Happy 45th Anniversary to Billy Bob’s Texas! The Ft. Worth Stockyards icon first opened on April 1, 1981 featuring a concert from Larry Gatlin and the Gatlin Brothers Band.
Originally built in 1910 to house livestock, it received a facelift in 1936 as part of the Texas Centennial Project. During World War II, it was converted into an an airplane factory and in the 1950’s was converted into a massive department store.
Today, Billy Bob’s Texas is known as the “World’s Largest Honky Tonk” features 100,000 square feet of space which includes 30 bars, a Texas sized dance floor and even a bull riding arena.
Many of country music’s biggest stars have performed there including George Strait, Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings and Hank Williams Jr. In 1983, Merle Haggard bought a record-setting round of drinks for the entire crowd.
Happy 45th Birthday Billy Bob’s Texas!!!
