![]() It was totally jam-packed every night, but we’d have an especially big crowd whenever an artist like Kris would come to town. He’s such an amazing songwriter, a great performer, and was a good match for our crowd. Kris Kristofferson was one of those artists that I didn’t think would want to play Gilley’s, because he was such a big name and a tremendous talent. I think they all wanted Gilley’s on their resumé. We had just about everybody in the industry. We got some acts that made me think, Are you kidding me? Jimmy Buffett, Merle Haggard, Loretta, Conway. We booked a lot of shows around that time, including some people I didn’t think would want to play the club. So we recorded everybody who would give us permission. I think we spent a hundred dollars or so per roll, and it usually took four rolls to tape a show. ![]() We could record onto the 24-track machine that we had in the studio, then we would do the mixing. Right next to the club was the recording studio, and we recorded everything that was done onstage. And there was a little bar where you could sit and drink and look straight at whoever was singing. So we’d set up chairs on the dance floor. We had a dance floor, although I remember some acts wanted you to sit and listen. You could bend down and shake hands with people. You were right there on the stage with people all around you. Gilley’s could hold several thousand people, but the club was very intimate. It was truly a unique venue to play because of the way it was laid out. Anybody else doing that film - I don’t think it would have had the same impact. But when I heard that John Travolta might do the movie, suddenly I love that article! John is the one who made it all come together, especially with his dance moves. I thought the writer was making fun of country music. At first I didn’t know what to think of the movie, because I didn’t like the Esquire article it was based on. Then Urban Cowboy comes along, and that’s when all hell breaks loose. We had quite a few pool tables, pinball machines, punching bags, things of that nature, but maybe the biggest draw was the pair of mechanical bulls we had. It started filling up, and we started adding on. Even during the week people would come out just to see what was going on at this little club. And sure enough, we got a tremendous amount of people coming in on the weekends. I told my business partner, if this show kicks off, Gilley’s will really come alive on the weekends. I had no idea what I was doing, but I like to think I got better as I went along. We opened Gilley’s up in 1970 and around the same time I started doing this little local TV show on Channel 39 in Houston. Below are the late singer's memories of that show, and the importance of his honkytonk in Southeast Texas. Several months before his death in May, Mickey Gilley penned the liner notes for Kris Kristofferson Live at Gilley's - Pasadena, TX: September 15th, 1981.
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