Antone’s, Austin’s Blues Jewel, Turns 50

If the Mississippi Delta was the fertile birthplace of the blues, Antone’s in Austin, Texas was a central fixture in its ‘70s rebirth – providing a stomping ground for industry stalwarts, a proving ground for aspiring wunderkinds and a favorite local watering hole for generations of Austinites.
“It is a legacy,” offered award-winning blues/rock innovator Gary Clark, Jr. “Antone’s ‘Home of the Blues’ is perfect because it felt like we were at home – a community of musicians that were just as appreciative as the listeners.”
Founded by Clifford Antone, the legendary club celebrates its milestone 50th anniversary in 2025 with an impressive lineup of events in partnership with New York’s Lincoln Center, SXSW and the Austin Blues Festival. This includes: historical tributes including the opening of a permanent blues museum at the club; a box set of long-lost and new material in collaboration with New West Records; and the opening of a satellite Antone’s location in Austin-Bergstrom International Airport.

Clark, 40, discovered Antone’s in 2000 at the urging of his high school friend/guitar player Eve Monsees.
“I remember driving by the first time and there was a huge crowd outside and Buddy Guy was playing and he had like a 100-foot-long chord and was playing guitar outside and I was like, ‘What is that? I need to get in there,” recalled Clark.
Clark Sr. introduced his then 15-year-old son to Antone, who invited him to perform. Clark and Monsees had X marks on their hands to alert the bar staff that they were minors – playing with the majors. On stage were some of Clark’s musical heroes – James Cotton, Hubert Sumlin, George Rains, Calvin “Fuzz” Jones along with Pinetop Perkins on piano.
“Those were the guys and they were right there. I was freaking out,” admitted Clark, who later toured with Jimmie Vaughan after graduation. “Here we were sitting in this place, with the guys who created the music that we were in love with…We went to blues university at Antone’s and studied from the guys.”
Today, Clark has three Grammys, numerous Austin Music Awards and he is part of Antone’s current ownership group that includes Antone’s sister Susan Antone and Will Bridges.
“It was a big responsibility to take on and we didn’t take it on lightly and it’s been incredibly challenging but also incredibly rewarding,” confided Bridges. “It’s been a calling for those of us that were handed that torch.”
The first live music venue on Austin’s renowned Sixth Street, Antone’s has moved six times and hosted iconic blues masters Muddy Waters, Albert King, Otis Rush, Willie Dixon and B.B. King. Antone’s provided a valuable launch pad for international phenoms Stevie Ray Vaughan, The Fabulous Thunderbirds, Doug Sahm, Charlie Sexton, Angela Strehli, Lou Ann Barton and a broad swath of American roots mainstays.
The force behind the vision was Antone, who died in 2006. He was a native of the Texas’ Gulf Coast region and spent much of his youth road-tripping through Louisiana’s juke joints where he developed a deep appreciation for Creole music, R&B, zydeco and blues.

“Clifford didn’t just book music, he presented music,” said Bridges. “It meant something and he was putting his seal of approval on it if it went on that stage and the track record and reputation of his taste-making really transformed Antone’s – that coupled with expanding the types of music they were presenting which transformed Antone’s into this launch-pad venue.”
Supporting the artists was central to the mission and Antone established Antone’s Records as an independent home for many club regulars to release their music. In the process, Antone helped build the foundation for Austin’s reputation as a hub for live music.
Today, it remains a vital presence in the city’s competitive live music landscape with its continued influence propelled by a new generation of trailblazing artists including Clark, Kam Franklin, Jackie Venson and McKinley James.

Zach Ernst has been the talent buyer/director of booking and creative at the 400-cap room since late 2015. Touring shows make up roughly 75% of the calendar at Antone’s, which has become a prominent play in the market. A first-time sell out is celebrated with a baseball signed by the Antone’s team.
“We’ve been there on the concert business side for emerging acts needing that size room in Austin, which is such an important market,” said Ernst. “But what I’ve been tasked with – and what I’m excited about for the 50th – is making sure we never lose sight of what we are really about, which is preserving the history and putting on all the great blues and New Orleans zydeco shows that we can, when we can.”
The club, which had its strongest attendance and gross revenue in 2023, is a frequent underplay for bands eager to see their name on the historic marquee. Box office success comes from presenting the many hues of the blues.
“Clifford Antone had a vision and that was that music was all inclusive,” explained Clark. “Although he was the host for the Home of the Blues, he was a visionary. He not only had the best blues acts in Antone’s, he had the newest up-and-coming bands of any genre in his venue. He saw the future and here we are still thriving because of his vision.”
“Antone’s being the Home of the Blues, and for the blues, there are so many genres that make sense,” added Ernst. “It works as a country room. It works as a hip-hop room. It works as an R&B room…Anything with any authenticity rooted with the blues can really sing when it’s at Antone’s.”

Other 50th anniversary events include a panel at SXSW 2025 celebrating the club and its contribution to Austin’s music scene; a curated day of music as part of Lincoln Center’s Summer For The City series in June; and special shows throughout the month of July including the official anniversary party on July 15 – the original date of the first gig at Antone’s in 1975.

In addition to the box set, Antone’s will release an updated version of the documentary “Antone’s: Home Of The Blues,” which was originally released for the club’s 30th anniversary and Susan Antone’s “Picture The Blues” photobook, which was originally released for the 10th anniversary in 1985.
“The 50th for us is a time to reflect on the origin of Antone’s and the origin of its role in Austin music history,” explained Bridges. “It’s a time to reflect about our special relationship with the soulful genres of the blues, R&B, soul, zydeco – the passion we inherited from Clifford – but it’s equally a time to look forward. We love the history and we are celebrating it but we are also cognitively pulling up our socks and gearing up for the next 50.”
This year’s Austin Blues Festival, which is presented by Antone’s, celebrates the anniversary April 26- 27 at Austin’s Moody Amphitheater at Waterloo Park with musicians central to the club’s legacy and forward-leaning reputation including headliners Mavis Staples and Christone “Kingfish” Ingram. Other performers include Venson, Jalen Ngonda, North Mississippi Allstars, Monsieur Periné, Sir Woman, Sue Foley, Keith Frank & The Soileau Zydeco Band, Taj Farrant, Grandmaster and Elizabeth King and more.
“I’m looking forward to seeing everybody I used to see on a regular basis,” said Clark. “I just want to hug ‘em, shake hands and say thank you to a lot of the people who gave me an opportunity to get up on that stage – playing a few rounds and a 12-bar solo…It’s going to be a reunion of all reunions.”
