February 16, 2011 issue
Arts & Entertainment
Waltzing through ‘honky tonk’ bars in Texas
Honky tonking around Texas is both enjoyable and informative. The modern day country saloon and bar, “honky tonk”, can be found in both town and country. Popular among both locals and visitors, a number of these bars have large dance floors and offer a variety of entertainment with food and drinks.
Last week, I visited Winks saloon, grill and roping arena, just outside of Brownsville, Texas. The decor is interesting with a log-wood stage, barrel air ducts, and rustic material. The place
offers mouthwatering lunches, dinners and snacks – everything from burgers to steaks. Local talent, travelling country bands, and a DJ provide the musical entertainment.
You can hear a George Strait, Alan Jackson or even an old Hank Williams classic being belted out. The beat is loud, solid and steady, and the dance floor is soon filled with dancers. The Texas Two step and country line dances are the most popular.
Many of the dancers seem to be single ladies of all ages, from whom you can have your pick as a dance partner. After dinner, through the windows you can watch a calf roping competition in the roping arena. The cowboys on horseback chase and try to rope the young calves around the neck and feet. Most of the time, the lasso misses one or other of its targets. There are lots of beers and drinks to choose from, nachos, and wings. The night I visited there was a full buffet dinner for under ten dollars.
In the old days, country bars were called “Honky Tonks”, made famous in songs like Hank Williams classic “Honky Tonking”. Hank played in many of these joints and said that he broke many a good guitar over the head of a jealous male when they charged the stage! Labels such as “honky tonk women” were adopted by entertainers like the Rolling Stones and others. Many of these saloons were roadside joints with basic amenities – a watering hole for cowboys and country folks. The “juke-joint” from which the word juke box originated, was the equivalent for Afro-Americans in the deep south.
The country bar or saloon may have had a country band, juke box or comedian providing the entertainment. There was a central space for dancing with tables and chairs scattered around. Up front was a small stage and a bar to one side.
Way back when, the cowboys walked in with their guns strapped to their sides. There are no guns these days – none that are visible anyway. If you do see anything sticking out below the waist, have no fear. It may simply mean that the person is happy to meet you! In Guyana, dance halls like Frolic Hall in Georgetown would have served the same purpose as “honky tonks” for working class people in the olden days.
Clothes worn are casual, mostly jeans. Cowboy and cowgirl boots are evident. Some folks wear cowboy hats but overall, the baseball cap is far more popular in modern day Texas than the cowboy hat. The Spanish influence is very present here in south Texas in the Rio Grand valley – language, food, customs, music and population.
I visited last year a very large country bar and dance hall called Billy Bob's, by the old stockyards in Fort Worth, Texas, a place billed as the world's largest honky tonk. There is an enormous dance floor, gift shop, arcade, casino, mechanical bull, pool tables and even a space for live bull riding. I have never tried riding a bull, mechanical or otherwise. That for sure would necessitate a hemorrhoid operation for me.
The hospitality at country bars is very evident. A few reportedly even go to the extent of providing free food to go along with your drinks! Not far from us here at South Padre Island is the popular Harley's Bar and Country Store. There is live music, lots of beer, and good food.
A favourite song played by bands in Texas is Ernest Tubb's classic – Waltz across Texas. I myself am “waltzing” across Texas for the second year in a row, taking in the sights, sounds and scenes of this legendary state. The arts, the crafts, the music and entertainment, the food and drinks, the wide open spaces, all take your breath away. I am hoping that I can travel further west, the next time that I am down in Texas, and perhaps cross the desert. I will be coming home in a little while. In the meanwhile, if the creeks don't rise and the sun still shines I'll be talking to you.