The name
Kenneth Threadgill is legendary in Austin. Threadgill's Tavern
on North Lamar was one of the first venues to showcase the kind
of music that made Austin famous. Numerous artists got their
start at Threadgill's, including Janis Joplin.
Kenneth
Threadgill died in 1987, but his legacy endures. He is known
as the "Grandfather of Austin Country Music". Two
successful restaurants bearing his name continue to host live
music in Austin.
Although
Kenneth Threadgill is synonymous with Austin, he is a product
of the blackland soil of Northeast Texas. He was born in 1909
in Peniel, a community just north of Downtown Greenville.
In memory
and celebration of Kenneth Threadgill, Friends of Main Street
is sponsoring a concert series that will bring his kind of music
to Greenville. This series will showcase established artists
performing Texas and Americana music. Our inaugural show was
a great success and featured Guy Clark and Bruce Robison.
Eddie
Wilson, current owner of Threadgill's and proprietor of the
old Armadillo World Headquarters hosted the inaugural concert.
He loosened up the audience with funny stories from his many
years on the Austin music scene.
The Special
Consultant for the series is Dave Heath, a Greenville native.
Dave has been involved in the Austin music scene for years.
Besides working with Robert Earl Keen, among others, he is a
longtime member of the Threadgill Troubadours, a group who played
weekly at Threadgills.
The concerts
are held at the historic Municipal Auditorium in Downtown Greenville.
The Auditorium was built in 1939 as a public works project of
the Roosevelt administration. The Auditorium has hosted a wide
range of artists over the years, from Elvis Presley to Duke
Ellington to the Dixie Chicks. The Auditorium seats 1,734 on
the main level and balcony.
No alcohol
is permitted in the Municipal Auditorium.
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