Billy Bob's Texas - Fort Worth TX - Famous Historic Country Music Dancehall

Located in the Historic Fort Worth Stockyards, the building now known as Billy Bob's Texas was built in 1910; it was once a large open-air barn for housing prize cattle brought in for the Fort Worth Stock Show. Then in 1936, as a Texas Centennial Project, the building was enclosed by the City of Fort Worth at a cost of $183,500 and the tower added. The "new" and improved structure contained 1257 animal stalls, and a 1200 seat auction ring that is now their Bull Riding arena. A slope was originally constructed to allow easy cleaning and runoff from the cattle pens. This slope, from the entry toward the showroom stage, now makes an ideal elevation for their concert seating. They opened April 1, 1981 to national attention with Larry Gatlin & the Gatlin Brothers as the first performers. Other artists who appeared that first week were Waylon Jennings, Janie Fricke & Willie Nelson.

This building now provides fun for 6000+ people with a huge concert stage, dance floor and honky-tonk stage, restaurant, arcade, casino, live bull riding arena and more. With 127,000 square feet of space, which are nearly 3 acres inside and 20 acres of parking, for entertainment and events, 32 individual bar stations. Country Music's biggest stars perform on the main stage every Friday and Saturday night year round, with local bands performing Wed-Sat nights on the Honky-Tonk stage, indoor Live Pro Bull Riding and a Texas size dance floor for everyone to enjoy. Concrete plaques with music stars hand prints and signatures dot the corridors. Dance lessons, a restaurant, huge gift shop, an arcade and even a bull to have your picture taken on round off the fun. Banquet rooms are available for full service meetings, weddings, conventions, and parties. They can accommodate from 20 to 5,000.

There have not been many major country stars that have not spent time on the main stage at Billy Bob's Texas. Performing on the main stage here is considered to be a rite of passage for young music stars on their way up and veterans of country music as well. This club has been voted the country music club of the year an amazing 10 times. CMA Club of the Year three times and ACM Club of the Year seven times.

Some fun facts about Billy Bob's Texas are:

Merle Haggard once bought a round of drinks for the whole club & set a work record. More than 15 million visitors have come through their doors since 1981

The most bottled beer sold in one night was at a Hank Williams Jr. Concert, with a total of 16,000 bottles sold. The second highest bottled beer sales totaled 13,000 during a Clint Black Concert.

More Than 15 Million Visitors have come through Billy Bob's Doors since 1981

Garth Brooks last performed at Billy Bob's Texas in 1990

The Youngest singer ever to perform at Billy Bob's is LeAnn Rimes

Billy Bob's Texas has been equally popular on TV and Movie screens. The following TV series episodes and Movies were filmed there:

The television series "Dallas"

"Walker Texas Ranger"

CBS's "Happy New Year America"

"CBS This Morning"

The Nashville Network's "On Stage" series.

"Over the Top", starring Sylvester Stallone in 1987

"Baja Oklahoma", with Lesley Ann Warren, Peter Coyote & Willie Nelson in 1988

"Necessary Roughness", with Scott Bakula, Sinbad, Robert Loggia & Kathy Ireland in 1991, and "Pure Country" in 1992, with George Strait.

Country Music artists Billy Dean, Collin Raye, Bryan White, Daron Norwood, The Marshall Tucker Band, BR549, & Aaron Tippin have all shot music videos here.

Open: Monday - Saturday from 11 AM until 2 AM and Sundays from 12 Noon until 2 AM (closed Fri-Sat from 5 pm - 6 pm to prepare for that evening's Main Event concert). Phone: 817-626-6000