The Longhorn Ballroom opened in 1950 as a dance hall and hosted stars of different music genres. It has a notorious past involving illicit activities, according to a Texas Monthly article. They observe,
“Dallas’s Longhorn Ballroom opened in 1950 as Bob Wills’ Ranch House, a showcase for the king of western swing. For the next six decades, the Old West–themed dance hall presented the biggest stars of blues and country, and steadily widened its embrace to take in giants of jazz, rock, R&B, punk, and Tejano, earning a reputation as one of Texas’s most storied music venues.
The Longhorn’s quaint ranch aesthetic belies a reputation dotted with illicit activity. Jack Ruby, who owned the place for a while before he went on to shoot Lee Harvey Oswald, may have been mobbed up. A classic 1978 photo depicts a moment when the Sex Pistols and Merle Haggard shared the roadside marquee, foreshadowing the infamous night when Sid Vicious bled onstage.”
The historic Longhorn Ballroom has a notorious past, but new owner Edwin Cabaniss invested $10 million to revive it. Cabaniss and his team have a track record of success in music venue management, according to an NBCDFW article. They say,
“New owner Edwin Cabaniss also brought life to the Kessler Theater in Oak Cliff and a Houston music venue.
City records show Cabaniss and his investors are spending $10 million on the Longhorn Ballroom after past efforts failed.
“It’s been a history of financial ruin, suicide, nervous breakdown, so we went in eyes wide open,” Cabaniss said. “I wouldn’t do this if I didn’t have a team. We’re 13 years in with Kessler Presents. We’ve got a well-oiled machine. We have 3,000 shows under our belt.””
The historic Longhorn Ballroom has a notorious past, but new owner Edwin Cabaniss invested $10 million to revive it. Cabaniss and his team have a track record of success in music venue management.