Legendary Austin blues venue Antone’s has big plans to mark 50th birthday

Texas has more than its share of apocryphal stories, so it’s wise to think twice when you hear a yarn so compelling it seems almost too wild to be true. With that caveat, take a step back to the early ’70s for one such tale.

The story goes that on a street in a mostly segregated Texas capital city, a street known for an aging hotel and a handful of seedy bars, a guy from Houston opened a sandwich shop. As local musicians came in for a bite, they’d leave their guitars and amps in the back.

It wasn’t long before the music would take over – transforming the sandwich shop into what would become the most talked about hot spot for blues music this side of the Mississippi.

Nowadays, Antone’s is a place considered Texas’ home of the blues, and it’s marking its 50th birthday this year.

One of Antone’s co-owners Will Bridges, along with the club’s booker, Zach Ernst, joined the Standard to talk about the legendary venue’s history, as well as what’s in store for this milestone year. Listen to the interview above or read the transcript below.

This transcript has been edited lightly for clarity:

Texas Standard: I said ‘apocryphal story.’ How close to the truth is what I said there, Will?

Will Bridges: Oh, I think that’s pretty spot on.

Sandwiches, huh? Sandwiches before the blues.

Will Bridges: You know, we have been aggregating the lore and history of Antone’s since our 10-year, and there’s little variations throughout. But that’s certainly an element of the story that holds true even today.

Now, Antone’s gets its name from its longtime proprietor, the late Clifford Antone, who was certainly a man about town in Austin. I think a lot of people know he was crazy for the blues, but he always said something like he didn’t plan to bring the blues to Austin. The blues found him. What do you think he meant by that, Zach?

Zach Ernst: Well, as Will said, we’ve always been learning more about Clifford and about the club’s history. And especially now that we’re celebrating 50 years, we’ve just put that into hyperdrive. And I think that that’s true.

I think that he grew up in Port Arthur, surrounded by that music and also right on the Louisiana border, listening to zydeco bands and what became known as “swamp pop” and R&B and things like that. And he went on a journey that I think a lot of fans of that kind of music went on – including the British invasion guitarists and bands maybe five, ten years prior – where you hear this great music from Chess Records or Atlantic Records, Sun Records, and then want to learn more.

And, you know, I believe that he discovered it somewhat from the radio when he was just a little kid in Port Arthur. But then also as people started rediscovering Willie Dixon and Howlin’ Wolf and Muddy Waters and Albert King and folks like that through the music of Led Zeppelin and the Stones and all of those folks, the timing just totally lined up for him to be able to hear one of those songs and then find the LP and look on the back and see who all the musicians were who were on it, who wrote it, and it was an obsession.

I mean, he was so young. I believe he was 24 when he opened the club. And, you know, your brains aren’t fully formed yet when you’re 24, so you can just realign everything to be about the blues. And that’s what he did. And that followed him the rest of his life.

Will Bridges: And the way I always interpreted it when he said the blues found him is that wasn’t so much referring to his time after opening the club and what he did, bringing leading blues legends down to Austin, but more so his original, like Zach said, the way that he was introduced to the blues and the way that he became infatuated with it.

You know, he never sought that out. He was never – I don’t think he was – I mean, his interaction with the blues was at such a young age. It wasn’t as if he was sampling all different types of music and that was just one that really resonated with him. It was just from as far back as he could remember, he was, like Zach said, obsessed with the blues. And then that way his life and his life calling found him.

But you really got to think about what Austin was like in the mid ’70s when he opened up Antone’s. I mean, a lot of people associate Austin with outlaw country music in the ’70s, but then you think about the rebirth of the blues in the ’80s – you know, the Fabulous Thunderbirds, Stevie Ray Vaughan – all the way up to some modern players today. I mean, Gary Clark Jr., for example, he sharpened his chops at Antone’s.

I think there’s this sense that, in a way, he became a kind of personal curator for a lot of these groups. I once spoke with Miss Lavelle White, an amazing blues singer who had almost been forgotten until Clifford Antone searched her out and found her living in Austin and invited her on stage to sing. And that just rekindled her career.

It seems like there are a lot of those kinds of stories, right?

