When the historic Longhorn Ballroom reopened with a show from Asleep at the Wheel at the end of March, it was a trip down memory lane for many of us who learned to two-step at this iconic dance hall.
Owner Edwin Cabaniss, known for saving The Kessler Theater, did it again, preserving and reinventing another iconic Dallas venue. He also went the extra mile with a headrush of nostalgia in the form of a beautifully curated costume collection.
We don’t give historic wardrobe the attention it deserves, so I rang up Annette Becker, the Director of the Texas Fashion Collection at the University of North Texas, for some insight.
Collecting the material culture of music is of particular historical importance. Performances are, by nature, ephemeral, and their environments are often challenging to document. Especially because such focus is placed on performers, their clothing can become a central element of their expressions of themselves and audiences’ understandings of their crafted personas or an extension of their artistry.
Stage costumes can offer a fantastical interpretation of the every day – particularly if we think about the dazzling spangled and workwear-inspired Nudie suits sported by Elvis – or they can form more personal and intimate connections between performers and audiences – like the ready-to-wear fashion line created by Selena. Preserving those stage ensembles allows us to reconnect with the embodied humanity of past performances and engage more deeply with music history.
It’s also just darned cool.
The Longhorn Ballroom Has Hosted Everyone From Loretta Lynn to Johnny Winter
It’s exhilarating that Cabaniss took the plunge and hired the multi-talented Warwick Stone to curate the collection. It adds an unexpected dimension to the Longhorn Ballroom and is an inspiring collection.
Stone was uniquely suited to the project because he’s indeed done it all. He created costumes for two of Freddy Mercury’s tours. He was the creative director for the Las Vegas Hard Rock Hotel, furnishing the interiors with rock and roll costumes and memorabilia. He’s also been featured as an expert on “Pawn Stars,” and every serious collector in the world knows his ability to source. As an appraiser, he can value items for insurance purposes, so if you have what you believe to be an Elvis jacket in the back of the closet, Stone is your man.
“Edwin had a lot of people researching the history of performers at the Longhorn,” Stone said. “It took me the longest time to figure out a style and a point of view for the collection. But the epiphany came with a year-by-year spreadsheet of all the performers. I realized it would work if I put a year on it.”
The concept was to create 12 thematic cases. The country western years had to be represented because the Longhorn Ballroom was originally built by O.L. Nelms in 1950 to host his pal Bob Wills and The Texas Playboys. Jack Ruby leased it briefly because Wills was on the road for much of the year. It was challenging to work Ruby into the collection, but he is integral to the era, so his white suit is off to the side of the main collection.
“Ruby was only there in 1952, but his contribution was creating a large venue where black audiences could go,” Stone said. “He brought in Count Basie and Nat King Cole. The most remarkable thing in the archives is a photo of the Nat King Cole show in 1954. All of the people sitting down are black. All the white people are standing up behind them. There are stories of this era at the Longhorn with black promoters and private security because the police had no jurisdiction. The Longhorn was in unincorporated territory, but everyone got along.”
The Longhorn, The Sex Pistols, And That Punch
Dewey Groom eventually bought the club from Nelms and is responsible for renaming it the Longhorn Ballroom. He turned it into a money-maker by subdividing the 2,000-person dance floor, building a cowboy town facade, and creating a tourist attraction. For 25 years, it was a thriving venue, and in 1978 the Longhorn Ballroom was one of only six venues in America to host the Sex Pistols on their only U.S. tour.
“There are some things that simply had to be exhibited, and memorabilia from the Sex Pistols tour was essential,” Stone said. And no, there was no truth to the girl punching Sid in the face. When you are in the music memorabilia business, you meet the photographers. Stone got the inside skinny on that night and the photos to prove the story.
“There was a little tin roof over the stage, and the punks were climbing up and the post hanging on the wooden rail,” Stone said. “Sid is sparring with these girls trying to kiss them. He bends down to kiss a girl. She is sliding down the fence post and accidentally head-butts his nose. So it was no real punch, but the punch made for a better story!”
Stone is proud that he got the history across in the exhibits of wardrobe and memorabilia. “Each exhibit grounds you to that spot in time,” he said. “It’s a time capsule. In 1961 it was all Country Western music, and in 1978 there was a very different scene.”
Historic wardrobe is a nostalgic-driven collectible. It takes you back to a sweet spot in your life and also gives you perspective. You might not realize, for instance, that a performer was that short or that the brocade of a gown was that brilliant. Wardrobe personifies the performer and captures their essence. There is a reason that Judy Garland’s ruby slippers are at the Smithsonian and that the carpet in front of them is worn out!”
Brian Chanes: Senior Director of Film and Television Entertainment at Heritage Auctions
Stone is not finished. He’s working on the founders’ room at the Longhorn Ballroom. It will include portraits, exhibits, and those stories like the one where Jack Ruby had his finger bitten off. You’ll just have to wait on that!
