DALLAS — Just a few months after its return was first announced, a historic Dallas dancehall is finally opening its doors back open to the public.
On Thursday, city leaders and the owners of the Longhorn Ballroom hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the storied music venue returning to hosting concerts after a four-year hiatus.
"This is about our community," said owner Edwin Cabaniss, whose pedigree of reviving dormant Dallas concert halls includes the reopening of Oak Cliff's Kessler in 2010. "It’s about the culture in community, and really, it’s about preserving Texas’ most historic music venue."
The history of this building, which is located in The Cedars area just south of Downtown Dallas, dates all the way back to 1950. That was the year it first opened for county music legend Bob Wills and his Texas Playboys. At that point, it was called Bob Wills Ranch House.
Over the decades, the building that was later renamed the Longhorn Ballroom would host a slew of big names -- including Stevie Ray Vaughan, George Strait, Loretta Lynn, and BB King. In the late 1970s, the music hall also made history when it was only one of six U.S. venues to host the Sex Pistols.
Jeffery Liles, the artistic director at both the Kessler and the Longhorn, was at that Sex Pistols concert -- and remembers it well. He says it marked the beginning of a new music era.
"Sex Pistols played in 1978 -- I was in 11th grade," Liles said. "As it turns out, that was the first of many punk rock shows that would end up happening here over the years. Patti Smith played here and the Ramones played here, the [Red Hot] Chili Peppers and T.S.O.L. and acts like that."
Fans may remember the Longhorn Ballroom in its heyday, but over the years the business fell on hard times. At one point, it was considered a threatened historic property.
Then, at Cabaniss' urging, the City of Dallas stepped in and helped the new owners bring back the Dallas icon.
For Jesse Moreno, the Dallas City Councilman for District 2, the reopening is a big coup.
"We have all of the entertainment venues," Moreno said. "We have Deep Ellum, The Farmers Market and Victory Park. And now, of course, The Cedars."
The first announced shows at the reopened Longhorn Ballroom:
- March 30: Asleep at the Wheel featuring Brennen Leigh and Joshua Hedley
- March 31: Old Crow Medicine Show with special guest Joshua Ray Walker
- April 1: Morgan Wade and Lucero with Kaitlin Butts
- April 22 & 23: An Evening with Emmylou Harris
- April 28: KXT 91.7 Presents Dinosaur Jr.
- July 15: KXT 91.7 Presents Polyphonic Spree
- October 7: Snarky Puppy
Head to the Longhorn Ballrooom's website for more tickets and information.