper stickers all over the place on the road back then. They were from Austin somewhere.
Oat Willy's, a head shop, had the bumper sticker's
@@tcm6756 Lol - I thought they were from some bar somewhere. It was a little bit of road trivia they were from Austin. I heard of the music scene down there and almost went, but I had such a good ride to Houston :) The world might have turned entirely differently had I made that turn.