Contributed by Eve Monsees, HOME board member

HOME Client Omar Dykes at Antone’s Records

“We went live in ‘75” certainly has a nice ring to it, but the fact that 2025 marks 50 years of Antone’s truly is a testament to the storied nightclub’s success and importance to the city of Austin. After five decades, and six different locations, a lot of folks have made their way through those doors.

When Clifford Antone first decided to open Antone’s Nightclub, it was all about sharing that love of music with people; those who were already hip to folks like Clifton Chenier and Jimmy Reed and those who needed to be educated. Antone’s served as college for musicians and fans alike. It was the place to get that higher education in the form of good grooves. 

Clifford brought his heroes to town. People he considered larger than life, yet somehow their magnitude escaped the mainstream. But Clifford treated them like the royalty they were. Sometimes it was packed. Sometimes it wasn’t. Either way, Antone’s was at the center of something larger that had started in Austin and would continue to grow, attract and inspire generations of musicians, myself included.

 

 

When Gary Clark Jr. and I were 14 and 15 years old we were just starting to dive into the live music scene in Austin. We’d won our 8th grade talent show after all and carefully familiarized ourselves with the players and venues in town courtesy of the Austin Chronicle, especially the Antone’s ad. This had to be the best place in the world for a couple of kids with guitars in hand. Our parents were kind enough to drag us around to the Blues jams downtown and to see shows at Antone’s. Initially we were observers, but it didn’t take long before Clifford took a liking to us. As teenagers we were introduced to Hubert Sumlin, Derek O’Brien, Jimmie Vaughan, Lazy Lester, Lou Ann Barton, James Cotton and on and on. People we admired from afar were taking the time to talk to us and invite us up on stage with them, often at the encouragement of Clifford Antone.

The support and encouragement we received at such a young age was everything. I often think about that. If I had grown up without this talented and accessible community I wonder if I would have still found this path. Maybe. 

In 1987 Clifford opened Antone’s Record Shop, across the street from his nightclub’s third location on Guadalupe Street. The back office served as headquarters for the then recently launched Antone’s Records label. I remember Clifford saying he wanted to make sure people could come in and hear the music. If the nightclub offered an opportunity to watch the greats, the record shop allowed you an opportunity to take that greatness home in the form of vinyl, CD or tape. 

I started working there on Sundays (I was still in high school at the time, this would have been 2001), and took a lot of pride in my one day a week at the record shop. My paycheck was efficiently recycled back into the store in exchange for records. My record collection grew as did my passion for music. And I quickly realized that this was much more than just a place to buy records. People would meet there not just to shop but to hang out and talk music. It was yet another beacon for our music community.   

As a teenager I remember a friend of mine saying you could afford to live in Austin if you could make $300 / week. That seemed like an attainable number. At 18 I was able to hustle up enough gigs and work my 1 day a week at the record shop to pay for my 1 bedroom apartment in South Austin. Then my rent went up. Then it went up again. But I thought all I had to do was make $300 / week? It quickly became apparent that the gigs were not paying more despite the cost of living increasing exponentially. An issue that has significantly worsened over the years. Watching musicians leave Austin because they can no longer afford to live here is heartbreaking. The cheap rent and laid back vibe that had allured so many musicians to our great city was disappearing and our music community itself faced challenges. I worried that the opportunities I had because of our vibrant music community wouldn’t be there for the next group of aspiring musicians.

Nancy Coplin called me back in 2017 to see if I’d be interested in joining HOME as an advisory board member. I knew a little bit about the organization and their mission, but at the time I was more familiar with the other board members. Fellow musicians and music industry professionals, many of whom I’d met through Antone’s,  who had taken it upon themselves to help. Spending time with a great group of people in order to help another great group of people? Count me in! Having seen first hand the way Cliffford Antone helped so many musicians who came to Austin to play, HOME felt like an extension of that. I was eager to jump in and do my part.

Clifford passed away in 2006, but his passion for presenting great music and taking care of musicians continues to this day. Mike Buck and I are now the owners of Antone’s Record Shop and are proud to be a part of such a special place. The Antone’s Records label has relaunched through New West with a big 50th Anniversary Box Set due out in August 2025. The Nightclub is going strong with owners Will Bridges, Susan Antone and Gary Clark Jr. at the helm. The music is now booked by Zach Ernst who took Clifford’s UT class (yes, Clifford did that too). And the formation of the Clifford Antone Foundation is yet another iteration of that commitment Clifford made back in 1975 to share great music and take care of the music community. The organization’s mantra “to honor the past and invest in the future” couldn’t align more perfectly with HOME’s mission. I’m grateful our two organizations are able to work together towards that goal.

Supporting what we have here is crucial and culturally essential. Otherwise we just become another big city with hot summers and bad traffic. Our music community is what sets us apart and it’s something we can’t afford to take for granted. Antone’s remains at the center of that special community and I couldn’t be prouder to be a part of it. 

Antone’s Related Links

Great article by HOME’s own Sarah Brown!

https://www.austinchronicle.com/music/2016-01-15/hideaway/

 Gary on Antone’s

https://www.austinchronicle.com/daily/music/2014-08-11/gary-clark-jr-on-antones/

Clifford Antone feature by Joe Nick Patoski

https://www.austinchronicle.com/music/2006-05-26/368452/

Antone’s through the years: A timeline of the iconic Austin club by Deborah Sengupta Stith

https://www.statesman.com/entertainment/music/article/antones-austin-timeline-20790858.php