This Week in Texas Music History: Armadillo World Headquarters Thanksgiving Day Jam
This Week in Texas Music History, we’ll recall a Thanksgiving Day jam session that made Austin music fans very grateful.
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On November 23, 1972, an impromptu jam session took place at Austin’s Armadillo World Headquarters, featuring both local and national artists. Jerry Garcia and the Grateful Dead had performed the night before at Austin’s Municipal Auditorium. When Garcia mentioned that he’d like to someday play at the Armadillo, the club’s owner, Eddie Wilson, hastily arranged to have Garcia perform the following afternoon. Word quickly spread about the show, and when Garcia and band mate Phil Lesh took the stage, they were joined not only by Texas icon Doug Sahm, but also by Leon Russell and members of the 13th Floor Elevators, Shiva’s Headband, and Greezy Wheels.
Jerry Garcia, Doug Sahm, and the other musicians served up a Thanksgiving buffet of rock, country, and blues that left the Armadillo audience quite grateful indeed.
Next time on This Week in Texas Music History, we’ll meet a man who marched to the beat of a very different drum.
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