The One Knite Reunion Concert

	Here are a few choice quotes to help you remember the One Knite. Seedy and free--that was the One Knite. This was a howling dive which catered to all sorts of musicians. Dark and dingy with junk hanging from the ceiling; the walls seemed to crawl with roaches. In the back was a limited-access pool room where nefarious transactions were said to take place. Owing to an emphasis on the blues and the club's proximity to east Austin, the place was fairly integrated. And if the men's room plumbing was not to your liking, you needed only to step out the back door, which immediately gave way to a precipice over Waller Creek.... As with other clubs where there was a racial mix, the police were often in on the act. "The cops were always giving them trouble," says (Spencer) Swope. "Sometimes when the place was really jumping, the club would close and lock its doors with everybody inside." - Steve McGuire, Austin Chronicle Jimmie (Vaughan) remembers his first glimpse of the One Knite. 'The door was a coffin and they had toasters and car parts hanging from the ceiling. They had free beer and cigarettes behind the bar and we could play whatever we wanted. Blind George was playing Jimmy Reed (songs) and I said, "We can do that." Shortly thereafter, the Storm began a five-year string of regular Monday nights at the One Knite. - Paul Ray, Austin Chronicle Firedog, Bobby Earl Smith remembers his first introduction to Marcia Ball. "My band was playing at the One Knite and she came up on the break to Freddy Fletcher and asked if she could sit in and sing 'Me and Bobby McGee.' She was so shy, she stood off in the corner while she sang. The One Knite was so dark, she was so tall and the stage was so small that all you could see was these long, blue-jean legs. When she sang it gave me chills. - Margaret Moser, Austin Chronicle While taking a break at the One Knite one Monday, a young man came up sat down with me, and began asking about the band (Storm). He was originally from Austin but was on the road with Joe Tex, the great soul singer from Navasota. He couldn't believe that a bunch of young white guys were playing blues in his hometown. His name was W.C. Clark, and he soon quit Joe Tex and returned to Austin to play the music he loved. - Paul Ray, Austin Chronicle I sought advice as to where I could play a real gig from my San Francisco partner in crime, Big Rikki. Rikki (later the Guacamole Queen) immediately called Roger One Knite and got me a shot at his place, opening for a band called Storm. Though I did okay for a guy with nine songs and zero experience, watching Jimmie Vaughan and Doyle Bramhall made me realize two very important things: 1) I needed a band to be as cool as they were, and 2) I would probably never be as cool as they were. Though I've still not acquired the cool these guys had, i did get a band out of the deal. - Cleve Hattersley, Austin Chronicle the original one knight lineup was ......cody hubach, little and crow, joe ely, blind george, and i think threadgill.... we all had one night [haha] per week ......blind george and threadgill were the big draws, tho me and dk did real well too till he got recalled to the vietnam war..... there were no drummers at all playin at the one knight back then..... a couple of years, or less, later it became a blues kind of place with drummers and electric bands.... george knaack was the bartender; later it was dk. a red-headed guy by the name of fred was kinda one of the managers.... - Alvin Crow Walked into it one night from the Velvet Underground concert at the Vulcan. Joey [Ely] (as he was known then) was playing. No one but the bartender was in the club (now how long ago was that... about the time when you could still see the creek through the floor in the ladies room)! Pam had been doing whatever with Lou Reed and fell over the table onto the stage, which was our formal intro to Joe! What a hoot. - Barbie Light

Here are a few choice quotes to help you remember the One Knite.

Seedy and free--that was the One Knite. This was a howling dive which catered to all sorts of musicians. Dark and dingy with junk hanging from the ceiling; the walls seemed to crawl with roaches. In the back was a limited-access pool room where nefarious transactions were said to take place. Owing to an emphasis on the blues and the club's proximity to east Austin, the place was fairly integrated. And if the men's room plumbing was not to your liking, you needed only to step out the back door, which immediately gave way to a precipice over Waller Creek....
As with other clubs where there was a racial mix, the police were often in on the act. "The cops were always giving them trouble," says (Spencer) Swope. "Sometimes when the place was really jumping, the club would close and lock its doors with everybody inside."

- Steve McGuire, Austin Chronicle

Jimmie (Vaughan) remembers his first glimpse of the One Knite. 'The door was a coffin and they had toasters and car parts hanging from the ceiling. They had free beer and cigarettes behind the bar and we could play whatever we wanted. Blind George was playing Jimmy Reed (songs) and I said, "We can do that." Shortly thereafter, the Storm began a five-year string of regular Monday nights at the One Knite.

- Paul Ray, Austin Chronicle

Firedog, Bobby Earl Smith remembers his first introduction to Marcia Ball. "My band was playing at the One Knite and she came up on the break to Freddy Fletcher and asked if she could sit in and sing 'Me and Bobby McGee.' She was so shy, she stood off in the corner while she sang. The One Knite was so dark, she was so tall and the stage was so small that all you could see was these long, blue-jean legs. When she sang it gave me chills.

- Margaret Moser, Austin Chronicle

While taking a break at the One Knite one Monday, a young man came up sat down with me, and began asking about the band (Storm). He was originally from Austin but was on the road with Joe Tex, the great soul singer from Navasota. He couldn't believe that a bunch of young white guys were playing blues in his hometown. His name was W.C. Clark, and he soon quit Joe Tex and returned to Austin to play the music he loved.

- Paul Ray, Austin Chronicle

I sought advice as to where I could play a real gig from my San Francisco partner in crime, Big Rikki. Rikki (later the Guacamole Queen) immediately called Roger One Knite and got me a shot at his place, opening for a band called Storm. Though I did okay for a guy with nine songs and zero experience, watching Jimmie Vaughan and Doyle Bramhall made me realize two very important things: 1) I needed a band to be as cool as they were, and 2) I would probably never be as cool as they were. Though I've still not acquired the cool these guys had, i did get a band out of the deal.

- Cleve Hattersley, Austin Chronicle

the original one knight lineup was ......cody hubach, little and crow, joe
ely, blind george, and i think threadgill.... we all had one night [haha] per
week ......blind george and threadgill were the big draws, tho me and dk
did real well too till he got recalled to the vietnam war..... there were no
drummers at all playin at the one knight back then..... a couple of years,
or less, later it became a blues kind of place with drummers and electric
bands.... george knaack was the bartender; later it was dk. a red-headed guy
by the name of fred was kinda one of the managers....

- Alvin Crow

Walked into it one night from the Velvet Underground concert at the Vulcan. Joey [Ely] (as he was known then) was playing. No one but the bartender was in the club (now how long ago was that... about the time when you could still see the creek through the floor in the ladies room)! Pam had been doing whatever with Lou Reed and fell over the table onto the stage, which was our formal intro to Joe! What a hoot.

- Barbie Light