John Wooley and Brett Bingham wrote a book about the history of Cain’s Ballroom.
Authors John Wooley and Brett Bingham will take part in an event to promote their new book, “Twentieth-Century Honky-Tonk: The Amazing Unauthorized Story of the Cain’s Ballroom’s First 75 Years,” 11 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 28, at the Tulsa Historical Society, 2445 S. Peoria Ave.
The authors will talk about their work, answer questions from the audience and sign copies of the book, which will be available for purchase.
Spanning the famed venue’s first 75 years (1924 to 1999), “Twentieth-Century Honky-Tonk” tells the story of how a building originally designed to be a car dealership became one of the most iconic American music venues of all time. The Cain’s is the only venue that can claim to be both the Carnegie Hall of western swing and the penultimate stop on the Sex Pistols’ infamous American tour.
The book covers the era of Bob Wills and his Texas Playboys, who became a national sensation with their clear-channel radio broadcasts from the Cain’s stage, to the venue’s later heyday as an essential stop for breakout acts and cosmic cowboys.
The book also covers cutting-edge alt-rock acts, metal bands and off-the-wall attractions like ladies’ mud wrestling (which worked) and Pig Time Racing (which didn’t).
Wooley is a former Tulsa World entertainment writer, novelist and current host of the long-running radio show “Swing on This” on KWGS (89.5 FM). Bingham has been involved in the music business for much of his life and currently is the business manager of Bob Wills’ Texas Playboys.
