SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 639
WHEREAS, The Broken Spoke, Austin's iconic country dance
hall, was honored with the dedication of an Official Texas
Historical Marker on April 12, 2023; and
WHEREAS, Native Austinite James White opened the Broken
Spoke in 1964 as a cafe in a former lumberyard on South Lamar
Boulevard; the business quickly won the loyalty of country
music lovers with its jukebox and live performers, and in 1966,
it expanded to its current size with the addition of a
bandstand and a large dance floor; from the outset, it featured
the same atmospheric decor it has today, complete with
red-checkered tablecloths, pool tables, and low ceilings; as
Mr. White put it in the famous pronouncement he would make from
the stage each night, the Broken Spoke has always been "a real
Texas honky-tonk . . . not Car-neg-ie Hall!"; and
WHEREAS, Within a few years of its opening, the dance hall
began booking well-known country music artists, such as Bob Wills
and His Texas Playboys, Tex Ritter, Ray Price, and Ernest Tubb;
in the 1970s, it became a popular venue for Willie Nelson, Kris
Kristofferson, and other outlaw country acts, and George Strait
was among the performers who cut their teeth at the Spoke early in
their careers; the music royalty who have graced the stage
through the years also includes Kitty Wells, Roy Orbison, Dolly
Parton, and Garth Brooks, and the impressive lineup of stars is
commemorated in the "Tourist Trap" museum that occupies a room at
the nightspot; and
WHEREAS, Standing alongside the performers in most of the
museum photographs is Mr. White, who together with his wife,
Annetta, ran the Broken Spoke for more than a half century; his
friendly greeting welcomed generations of patrons, and his
unwavering allegiance to the venue's traditional country roots
made it a cultural landmark known around the globe; although
Mr. White passed away in 2021, the White family continues to
operate the Spoke, maintaining its traditions of hosting live
music five nights a week, offering lessons for those taking their
first steps across the sawdust-covered dance floor, and serving
its famous chicken-fried steak; and
WHEREAS, Over the years, the Broken Spoke has been featured
in countless publications and on such television programs as
Austin City Limits and the Country Music Television special
"Honky Tonk Sounds"; it also served as a location in the Willie
Nelson movie Honeysuckle Rose, NBC's Friday Night Lights
television series, and the movie Wild Texas Wind, which featured
Spoke mainstay Asleep at the Wheel; in 2010, the dance hall was
inducted into the Texas Western Swing Hall of Fame, and Donna
Marie Miller authored a book about its history titled The Broken
Spoke: Austin's Legendary Honky-Tonk; and
WHEREAS, For nearly six decades, two-steppers and country
music aficionados have found a slice of honky-tonk heaven under
the neon lights of the Broken Spoke, and this beloved cultural
treasure is indeed deserving of this official acknowledgment of
its historical legacy; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas, 88th
Legislature, hereby commemorate the dedication of an Official
Texas Historical Marker for the Broken Spoke dance hall and
extend to the White family and to all those associated with the
venue sincere best wishes for the future; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this Resolution be
prepared for the Broken Spoke as an expression of high regard
from the Texas Senate.
Eckhardt, Alvarado, Gutierrez, Parker
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President of the Senate
I hereby certify that the
above Resolution was adopted by
the Senate on May 23, 2023.
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Secretary of the Senate
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Member, Texas Senate
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Member, Texas Senate
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Member, Texas Senate
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Member, Texas Senate