When I played in honkytonks in Tucson in the 1970s this was the clientele at the Oxbow Saloon on north Stone.
The Boys Corral A Woman at The Oxbow Saloon, Tucaon, Arizona, circa 1975
I believe the guy on the right was named Floyd and what I remember about him is he always paid his bands on time. Quite amazing. Here is another group of customers and bouncers from the legendary Stumble In:
The Ne'er Do Wells of The Stumble In
Full disclosure: these were photos I took for our Old West issue in the Razz. Here is a cover session shot by Terry Townsend out on the back way to Old Tucson.
"Quarters! I need more quarters!" BBB hauls tail
The arrow was held in the air by Terry's brother, Steve, strung with fishing line.
Anyway, these honkytonks were Country Rock havens, but the places I played were a tad more down market: The Hayloft, The Tall T and The Longhorn. Ironically, Larry McMurtry met Diana Osana at a later incarnation of the Hayloft, when it was a catfish place.
BBB, Diana Osana and Larry McMurtry at the Westin La Paloma when they won our True Westerner Award.
Over the weekend I found several boards of a proposed comic book based on my years of Honkytonkin':
Jaybob And The Ramrods, circa 1977
Jaybob And The Ramrods Backstage, circa 1977
Jaybob & The Ramrods panel, circa 1977 (I saw this scene almost every night)
Jaybob first appeared in The Doper Roper in black and white:
Jaybob And The Ramrods Sunday Jam Session, circa 1974
I was obsessed with monsoon rains at the time and was trying in the top panel to capture the effect and feeling of summer rain.
"We're gonna take a wee wee break so the band can get ahold of ourselves. Ha. Ha."
—Typical Jaybob stage banter
