Any old-time Austinites remember the Alamo Hotel or Emmajoe's? (live, club)

[DashRiprock]

I have a vague memory of emmajoe's on Guadalupe, somewhere around 30th street roughly across the street from El Patio, give or take a block. If I'm not mistaken, over the years the building also served as one of the Antone's locations, the original Austin site of Stubb's barbecue, and maybe a honky tonk called Hondo's Saloon? Might be where I Luv Video is/was recently?

Or maybe I'm confusing it with the Lazy Daisy, a coffee shop type place that had a boat bursting through the front of the building, which was also in that general area but I think a couple of blocks south.

I don't know. Y'all help me out.

[tomchard]

Originally Posted by inthecut

A little really interesting info about the great Townes Van Zandt....he was born into a very wealthy oil family...his great-grandfather was one of the leaders of the Republic of Texas...the family landholdings and oil are located in a county named after his family..
<SNIP>
Essentially destroyed himself, never had a hit album or single, but his legend is deservedly growing now(did write Dead Flowers, per the stones cover, and pancho and lefty, while willie and merle covered)

... Well ... Not really. TVZ did have a hit single ... "Pancho & Lefty" --- Townes VanZandt wrote that one. He recorded it too [Pancho-and-Lefty], but it was Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard who made it a real "hit" in 1983 (I think!) ... What a Great Song!

I was too busy playin' Country Music at some of the myriad other venues around Austin, back in those days, and rarely got to see any of the "old crowd" in clubs, downtown. That's not to say I don't miss it -- The Old "Austin" -- 'cause I do!
These days, we hate going anywhere-near downtown, when we're in the AUS area; it's changed so much, and for the worse, so far as I can see.

[hound 109]

Originally Posted by DashRiprock

I have a vague memory of emmajoe's on Guadalupe, somewhere around 30th street roughly across the street from El Patio, give or take a block. If I'm not mistaken, over the years the building also served as one of the Antone's locations, the original Austin site of Stubb's barbecue, and maybe a honky tonk called Hondo's Saloon? Might be where I Luv Video is/was recently?

Or maybe I'm confusing it with the Lazy Daisy, a coffee shop type place that had a boat bursting through the front of the building, which was also in that general area but I think a couple of blocks south.

I don't know. Y'all help me out.

Damn....you could throw a rock and hit the Rome Inn from 30th and Guadalupe. A nice smoky dive club where I saw Sir Doug, Stevie Ray and others perform.

I think it's a trendy Bakery now.

[Basse Bud]

The late Jimmy Ramsey, concert promoter extraordinaire, was responsible for most of the "name" touring acts in Austin in the mid 1970's and later ( other than those who played the 'Dillo) Every thing from Count Basie (yes, the original) playing the Paramount Theater, to the Police at South Park! ( Yes, Ramsey was responsible for the Meadows becoming THE outdoor venue in Travis county.)

Ramsey went on to manage a couple of local clubs, as the Erwin Center became too expensive for a local promoter to handle. He certainly did as much for the music scene in Austin as anyone, (tip of the hat to Antones, too). Today, the money comes from New York and Los Angeles...so much for Austin...sad!

[Basse Bud]

Originally Posted by ScoPro

Interesting, I didn't know the place had turned into a "counter culture" establishment. Most of those old Austin characters are gone now, which indeed is sad.

Remember "Hands", the drag race champ who ran his hotrod garage down on Barton Springs Road? I only visited there with a friend once in the early '60s.

The Counter-Culture arrived in Austin about the time the old Austin Heads began returning from San Francisco and LA. The earliest indications were reflected in what was The Vulcan Gas Company, and similar locations. The fore-runners of the Cosmic Cowboys.

Not familiar with the drag racing scene in Austin. About the only exposure to that activity was when Bill Tillery was racing BSA twins at the road races at the old Castroville air base.( He seemed to win most of them as well!) He had the cycle shop on Barton Springs for some time.

[Don in Austin]

Originally Posted by inthecut

Both old local institutions long before Austin hit the national map..I wasn't around, but I love old local history....sounds like Austin sure had a different personality back then, prob more like some people have per their mind's picture of Austin before they come here....now, DT is full of skyscrapers, but, before 1970, there essentially really was none...Much of the south of DT was full of little hole restaurants like the "Tamale House" on 1st and Congress... read this post from an old Austinite I paraphrase here..

"That Tamale House could easily be thought of as the beginning of the end of 70's Austin downtown. I say so because I remember clearly the day they announced it's sale so that developers could get the land and build a sky scraper. The fellow that owned it and cooked there, I think, walked away with over a million $$$. That began the transformation of downtown that continues through today."

Per the Alamo Hotel, which was at 6th and guadalupe, legends abound about it...It was dank, skanky, had a quasi-legal "Massage parlor" in the basement, and had a bar/longue that kick-started the alternative/outlow/country movement, with the "Lubbock Mafia" of Jimmie Dale Gilmore, Joe Ely, and Butch Hancock starting out there, along with Lucinda Williams, Robert Earl Keen, Lyle Lovett, Steve Earle, and Townes van Zandt....wow.....

This music video shot the ending scenes there right before it closed and was torn in 1983...


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JxzJAF1BxP4

Now, this other place, EmmaJoes...hmmm...hard to find much on it...It def was on the "drag"....pretty much nothing pops up in searches, but the place is mentioned in many books as a top small barish place to perform, sort of like the Continental Club of the 70's....

I LOVED hearing Bill Neely at the Alamo Lounge.

A remember Spellman's?

Don

[dkolflat]

emmajoes was right at 30th and Guadalupe. The Gudalupe Antones location was about a half a block south of there on the same side of the street. They coexisted for a couple of years I think. emmajoes was mostly a songwriter venue but had a diverse schedule including blues, new wave and rock and roll. Rank and File played there a few times as did W.C. Clark and Omar and the Howlers. One after hours weeknight after Omar had played, Stevie Ray walked down after his gig at Antones to say hi to Omar. I regrettably didn't have my camera with me that night because it would have been a great image with Omar, Stevie Ray, Mandy Mercier and Blaze Foley all together shooting the breeze - that was Austin back then.

emmajoes was founded by Martin Wiginton and Bobby Nelson. It opened on Saturday, Nov. 14, the day after the Alamo Lounge held their farewell closing concert. The Alamo was also run by Martin and Bobby. Previously they owned the Split Rail on South Lamar (which burned down). emmajoes was named for Emma Goldman and Joe Hill. Butch Hancock built the bar and was the main act at the Alamo the night before and at the opening for emmajoes.

[elan]

Is the Terrace Hotel still there. I remember staying there with my parents and thinking it was awesome.

[ScoPro]

Originally Posted by elan

Is the Terrace Hotel still there. I remember staying there with my parents and thinking it was awesome.

The Terrace was demolished decades ago.

[bostonphil]

I was a regular at both the Alamo Lounge which was part of the Alamo Hotel as well as Emmajoe's. There were many good times but also not such good times.

It was a different world and a different Austin.

In 1982, I was working on my master's thesis about The Austin Music Scene which was published in 1983. It is titled "Impact of The Music Entertainment Industry on Austin, Texas" and had a profound effect on this city.

These were years when I was going to Emmajoe's.

I would love it if someone could set up a facebook page for Alamo Lounge and Emmajoe's. I might even go do it.

I am not the only alumni of these two clubs. Maybe others would join a facebook page and post some memories like old calendars.