PANTHER HALL. Panther Hall was a live-music performance hall at the intersection of East Lancaster and Collard in Fort Worth. The establishment was opened in 1961 by Bill and Corky Kuykendall as a bowling stadium. The 32,000-square-foot hall was soon converted from bowling to rock-and-roll, and then from rock-and-roll to countryqv. Country Music Reporter photographer Wayne Beckham recalled, "It started off as rock 'n' roll, and even ol' Elvis played there, but then they decided to go country because they couldn't draw a big enough crowd."
Panther Hall gained statewide fame and exposure with a 6 P.M. Saturday television broadcast, Cowtown Jamboree, which came before the live concert. The move to country music not only brought additional music fans to the hall at night, but also a large television audience on Saturday evenings. Channel 11, KTVT, an independent station at that time, aired Cowtown Jamboree as part of its Saturday evening lineup, which included other popular syndicated country shows such as the Wilburn Brothers, Charlie Louvin, and Porter Wagoner.
The Jerry Lee Lewis and Charley Pride show drew a crowd of 3,000 people. Other famous performers who played to the enormous dance floor at Panther Hall included Bob Wills, Loretta Lynn, Buck Owens, George Jones, Ray Price, Tanya Tucker, Johnny Rodriguez, Porter Wagoner, Dolly Parton, Johnny Cash, Lefty Frizzellqv, and even the Grateful Dead. Tanya Tucker made her first appearance there at the age of fourteen.
In Willie Nelson's autobiography (with Bud Shrake), Willie: An Autobiography (1988), many colorful experiences of Willie's life and music take place at Panther Hall. In 1966 Willie recorded a live album entitled Live Country Music Concert at Panther Hall on RCA. The legendary and now rare album includes live versions of such classic hits as "My Own Peculiar Way," "Night Life," "Mr. Record Man," and "I Never Cared for You." Despite hosting many country legends, Panther Hall closed in 1978.
BIBLIOGRAPHY: Fort Worth Star–Telegram, December 20, 1999; February 11, 2001. Cowtown Jamboree, "Panther Hall, Fort Worth, Texas" (http://www.shufflethecards.com/panther/), accessed October 29, 2008.
