New Braunfels: Ray Wylie Hubbard at Gruene Hall

Built in 1878 by a German immigrant named Christian Herry, Gruene Hall is the oldest continuously operating dance hall in Texas. It sits in the historic community of Gruene, now part of New Braunfels in Comal County, on a hill above the Guadalupe River. Moreover, it looks exactly like what it is: a one-story wooden building with a false front, a corrugated tin roof, and walls that have absorbed a century and a half of sweat, music, and Texas nights. Consequently, when Ray Wylie Hubbard walks onto its stage, he steps into one of the most storied rooms in American music history.

Gruene Hall has hosted an extraordinary range of Texas artists over its long life. Furthermore, Lyle Lovett, Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard, and George Strait have all played under its rafters. In addition, the hall’s outdoor stage has seen the Texas music festival scene at its best. Moreover, Gruene Hall occupies a particular place in the outlaw country story — it was one of the rooms where that music found its audience and proved it could endure beyond Nashville’s trends. Indeed, walking into Gruene Hall feels like entering a living piece of Texas musical history that has never stopped breathing.

Gruene Hall: Texas’s Oldest Dance Hall and Its Living Stage

Ray Wylie Hubbard is one of the artists most associated with the Gruene Hall tradition. Furthermore, his performances there reflect the hall’s spirit perfectly — music that is rooted, honest, and completely indifferent to fashion. Moreover, Hubbard’s mix of outlaw country, blues, and folk fits Gruene Hall the way a well-worn boot fits a familiar road. Additionally, the hall’s atmosphere — dim lights, wooden floors, longneck bottles — gives his storytelling songs their proper setting. Today, Gruene Hall continues to draw visitors from across Texas and around the world. It remains the finest example of what a Texas dance hall can be at its absolute best.