Saturday, April 25, 2015

Musical Memories - Velvet Chains and Wooden Dance Floors


My theme is Musical Memories:  The Memories that music brings rushing back.

Gary Morris and "Velvet Chains" was quite popular in the S.E. Texas honky tonks when I used to frequent them.  I adore dancing!  I became 18 (legal age in Texas then) and then graduated from high school right on the heels of the Urban Cowboy craze.  While some were making themselves dizzy with disco, I was two-stepping my weekends away.

I don't want to glorify honky-tonks here.  Lot's can go wrong in a honky tonk or on  your way home from one.  But I was fortunate during my honky tonking days. Never any serious trouble.  

And what I remember fondly is the dancing!  Wooden floors, dusted with sawdust, low lights, ceiling fans whirling, dancing with someone who truly felt the rhythm of the song instead of just knowing the steps.  Being slightly hot from all the dancing.  The cool breeze of the ceiling fan on you face as you whirl by.  Twinkly lights off in the background.  Some places all closed up like a world of their own.  Some with screens and night air rushing in.  Some by the river, with that smell on the air that only comes from the river.  Some with nothing but a few snacks to offer, others with a counter off to the side serving up some of the best greasy spoon offerings around.  A way of life once upon a time.

Never got to dance to it, as it came out after my dancing days were done, but I've always wanted to be on that open air dance floor with lights and fireflies twinkling by the water and dance to these beautiful words accompanied by a guitar that to me is truly beautiful.  The Kentucky Headhunters'  "Too Much to Lose".   

Have you ever been to a Texas Honky Tonk?
What is some of your favorite music, songs to dance too?

30 comments:

  1. Have you ever heard of the internationally famous Farmer's Daughter in San Antonio? A fun place for older singles. I was already engaged and my intended was away in the army when I was young so I didn't start dancing a lot until after he passed. I danced them all. Texas Two Step, Waltz, Cotton Eyed Joe. Well I'm sure you know them all too.

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    1. I have heard of it! Maybe on Texas Country Reporter? My daddy was the one who taught me to waltz.

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  2. I too love to dance and country line dancing, swing are my favorites! We had those same kind of sawdust floors in Phoenix, Arizona.

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    1. I always wanted to try big band swing, but never could find a place or a partner.

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  3. You need to find a way to dance to that song then.
    I can't dance. Except for slow dancing. That's easy. Hold girl and spin slow.

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    1. Or hold girl and sway. I call that the Fonz and it's the only dance my Pete will do.

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  4. I have been to a Texas Honkytonk. A few of them actually. I live in Austin and have been to some here and a few in Houston. They are definitely fun but I'm not a two-stepper. I'm more of a rock/freestyle dancer and I don't know how to two-step. But I love watching people two-step!
    I couldn't get the audio files to play here so I couldn't hear what you posted. Not sure why they wouldn't play for me...
    Michele at Angels Bark

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    1. The audio files open up in Spotify. If you have the free version installed on your pc/device, clicking play will open that. If you don't, clicking on the <> in the upper right hand corner will display a link you can copy and paste and it will open a web-based version of the free spotify. You do have to have or create an account to use it. You can choose free version, which I use.

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  5. Thanks for visiting my blog, Barbara. Best part of A-Z is meeting new friends! ~ Dani at News From Nowhere

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  6. Nope, never been to a honky tonk. But that sounds like fun. Line dancing was popular when I came of age, but I wasn't the type to go out and do that sort of thing. (It was all I could do to work, go to school, and try to stay awake.)

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    1. The Cotton-eye Joe and The Schottish were the only ones we ever did as a line dance. Until modern "country" music came on the scene, most everything was either a waltz or a two-step. In some crowds they'd through in something that hearkened back to the 60's and folks would jitter-bug

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  7. My first years in Texas, I went with friends to some honky tonks, but that just wasn't my style. I like your post though and I can imagine you had a lot of fun.

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    1. Well, at least you went out and experienced them. Couldn't hardly call yourself a Texan if you hadn't. ;)

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  8. I have fond memories of line dancing to 'My Maria' by Brooks & Dun! Not at a Honky Tonk but at a singles dance hosted by my church. I met my 2nd husband at one of them. We've been married 15 years now! Sadly we don't go out dancing like we used to do. I'm going to get him to go out dancing with me sometime soon!

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    1. I love how you say, "I'm going to let him to out dancing with me..."!! Spoken like a true wife.

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  9. Now I wish I knew how to two-step, but I'm not much of a dancer. I just look awkward when I try to dance.

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    1. The Two-step is really a very simple dance. Sometimes couples add a little fling and flair to it, but the basic step is the same. A whole lot of dancing is in the luck of drawing a good partner who knows how to use pressure from his hands on yours and your back to put you just where he wants you. When you get one like that, any woman can feel like a queen on the dance floor.

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  10. I like to watch people two-step but don't ask me to! :) Love the boots!

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    1. As I've already explained to Chrys, it's really not that hard. And isn't that an adorable pair of boots! My Justin's were grey with with wisps of black "smoke" in them and black stitching.

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  11. I loooove me some honky tonk! Oh man. I went to grad school in Miami, FL and my friends and I found that the best place to go if we needed to go out and NOT see students was, in fact, the country line dancing bar. All our students went to South Beach, but we could have a rip roaring good time at the RoundUp without worries of seeing them :)
    You've almost made it through!
    ~AJ Lauer
    an A-Z Cohost
    @ayjaylauer on Twitter

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    1. So, you led a secret double life there, hey, A.J.? Cool!

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  12. When I drove out to CA, we stopped in Dallas. That day we saw a rodeo and that night we went to a honkey tonk bar. I was traveling with a girlfriend who was a county fan and two-step dancer. We had a BLAST! I went a few more times in CA, but always wished I'd gone more.

    You can find me here:
    ClarabelleRant

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  13. I've danced to Honky Tonk Woman a few times. I haven't downloaded spotify on the new computer yet so I'm off to search The Kentucky Headhunters' "Too Much to Lose" in another browser... I know that feeling of wanting to experience a particular song in a particular place, I wonder if yours will take me there too :) Happy #atozchallenge
    Reflex Reactions

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    1. Hope you like the song Ida! Thanks for visiting Caneyhead!

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  14. I'm pretty fortunate too. During the 70s the legal age in Idaho was 19, and I frequented many bars. Never had any problems, but saw my share of what can go wrong. Nice entry.

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    1. Thank you, Dona! A Texas honky tonk is basically a bar, but it's a bar of a different color.

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  15. Though the #A2ZChallenge completed a few days ago, I'm still discovering new blogs as I work my way down thelist. I'm glad I found yours! Well done!!

    --Mee (The Chinese Quest

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    1. Thank you, Mee! Happy you stopped by Caneyhead. Enjoy all the marvelous blogs still out there!

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So glad you stopped by! Come 'round any time. ~ Barbara

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