Zach Ernst: They are pretty endless, and we are still learning more about all of it. But there was something special about… Most of those musicians came down here from Dallas. That would be Denny Freeman and the Vaughn brothers, of course.

Denny Freeman played with Bob Dylan for a while there. I mean, incredible guitar player.

Zach Ernst: Absolutely. And he was in the Cobras with Stevie, and Jimmie started The Thunderbirds with Lou Ann Barton from Fort Worth. And then Kim Wilson would come in from California.

And there was a scene at places like the One Knite. And also, you know, of course, Bill Campbell, who passed away this year, was a white musician who was hanging out and playing with everybody on the East side clubs here in Austin.

So there was a scene percolating and it was a cult of people – you know, Mike Buck and Keith Ferguson and everybody who were really finding all these songs to cover. And it took a lot of effort to find these songs. You had to go find the 45 or you had to go find the LP or, you know, there was a lot of work that was being done by all these young people just because they were obsessed with it. And there was something so magical about the timing of all that.

And when Clifford opened the club, that gave all of them an opportunity to be together and do this every night. But also, once Sunnyland Slim came down and went back to Chicago and told everyone, ‘Hey, this guy is offering the best gig you could possibly get.’ You come down for 4 or 5 nights, you get treated like royalty and you can come alone. They’ve got killer young musicians there who will already know all your stuff and you don’t have to pay your band. You can just come down and they’ll put you up at a suite at the Driskill. And, you know, it’s just amazing what he was doing.

And what that did was reinvigorated the older artists and they were so excited to have all this youthful energy on stage behind them. But it was also the most incredible way for these young players to get better and better, to hear the stories and spend time offstage and on stage and the confidence that was given to a young Stevie Vaughan when he got to sit in with Albert King for the first time at Antone’s and get that seal of approval, or Muddy Waters telling Kim Wilson that he was the best harp player he had heard since Little Walter.

And those things really were powerful. And, you know, once you’re given that sort of validation, it was this symbiotic relationship that by the time the late ’70s and the ’80s rolled around, it just started to really snowball.

You talk about snowball, and you mentioned some of those big names like Muddy Waters… B.B. King played at Antone’s. Ray Charles played. James Brown, right?

I mean, you look at all these icons who have played over the years at Antone’s, and I wonder how that’s played into the lure of getting to play at Antone’s.

Zach Ernst: I think it’s everything. I certainly grew up hearing about Antone’s. I grew up in College Station, but my uncle lived here, and I knew about the Vaughan Brothers and about Arc Angels and Storyville and everything that was going on here in the ’90s.

You know, Clifford was a great self-mythologizer. I mean, he had a little Will Rogers in him in terms of just the simplicity of what he was doing and the passion with which he would do stuff – in the way he could get on stage and say ‘ladies and gentlemen, Eddie Taylor, the greatest guitar player in the world,’ and no one knew who he was, maybe. But by the end of that set, they would be there with him.

I mean, he could really build the legend. And it’s all connected and it’s all still going on. We’re just sort of standing on the shoulders of all those folks here half a century later.

Zach, I understand Clifford was something of a mentor of sorts. When did Clifford pass away? It was more than ten years ago.

Zach Ernst: 2006.

2006? It’s been a while. What was your relationship like with him? He sort of seemed to be more than just a man about town. I mean, he taught a class at the University of Texas, I think, at one time.

Zach Ernst: That’s where I met him. Yeah.

Is that right?

Zach Ernst: Yes, sir. I was a freshman at UT, living in Jester dormitory and was able to enroll and get into his course, which was called “The Blues According to Clifford Antone.” And I’ve heard so many times since of other people who he kind of took under his wing.

He had a way of making you feel like you were the most important person in the room. Even for me, just an 18-year-old kid who was impressed to be there and was into the roots of the music. And, you know, his syllabus was Atlantic Records, Stax Records, Motown, you know…

Oh my gosh. And this coming from a guy who really knew what that meant.

