Latest news with #BuckOwens
Daily Mail
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Iconic California music venue which hosted Taylor Swift and other country stars forced to close
An iconic California music venue, celebrated for showcasing the biggest names in country music for more than two decades, has abruptly closed its doors for good. Buck Owens' Crystal Palace - a beloved restaurant, bar, and music venue in Bakersfield - announced its sudden closure this week after 28 years of serving as a cornerstone of the West Coast's country music scene. The decision was attributed to hard times across the industry and the Owens family's desire to step back from the mounting responsibilities of running the business. 'Now, a challenging business plus the wishes of the Owens family members to step back from the responsibilities of management require finally shutting the doors,' the family said in a statement obtained by KBAK News. 'It is our hope that new owners will step forward to utilize this beautiful venue,' it added. The venue - a two-story, Western Revival-style landmark spanning 21,000 square feet on Buck Owens Boulevard - has long been dubbed the 'Mecca of country music.' 'Almost three decades of probably one of the more famous venues in the world for country music,' Jim Shaw, 78-year-old director of the Buck Owens Private Foundation, which owns the business, told KERO News. 'The Dixie Chicks, Taylor Swift, Garth Brooks, basically everybody came there,' he added. Despite its star-studded history and 600-person capacity, the Crystal Palace has quietly been on the market for the past 13 months, with an asking price of $7.5 million. 'If we got the perfect buyer and they'd want to keep it the way it is, we'd be really generous on making a deal,' Shaw told SFGate. Its legacy began in 1996 when Buck Owens - a hugely influential country musician - founded an all-in-one restaurant, concert venue and museum celebrating his life and career. Over the years, the club hosted future superstars like Taylor Swift, who, at just 16, took the stage in 2006 accompanied by her mother, long before she became a global icon, according to the Los Angeles Times. In a memorable moment from May 2005, Garth Brooks even proposed to fellow country superstar Trisha Yearwood on the venue's stage during a ceremony unveiling bronze statues of 10 country music legends. 'It was a great ride, and the first 10 years we were open, the Buckaroos played with Buck every Friday and Saturday night,' Shaw told SFGate. 'Those nights we had George Jones and Willie Nelson, they'd pop in on us, and we would jam,' he added. Owens himself, the frontman of The Buckaroos, performed one final show on March 24, 2006 - just one night before he passed away. 'The last night he wasn't feeling good, and he told me he wasn't going to play,' Shaw said. 'Buck walked out, and a couple from Oregon saw him outside as he crossed to his car and told him how excited they were to see him because last time he'd been sick,' he added. 'And he thought, "Oh crap," turned around and played the night.' But Shaw - a former member of Owen's band and director of the foundation that has owned the Crystal Palace since his death - said the venue's decline has been unfolding gradually over the years. Its unfortunate end, Shaw said, 'has been coming for a while - and I've dreaded seeing it happen,' according to LA Times. 'This starts off very depressing for us very bittersweet, and what I've learned in thinking about it – the same came up when we listed it for sale – just to be so proud of 28+ years, that's a big deal,' he told KERO. Additionally, the team behind the venue - including Shaw himself - has been aging, with many of those handling behind-the-scenes operations now in their mid to late 70s. 'We've done what we can,' he told LA Times. The Buck Owens Foundation officially put the property on the market last year, but so far, it hasn't attracted a buyer. With the venue still up for sale, Shaw made it his mission to convince the family to keep the lights on - if only for a little while longer. 'I thought it'd be better to show off the operation in order to get it sold,' he told SFGate. Now, devastated fans and performers are clinging to hope that someone with both a passion for music and the means to match will swoop in to rescue the legendary venue. Even Monty Byrom - a seasoned rock, blues, and country musician - called on members of the California State Assembly to step up and help preserve its history. 'Stan Ellis, buy the palace,' Byrom told KERO. 'Somebody out there buy the Palace!' Its sudden closure isn't unique - the Crystal Palace now joins a growing list of smaller country music venues struggling to survive in an industry that increasingly favors large arenas. 'The plight for legendary, midsized country music venues continues to worsen,' according to The Owens family officially announced its closure on Monday, revealing that its final show had taken place just two days earlier, on Saturday. 'We are extremely proud of the Crystal Palace... for over 28 years we brought the best of local and national entertainment to Bakersfield, served great food, and hosted thousands of special occasions for the thousands of special people and families,' the statement read. 'Although Buck left us in 2006, we continued to maintain the excellence that he expected, striving to carry out his dream,' it added. 'We know Buck would want us to thank the people of Bakersfield and fans from around the world for all of the support over the past years. We will miss you all.'
Wall Street Journal
07-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Wall Street Journal
Lulu Roman, ‘Hee Haw' Star and Gospel Singer, Dies at 78
Lulu Roman played at the Grand Ole Opry in 2012. Photo:'Hee Haw,' which premiered on CBS in 1969, was conceived as a kind of vaudeville revue for rural America: a parade of corny comedy sketches; buxom girls in pigtails, denim and gingham; and guest performances by country music A-listers—all hosted by the celebrated, cowboy-hat-wearing musicians Buck Owens and Roy Clark. It was spun up as a summer replacement, after the network abruptly fired the Smothers Brothers for refusing to tone down the antiwar, pro-civil-rights politics of their show. With President Richard Nixon taking the White House that January, 'Hee Haw' was a hasty play to entertain the silent majority.
Yahoo
15-02-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Auto Mall gets its own version of the iconic blue-and-gold Bakersfield arch
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — The blue-and-gold arch that once spanned Union Avenue has been gone for more than a quarter-century, but we just can't seem to get enough of the nostalgic landmark. Decades after Buck Owens recreated the Bakersfield arch next door to his Crystal Palace dinner club, the city has yet another one. The city of Bakersfield is building a look-alike arch on Wible Road between White Lane and Pacheco Road at the Bakersfield Auto Mall. 'He's loved': Bakersfield family shares how Safe Surrender program strengthened their family The sign is part of the city's effort to create a 'sense of place' for the Auto Mall, according to a city spokesman, who says it's a tribute of sorts to one of Bakersfield's biggest revenue-generating industries. The design was created and approved by the car dealers group, and is clearly modeled after the original sign, erected in 1949. This version of the arch will feature digital messaging, but will not span Wible Road and will not contain a footbridge. Then-Ward 7 Councilmember Chris Parlier originally proposed the idea. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
