Everything about The Armadillo World Headquarters totally explained
The
Armadillo World Headquarters (usually called simply
The Armadillo) was the premiere
music hall and entertainment center in
Austin,
Texas from
1970 to
1980.
History
In
1969, Austin's flagship
rock music venue, the Vulcan Gas Company, closed, leaving the city's nascent live music scene without an
incubator. One night, Eddie Wilson, manager of the local group
Shiva's Headband, stepped outside a
nightclub where the band was playing and noticed an old, abandoned
National Guard armory. Wilson found an unlocked garage door on the building and was able to view the cavernous interior using the headlights of his automobile. He had a desire to continue the legacy of the Vulcan Gas Company, and was inspired by what he saw in the armory to create a new music hall in the derelict structure. The armory was estimated to have been built in
1948, but no records of its construction could be located. The building was ugly, uncomfortable, and had poor
acoustics, but offered cheap rent and a central location. Posters for the venue usually noted the address as 525 1/2 Barton Springs Road (Rear), behind the Skating Palace (approximate coordinates 30.258 -97.750).
The name for the Armadillo was inspired by the use of armadillos as a symbol in the artwork of
Jim Franklin, a local poster artist, and from the building itself. In choosing the
mascot for the new venture, Wilson and his partners wanted an "armored" animal since the building was an old armory. The
nine-banded armadillo (
Dasypus novemcinctus) was chosen because of its hard shell that looks like
armor, its history as a survivor (virtually unchanged for 50 million years), and its near-ubiquity in
central Texas. Wilson also believed the building looked like it had been some type of
headquarters at one time. He initially proposed "International Headquarters" but in the end it became "World Headquarters."
In founding the Armadillo, Wilson was assisted by Franklin, Mike Tolleson, an entertainment attorney, Bobby Hedderman from the Vulcan Gas Company and Hank Alrich. Funding for the venture was initially provided by Shiva's Headband founder, Spencer Perskin, and Mad Dog, Inc. an Austin
literati group.
The Armadillo World Headquarters officially opened on
August 7,
1970 with Shiva's Headband, the Hub City Movers, and Whistler performing. The hall held about 1,500 patrons, but chairs were limited, so most patrons sat on the floor on sections of carpet that had been pieced together.
The Armadillo caught on quickly with the
hippie culture of Austin because admission was inexpensive and the hall tolerated
marijuana use. Even though illicit drug use was flagrant, the Armadillo was never raided. Anecdotes suggest the police were worried about having to
bust their fellow officers as well as local and state politicians.
Soon, the Armadillo started receiving publicity in national magazines such as
Rolling Stone.
Time magazine wrote that the Armadillo was to the Austin music scene what
The Fillmore had been to the emergence of rock music in the 1960s. The clientèle became a mixture of hippies,
cowboys, and
businessmen who stopped by to have lunch and a beer and listen to live music. At its peak, the amount of
Lone Star draft beer sold by the Armadillo was second only to the
Houston Astrodome. The
Neiman-Marcus department store even offered a line of Armadillo-branded products.
The blend of
country and rock music performed at the hall became known as "The Austin Sound," "Redneck Rock," or "Cosmic Cowboy." Many upcoming and established acts such as
Willie Nelson,
Ray Charles, and
ZZ Top played the Armadillo.
Freddie King,
Frank Zappa, and
Commander Cody all recorded live albums there.
Bruce Springsteen played five shows during
1974. The
Australian band
AC/DC played their first
American show at the Armadillo with
Canadian band
Moxy in July
1977.
Despite its successes, the Armadillo always struggled financially. The addition of the Armadillo
Beer Garden in
1972 and the subsequent establishment of food service were both bids to generate positive cash flow. However, the financial difficulties continued. This predicament was blamed on a combination of large guaranteed payments for the acts, cheap ticket prices, and poor
promotion. The club finally had to
lay off staff members in late
1976 and file for
Chapter 11 bankruptcy in
1977.
Another factor in the club's demise was that it sat on 5.62 acres of prime
real estate in what soon became a prime development area in the rapidly growing city. The Armadillo's landlord sold the property for an amount estimated between $4 million and $8 million.
The final concert at the Armadillo took place on
December 31,
1980. The sold-out
New Year's Eve show featured
Asleep at the Wheel and
Commander Cody and the Lost Planet Airmen. Some reports say the show ended at 4 a.m., while others claim that the bands played until
dawn. The contents of the Armadillo were sold at
auction in January
1981, and the old armory was razed for a high-rise
office building.
Legacy
With the success of the Armadillo and Austin's burgeoning music scene, KLRN (now
KLRU), the local
PBS television affiliate, created
Austin City Limits, a program showcasing popular local, regional, and national music acts.
The Armadillo Christmas Bazaar began in
1976 at the Armadillo, and is still held annually during the
Christmas season. The Bazaar was another attempt to improve cash flow for the hall. When the Armadillo closed, the Bazaar changed locations every year, as it leased whatever large empty retail space might be available at the time. In
1995, the bazaar settled at the
Austin Music Hall for twelve years. Due to remodeling of the Austin Music Hall, the Bazaar had to move its 2007 show to the
Austin Convention Center. The bazaar has become one of the top-ranked
arts and crafts shows in the nation with a long waiting list of
artisans who wish to show their work.
On
August 19,
2006, the City of Austin dedicated a commemorative plaque at the site where the Armadillo once stood. Co-founder Eddie Wilson was on hand and stated:
"It is still on the lips and minds of a lot of people 26 years after it closed. This is noteworthy for me because of the zero-tolerance mentality, and now the city erected a memorial that glorifies the things of the past that are not accepted today."
Some acts that played at the Armadillo
Live recordings made at the Armadillo
Live from Deep in the Heart of Texas, Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen (1974)
Bongo Fury, Frank Zappa (1975)
Larger Than Life, Freddie King (some tracks, not full record)
More Live, Phil Woods (1979)
At Last - Recorded Live on Stage, The Bugs Henderson Group (1991)
Live Austin, TX 6/13/75 New Riders of the Purple Sage (1975)Further Information
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