Zach Ernst: Absolutely. So, you know, some of the people who were enrolled were just taking it as a blow off course or as just a kind of fun elective or whatever. But if you showed any interest, whether it was me or anybody else in going up to him after the class and saying, ‘well, what should I be listening to?’ or ‘what CD should I go get at Antone’s Record Shop today?’ or whatever, he gave me his business card. He said, ‘come down to the club any time.’

You know, it wasn’t that there was anything that special about me at that time, aside from just showing a real enthusiasm and really caring about it. And anyone who would listen, he would always  talk to you about that stuff.

Will Bridges: Zach was his star student for sure. And years later, I always like to tell this story that Clifford would be at the club enjoying the music, and people would always want to talk to him and interview him.

But, you know, he was just – especially kind of in his later years, didn’t want to be bugged and just wanted to enjoy the music. So, he’d say, ‘See that kid over there? Go ask him the same question and you can quote me.’ So that’s how much he trusted Zach’s academic prowess in his class. Did you get straight A’s in that class, Zach?

Zach Ernst: I think I got a perfect score, actually. I got 100 out of 100. But yeah, that’s true. There were several times where I’d go visit the class after the next year. He only taught it one more year before he unfortunately passed away. But I came and sat in at the back and he was like, ‘Oh, I was running late today. If I’d known you were here, you could have started the class for me.’

It’s really that same sort of confidence boost that I think he gave all the musicians, and it just came really naturally for him. And it certainly made me think that I knew something because he would make you feel good in that way.

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I want to talk about the 50th anniversary and the celebrations that are planned for this year. But first, I want to ask you, Will, why did you decide you wanted to be co-owner of this venue? Did you know Clifford? Were you into the blues yourself, or what?

Will Bridges: I met Clifford several times. I never got to have a peer-to-peer relationship with him like Zach or some of my colleagues did.

But I grew up here in Austin, and my dad also was born and raised here in Austin, and he was into the blues and the music scene at the time. So, I would get taken to the Guadalupe club when I was a kid. It opened the same year I was born – in 1982 is when they moved to the 29th and Guadalupe club. So, in the late ’80s, I was probably more like ten maybe the first time I got dragged in there. And it was always for the same reason – because there was somebody playing that I can remember the conversations between my mom and dad, where it was, ‘if we don’t see them now, we may never get this opportunity again.’

Will Bridges, co-owner and operator of Antone’s Nightclub. Michael Minasi / KUTX

And it certainly made an impression on me. I remember meeting Clifford and thinking, ‘that’s so cool,’ you know, seeing him kind of work the crowd. And he gave me a poster one time that I still have.

And so, I think, for me, the impression was kind of just being a sponge to what that felt like – to be in a room of music community, not just a show or concert, but a club, and really what that means, and a scene, and really what that means. And those are two things that I refer to as kind of ‘terms of endearment’ to us here in our Austin music ecosystem.

Fast forward to I grew up working in the service industry from a young age as well here in Austin, and the service industry and music industry are very intertwined here in Austin. So, I always liked being a part of things and I kind of learned my chops and operations of bar/restaurant stuff.

I never would have fathomed being involved with Antone’s in the way I’ve become – never pursued it. But you know, Clifford passed away in 2006 and his sister Susan ran the club for a while. It found itself under some different ownership out on East Riverside and kind of lost its way a little bit out there from the original intention.

And I’ll never forget the day when there was a news email or some kind of news blast went out that there was an announcement that the club was being sold and a group of us all kind of scurried to call each other and we were prophesying about which one of our heroes was going to get involved and save the day. And that was the passing of the torch moment, because we all looked to our mentors and elders and heroes, and they kind of collectively looked back at us and said, ‘you know, we might be getting a little old for this, but y’all should do it.’

And the rest is contemporary history for sure. Antone’s still lives and thrives now. What are you on? Trying to think of what street it is. It’s not Sixth Street anymore.

Will Bridges: We’re back on Fifth Street. So, it’s the sixth location of Antone’s in our now 50-year history. And a lot of people forget about a couple, a location or two.

So, it all started out at Sixth and Brazos. So, it kicked off July 15, 1975. There was a short stint on Great Northern off Anderson Lane. That’s probably the most forgotten about location, but it has some unique significance.

