All posts by Pam Musgrove-Burnett

Fort Worth Music

Crystal Springs Dancing & Swimming

Crystal Springs Dance Hall – The Birthplace of Western Swing (5653 White Settlement Rd) credited as the pre-honky-tonk birthplace of Western Swing. With the help of such Western Swing pioneers as Bob Wills and Milton Brown, the huge old time dance hall became the most popular night spot in the state of Texas for dancing, drinking, and listening to a new music genre that fused West Texas Fiddle with Hillbilly Hokum, New Orleans Jazz, Mississippi Blues and even Mariachi.

The pavilion got its start as a Trinity Riverfront swimming hole in March 1916 under the proprietorship of “Papa” Sam Cunningham and continued to remain under family control until fire consumed it in December 1966. It was named for the natural springs at the site. The dance hall was set up from a discarded building moved from nearby military Camp Bowie. In 1930, the Lightcrust Doughboys featuring Bob Wills with his amazing fiddle breakdowns and Milton Brown’s melodic vocals, attracted thousands of dancers and their families who came to swim in the clear crystal springs and hear this awesome new fusion of hot dance music.

The music venue grew and in 1932 moved into a new building constructed on the premises. This structure had a capacity of about 1,000 persons and could accommodate approximately 800 on its dance floor. By 1933, people at the Crystal Springs Dance Hall could hear Milton Brown singing popular tunes of the day after he formed his own band, the Musical Brownies, they became the featured performers there. People walked, drove, and even took the Crystal Springs shuttle bus from downtown Fort Worth to hear Milton Brown and His Musical Brownies play a totally new kind of dance music called cowboy string jazz, where Milton’s innovative steel guitarist (Bob Dunn) literally invented the world’s first amplified electric guitar. In addition to Brown’s famous group, the hall had a modestly successful house band called the Crystal Springs Ramblers. Look up these groups on YouTube for a step into the past!

#fortworth #texas #crystalspringsdancehall #westernswing #dfw #miltonbrown #BobWills #fortworthhistory

Fort Worth Music

Willie Nelson in Cowtown 1966

In July 8th & 9th, 1966 (55 years ago) Johnny Bush and Wade Ray backed Willie Nelson on the album Live Country Music Concert, recorded over two nights at Panther Hall, Willie’s home away from home in Fort Worth. From the night Panther Hall had opened in June 1963, the building with the futuristic, eight-sided exterior that resembled a flying saucer was the country music showcase in Fort Worth and Dallas. The dance floor was huge, the air-conditioning cold, and the surroundings nice, with long tables for seating. Waitresses dressed in Western outfits. Even though pop tops had already been developed for beer cans in 1962, the waitresses or bartenders could still open cans quicker with a can opener (popularly known as a church key) as long as the cans were opened on the bottom, which explained why beers were served upside down. Panther Hall was also Willie’s second television home. He played there so often, he was a semiregular on the Cowtown Jamboree, broadcast live from Panther Hall from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. every Saturday to viewers in the Fort Worth-Dallas area to hype the show later the same night. The televised portion of Jamboree was hosted at various times by popular Fort Worth disc jockeys Bill Mack, Bo Powell and Dale Wood. Willie’s relationship with Panther Hall had been cemented by Bo Powell, a disc jockey at KCUL. “I always looked on the record to see who wrote the song,” he explained. “It seems like every good song I was hearing was written by Willie Nelson.” Powell’s booming voice introduced Willie Nelson with all the flair of a wrestling announcer. The live music concert recording that followed validated Willie Nelson as a songwriter and a performer as he covered his own songs and songs of other composers.

*Except from the book Willie Nelson: An Epic Life by Joe Nick Patoski. https://www.amazon.com/Willie-Nelson-Joe-Nick-Patoski/dp/0316017795/ref=nodl_

#willienelson #pantherhall #liverecording #cowtown #jamboree #hearfortworth #discjockey #Tarrant #texas #texasmusic #fortworthhistory #dfw #July #1960s #anepiclife #patoski #fortworthyhistory

Panther Hall advertisement from July 1966.
Clean cut Willie Nelson 7/1966 at Panther Hall in midst of live recording.
A rare album capturing two nights of Willie Nelson live at Panther Hall, Fort Worth, Texas.
Songs performed for Side 1
Songs performed for Side 2
Panther Hall advertisement showing location at corner of Lancaster and Collard in Fort Worth, TX.
Panther Hall original sign rehoused at Sammie’s BBQ, Fort Worth.
Fort Worth Businesses, Stock Show and Rodeo, Street Photographers

Fort Worth Street Photographers/Nobby Harness Co.

Finding old photos taken by Fort Worth street photographers capturing everyday life experiences downtown are fascinating. A photographer would grab a candid shot of you, give you a ticket that you could later take to their shop to buy your picture. These street photos give a great glimpse of the way things were, from the way folks dressed, the family or friends they traveled with to shop, or the great storefronts of the time. However, it can leave one wondering about stores gone by that are captured in the background. We posted this shot a few years ago but it only recently did our friend Mary give us details on her memories of the Nobby Harness shop at the 300 block of Main St. and it’s worthy of a share.
“I remember Nobby Harness Company in downtown Fort Worth. I loved and rode horses in the 50s and 60s. My Papa would take me to Nobby Harness to buy a bridle or to repair a saddle. The wonderful smell of leather permeated the place. I remember an old cast iron stove for warmth in the winter. There was also a taxidermy display of a two-headed calf. Going to Nobby Harness shop is a fond memory for me.”
Wow! How well do you think a saddle shop would do downtown today? Before you answer, I happen to know Fort Worth holds the largest all-horse parade downtown yearly, going on 130 years now, as they welcome the Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo to town. The streets fill with over 2,000 horses!
Hmm? I get it now! Giddy up!