Gilley's Club

Gilley's is a famed bar/honky tonk founded in 1971 by country singer Mickey Gilley in Pasadena, Texas [http://www.gilleysdallas.com/Info/Welcome/GilleysHistory] . Pasadena was enshrined in film history when John Travolta, Debra Winger and others descended on the city to film the 1980 hit movie "Urban Cowboy", which depicted life and young love in Pasadena. The film centered around the city's enormous honky-tonk bar, Gilley's Club, which was co-owned by country music star Mickey Gilley and Sherwood Cryer.

It was a tin building that housed multiple bars and mechanical bulls. Connected to Gilley's club was a small rodeo arena that would also host both bicycle and motorcycle motocross races on Friday and Saturday nights. Lone Star beer flowed abundantly and soon there was even a Gilley's Beer added to the bars there.

Gilley's bumper stickers were a common sight on Houston-area streets and freeways during the 1970s. The stickers displayed a red Gilley's logo on a white reflective background (which conveniently glowed when illuminated by headlights). Gilley's employees applied the stickers to every vehicle parked in the club's lot each night. Patrons who didn't want a sticker were advised to leave their sun visors down.

During Gilley's heyday in the late 1970s and early 1980s, Cryer operated several bars and businesses throughout Pasadena. Locals whispered that he was connected with organized crime, including a shadowy Pasadena hitman known as "Honest Al."Fact|date=February 2008 These allegations were never proven.Fact|date=February 2008

Gilley's closed after a falling out between Gilley and Cryer. In 1989 Gilley's suffered an arson fire that gutted the interior -- rumored to have been started by Cryer so he could collect insurance -- but the building's shell was still standing until 2006 when it was demolished by the Pasadena Independent School District, its current owner. Only the old sound recording studio remains. (the old sign can be found at the Cowboy Ranch, a local restaurant). Gilley still makes his home in Pasadena.

On October 2, 2003, Gilley's was reopened: this time in the larger urban center of Dallas-Fort Worth. The new club features a 26,000 square foot main show room and the original mechanical bull, El Toro, featured in the movie "Urban Cowboy". In total, the new club has 91,000 square feet of restaurant, entertainment, meeting, and private function space. There are currently 7 venues inside the Gilley's Dallas facility which can be rented for special events and combined with multiple themes, not just country. Clever and artistic event planners have turned the enormous space into various themes ranging from a Moroccan theme with belly dancers and arial artist, to an Asian theme, to the streets of Venice,and even a beach theme with sand. Of course Gilley's does do county and western themed events as good as anyone could imagine. Many of the events at Gilley's have live armadillo racing, red neck horse shoes (toilet seats and plunger), jail break, rollo roper, quick draw, shoot the can, a butt sketch artist, red neck golf, and of course THE Bull. The Palladium is the biggest of the venues and also has concerts ranging from country to rock to hip hop. Some of the more well known, and very diverse names that have played the Palladium are Sheryl Crow, Pat Green, Timbaland, Starship, Morrisey, Clint Black, Joe Jackson, Chris Cornell, Big and Rich, Dresden Dolls, Rob Zombie, Interpol, Type O Negative, Los Lonely Boys, Kenny Wayne Shephard, Newsboys, DJ Tiesto, Jaheim, Pretty Ricky, Fuel, The Cult, Dwight Yokum, Alterbridge, K C and the Sunshine Band and Mindless Self Indulgence to name a few...The Loft is another concert/special event venue and has recently hosted Greenday under the pseudonym Foxboro Hot Tubs. Just below and connected to The Loft is the popular lunch and evening sports watching venue, The Studio Bar and Grill. Also in the Gilley's Dallas family and all under the same roof is the Lone Star, Brazos, and Pasadena rooms which are mainly special event venues. Last but definitely not least is Gilley's and that world famous name featuring the astounding sound of up and coming country music arist Chris Rivers and the Chris River's band playing Friday and Saturday nights.

Also see gilleysdallas.com [http://www.gilleysdallas.com/PressRoom/pressreleases/PRrelease0911.pdf] .

External links

http://www.gilleysdallas.com

* http://www.gilleys.com/Biography.html