Then it moved to 29th and Guadalupe. And that’s the longest tenure thus far of a location. And then Clifford wanted to move it back downtown to Fifth and Lavaca. And that was really Zach’s and my kind of era.

That was also a time in Austin where bands started actually touring Austin more. And so, you wanted to have a little more space. So, Clifford, instead of just having a club, he kind of wanted to have a venue – a little more in vogue, have a little more space and a little more room for road shows and diversifying the programing. You know, one of the most iconic artists of that era was Bob Schneider and the Scabs.

And then Clifford passed away in 2006, like I said, and the club ended up on East Riverside before we brought it back downtown to Fifth and San Jacinto. We wanted to get it right back in the smack of downtown, as close to the original as we could.

And there’s still a record shop. I don’t think you all are formally affiliated, but there’s still an Antone’s Record Shop there on Guadalupe. Or was it, last check?

Zach Ernst: Oh yeah, it’s still there. And we have a small record shop inside the club called Big Henry’s, and we work with Eve and Mike Buck, who run Antone’s Records and all kinds of things like merchandise, and they help us order stuff and we’re always in touch with them.

All right, the 50th birthday celebration – what do you have in store?

Will Bridges: We’ve got all kinds of cool stuff cooked up. I’ll rattle off a few and I’ll hand it off to Zach. We’ve been keeping our lips sealed about this stuff, so I’m looking at him like, ‘okay, we can finally talk about this stuff.’ Here we go.

We are finally launching our airport location, which is going to be fun. It’s a great space in Austin Bergstrom. It has a stage and a bar and a little restaurant, and it’ll just be a great way to, you know, promote the brand and also encourage…

A lot of local musicians will be excited to have another stage to play at.

Will Bridges: Absolutely. That program is a part of the airport live music program. So, we’ll be able to collaborate with them on making sure that the lineup is Antone’s-inspired.

We’re also launching our Blues Museum, which has been a long effort through the Clifford Antone Foundation. And we are really excited about that. It’s going to be on top of the club, on the second floor of Antone’s, right there downtown.

So, it’ll be a small museum, a micro-museum of sorts. But we’ve got a lot of amazing history and memorabilia to display in that space. I’ll hand it off to Zach to rattle off a few.

Zach Ernst: Yes. And we just announced the Austin Blues Festival will be coming back to Moody Amphitheater at Waterloo Park the weekend of April 26 and 27. And later this week, we will be announcing the lineup as well as putting tickets on sale and will be doing a special Antone’s 50th anniversary All-Star Jam on each day of that festival, which is something that we’re really excited to be working on.

And a big thing I’m spending time on right now is we’ll have a box set coming out in July of this year.

Records, or what exactly?

Zach Ernst: Yes sir, records. New West Records owns the back catalog of Antone’s Records. So, what I have done is put together a LP of the best of Antone’s Records studio recordings, an LP of some rare and out-of-print live recordings from the club, various anniversaries over the years…

And then I’m also producing – along with Jacob Sciba, who is Gary Clark Jr.’s coproducer and the main engineer at Arlyn Studios – we are doing a double disc album of all new recordings that we’re calling “The Last Real Texas Blues Album” as an homage to the Doug Sahm’s “Last Real Texas Blues Band,” but also as sort of putting the stake in the ground of knowing that the work we’re doing is so important because a lot of folks with ties to the club and going back all the way to the beginning are still there and we’ve kind of got everyone together and we’re doing this Avengers Marvel Universe thing where we’re getting everybody together who is still doing it and who’s still killing it and making what I’m hoping will be the best blues record people have heard in a long, long time.

So, that’s going to come out this summer and we’re going to celebrate that with a trip to New York City to do a showcase at the Lincoln Center. And there’s even more stuff that we’re still working on. But that’s the big stuff. We have been talking about a lot of these projects for a long time, but we finally realize there’s no better time than a big anniversary like this to pump the gas and get it all out there to the world.

Will Bridges: And I’ll squeeze in, we’re going to be rereleasing the documentary that was originally released in 2004, but in an extended director’s cut version that’s never before been seen. And we’re also rereleasing Susan Antone’s book “Picture the Blues,” that was originally done for the 10th anniversary of the club. It’ll be the third edition of that.

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