Cabaret Dance Hall

Location: Bandera, Texas

Cabaret Dance Hall: The Cabaret Dance Hall, located at 801 Main Street in Bandera, bills itself as “The Cowboy Capital of the World.” The original owner, Jerry Lucias, opened the venue in 1936, and it has been used exclusively as a dance hall ever since. Situated 50 miles northwest of San Antonio on State Highway 16, the Cabaret has long been a popular spot for local ranching people and for military personnel stationed throughout the San Antonio area. In the 1930s, a typical “night on the town” in Bandera often involved dancing and drinking at the Cabaret, as well as other local venues, such as Stroud’s Honky Tonk and the Silver Spurs. During the 1940s and 1950s, local dude ranches often brought their guests to town on horseback to enjoy live music at the Cabaret.

Over the years, the Cabaret has changed ownership several times, and it has undergone a series of renovations. In 1944, Ralph Mitchell purchased the hall for $28,000, before selling it to Arkey Blue in the 1960s. It also was in the 1940s that the Cabaret was expanded from its original 1,250 square feet to 13,000 square feet by pouring concrete in a large horseshoe shape around the older dance floor area. Calvin Chapman took over ownership of the venue in the 1980s, but then sold it to Bandera Entertainment. During the 1980s, the wooden roof was replaced with a tin roof, and the height of the building was increased to forty feet, although the original bar was kept and is still in use.

Thurman Love purchased the Cabaret in 1998 and updated it both physically and artistically. His policy of “No Nashville ‘Hat Acts’ or Top Forty Country” allowed the club to flourish as a venue for more independent-minded Americana singer-songwriters. Local resident and Americana pioneer Robert Earl Keen played the Cabaret’s grand re-opening on October 10, 1998. Mathew Franek purchased the Cabaret in 2004 from Mary Shank, who had owned it for just two and one half years. Franek and his wife, Kimberly, along with “The Boss” (two year old Savannah), attempted to broaden the appeal of the Cabaret by booking shows that attracted both older and younger crowds.

            For the past seven decades, the Cabaret has hosted a remarkable array of performers. Bob Wills was the first to play at the Cabaret, and he was followed by many others, including Hank Williams, Ernest Tubb, Loretta Lynn, Jim Reeves, Ray Price, Hank Thompson, Roger Miller, Patsy Cline, Daryl McCall, Lyle Lovett, Ray Wylie Hubbard, Dale Watson, Don Walser, Guy Clark, Steve Earl, Gary P. Nunn, the Derailers, Asleep at the Wheel, the Bellamy Brothers, the Time Warp Hands, and local favorites, Bruce and Charlie Robison. Willie Nelson, who played bass and drums at the Cabaret for Johnny Bush, lived in Bandera for a short time during the early 1970s, and he returned again in 1990 to film a show for his “Outlaw Satellite Network” with special guests Billy Joe Shaver and Johnny Bush. Doug Sham broadcast a live show from the Cabaret, and Johnny Gimble made a recording for charity there in 2004.

Currently, the Cabaret books a variety of musical groups intended to appeal to a broad audience. One night each month is reserved for Texas swing, while other weekends feature newer country and Americana acts. Live bands perform every Friday and Saturday evening, and there is an open mic and pool tournament on Thursday evenings.