Happy 2010. Any known where abouts of the remaining memebers of Balcones Fault (any still playing music locally)? Have some great memories of seeing them numerous times around town in the mid 70's.

Ken Featherston was from my neighborhood near Oso Park in Corpus Christi. I knew his sister from school and the neighborhood, but just saw him around, cause he was older. We were all proud of him though. He was off in Austin working a staff artist (here's a cover he did for the Marshall Tucker band) and as a bouncer for the Armadillo. That lead to his death. In 1975 he was working security for a Pointer Sisters show at the Armadillo. Someone had been escorted out by another fellow, and unfortunately that person thought that they should come back and shoot and kill somebody. So we lost him. I just want him to be remembered. So, here's a link to some of his posters done for the Armadillo and for sale by wolfgangs vault. If you hunt around you can find more of the cover art he did for albums. Who knows how famous he would have gotten if he'd not been killed so young, but he was famous with me.

Here's a treasure trove for all of you with fuzzy memories of Austin in the 70's. A full scan of the Texas Sun newspaper from 1977. I'm sure that there's more to be found but wow... check out those club listings!

The old memory is fading fast, but remember living in Austin in the mid 70's and having to drive to this little C-store (I believe somewhere out by Lake Travis) to purchase what was then a new, must have, beer - Coors. Remember pulling up the Store and there were car loads on folks walking out with cases of the stuff. Not sure why or how the situation - but that one little store had the market for a short period.

I loved this place. It was on the east side of Congress around the 300 or 400 block. Loved the smell and looking at all the unique things there. My dad bought me my first rifle there from Smokey. He ran the gun department and everybody went to see Smokey. I still have that rifle. Haven't shot it in 30 years.

I practically grew up in the bars out in Oak Hill. It was very rural then and pretty tough area of town.

Highway Cafe, run by Grouchy was my parents favorite.

The Western Inn, the last incarnation was Serrano's before it was torn down. Spent lots of time there too. Had a track that us kids played on. Dug crawfish out of the banks of the creek behind the place. The owner went to jail for cattle rustling. Steaks were cheap.

The Spot. Very small place close to what is now Oak Hill Liquor. Had a little red dot that spun around outside. My sister's father in law's favorite place.

Sportsman Inn... tough place, lots of gambling went on there. Many pool tables. Coleman's garage is now located on that spot.

Circleville Inn. corner of Circle Drive and Thomas Springs Road. Great story with that place. Shooting took place there and the fight was on again at Brackenridge in the emergency room. It was one of the toughest places around. Lots of cedar choppers went there.

The Little Wheel.. now the location of the 290 Bar and Grill. Good little beer joint with a small dance floor.

Cottonwood Inn.. Across the street from the Circleville Inn. If you felt like getting into a fight go to either place.

Later on...The Silver Dollar. Our 10 year reunion (Crockett High School) in 1980 involved a visit to this dancehall.

I have already told you some about Hattie Valdez. She was the most well known madam in Austin. Waldo Harper had a wrecker service (it still exists) and was the perrinial champion race car driver at out little round and round track. He won the title almost every year.

He was trying to get Hattie to sponser on his car. Hattie said to him;"Hell Waldo, what would you put on the car".
Waldo said: "That's easy, Hattie's Hardware, The Best Screws in Town".

I have laughed about this story over and over. It was told to me by Curtis Martin, a wrecker driver that heard Waldo say it.

She was Austin's most famous madam in the 50's to the 70's.
She had many houses around town and most the the ladies were bored married women. Hattie's residence was on the southeast corner of I-35 and Riverside. It now houses Time Insurance Agency. There are two old homes on the property. Almost every room has a bathroom. Go figure. I have worked for Time and here's a short story.

I was in the kitchen getting some coffee one morning and one of the insurance ladies was taking an application from this older gentleman. She left and went to her desk to get something and left me there with this man. He looked up at me sheepshly and said, "I've been here before, but it wasn't to buy insurance." We both had a laugh.

This little green building on the corner of Barton Springs and Riverside Drive was next to my dad's shop. He went there most every afternoon to knock down a couple. Threadgill's is there now.

I just remember the longnecks and the small glasses that they poured the beer into.

It dawned on me the other day that we have a deep vein of cultural and artistic contribution that has not yet been explored: the Austin Comics!

Gilbert Shelton

Remember Wonder Warthog? I do for some strange reason... probably from hanging around head shops! Anyway, I never really got into WWH but lot's of Texas hippies did.

Gilbert went on to channel the Austin Hippie culture into his next set of characters. The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers. Now I did spend many an idle moment following the adventures of this stoned trio.

Gilbert spent time working at the Vulcan Gas Works and probably quite a bit of time with Jim Franklin and other poster artists.

Berke Breathed

Academia Waltz came relatively late in the groovy Austin scene but just as the city was changing with the Yuppie invasion, Berke was there to lampoon/harpoon with wit and style.

Breathed's work at UT got him national recognition and we went on to considerable success with a little thing he calls Bloom County. We cheered in Austin when he made national distribution.

Shannon Wheeler

Too Much Coffee Man took over during the wacky 80's and early 90's. Austin was changing into sort of emo, intellectual, grunge center and TMCM was right there.

What am I missing that you remember?