C.J. Chenier, son of Clifton King of Zydeco Chenier, entered Antone’s Nightclub and started his concert with the ethereal zydeco sound of the rubboard. Austin’s blues and jazz scene is defined by Antone’s, which is decorated with blues singer symbols like posters and performance tickets from the nightclub’s inauguration.
Austin’s music scene grew when Antone’s Nightclub and record store imported jazz and blues from Chicago to the city. The 50th anniversary event took place from June 20 to July 26 to commemorate its debut on July 15, 1975. The nightclub issued a blues CD called The Last Real Texas Blues CD, with great musicians like Jimmie Vaughan and Miss Lavelle, in addition to events featuring special guests like Kim Wilson and Gary Clark Jr.
Sam Boland, Antone’s retail and brand manager, stated, “You only turn 50 once.” Pulling out all the stops is sort of the point. I’ve at least been an advocate, and you do what you can. I’m a young dude. Although I was not present for the club’s tenth or twenty-fifth years in 2000, I have been at least singing along with the chorus, “This is the biggest year in the club’s history.”
Clifford Antone, the creator of Antone’s Nightclub, aimed to unite jazz and blues musicians and provide a platform for up-and-coming performers. Members of the management formed Antone’s West and Antone’s East at the start of the band, which traveled to New York to perform.
For someone like myself who wasn’t around in 85 or 75, being able to see the continuation of Clifford’s vision was quite unique, Boland remarked. This involved matching those young people with the older men and honoring them, ensuring that they felt cared for and represented, and providing them with a chance to meet a new audience.
Both the Austin community and out-of-town tourists find Antone’s 50th anniversary to be significant. Boland invited Louise Tremain, an Australian, to the 50th anniversary party. Tremain expressed her excitement in Antone’s jazz and blues.
According to Tremain, the Australian jazz and blues scene is nice, but it’s not as large as Austin’s. She hopes to experience something truly unique that she won’t find anywhere else at Antone’s presentation.
Macy Saunders, an employee of Antone’s, expressed a similar sentiment at the opening of Antone’s. As part of the 50th anniversary celebrations, Saunders checks guests in and loves to see performers return to Antone’s to do a full set.
According to Saunders, Antone’s kind of gives a lot of people a foot in when it comes to performing the blues and participating in the Austin music scene. The fact that Clifford made that possible for so many others who might not have otherwise had the opportunity is fantastic. People continued to return because they enjoyed the culture, had a good time, and saw what could be done in the music industry. Fortunately, progress has been made, and we are still in the middle of it, around 50 years later.
