During the 1950’s Bob Will’s Ranch House (now the Longhorn Ballroom) was located in an un-incorporated part of town – South of Dallas and North of Oak Cliff – on Rock Island. The venue became a destination for people of all backgrounds to come and hear Jazz, Blues, Country and R&B. Its unincorporated status allowed the Longhorn to evade some of the restrictions of the time that discouraged or even prohibited concerts with performers or audiences of different races.⁠
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Throughout it’s long history, notables as Nat King Cole, Charlie Pride, B. B. King, Lionel Hampton, Little Richard, Al Green and even 2 Live Crew have performed at the Longhorn Ballroom! “The Nat King-Cole show took place in 1954 in the racially segregated Jim Crow South, where an affluent Black audience sat in front, in the premium seats, while the white patrons stood in the back to listen to the legend.”⁠
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We are elated to see that new owners are embracing and celebrating its rich history and we are looking forward to going to see new shows of all types of music in the near future! ⁠

Cites:⁠
1. https://www.longhornballroom.com/history⁠
2. https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/longhorn-ballroom⁠
3. ttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Longhorn_Ballroom⁠
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photos:⁠
1. Nat King Cole playing at the Longhorn⁠
2. Charlie Pride (early 1950’s)⁠
3. Concert Poster for Al Green at the Longhorn Ballroom⁠
4. Charlie Pride (1981)⁠
5. Lionel Hampton⁠
6. B.B. King⁠
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