Lubbock: The Cotton Club

The Cotton Club at 50th Street in Lubbock opened in 1938 and ran for nearly half a century as the beating heart of West Texas nightlife. The Cotton Club Lubbock hosted a remarkable cross-section of American music over its lifespan: Elvis Presley performed there in 1955, when the young rockabilly singer from Memphis was barnstorming Texas on early tour dates that helped build his following west of the Mississippi.

Two decades later, the club played a pivotal role in Joe Ely‘s career. In 1975, an MCA Records A&R representative caught the Joe Ely Band performing at the Cotton Club and offered a record deal on the spot — launching what became one of the most critically acclaimed careers in Texas rock and country. Ely’s 1977 debut on MCA introduced his raw, road-worn sound to a national audience, drawing comparisons to Bob Dylan and Merle Haggard at once.

Ely later co-owned the Cotton Club alongside C.B. Stubblefield from 1978 until the venue closed in 1982. The club’s four-decade run encompassed the full arc of Texas roots music, from big-band Western swing through honky-tonk country and into the gritty Lubbock sound that Ely helped define.