''Austin City Limits'' is an American

live music A concert is a live music performance in front of an audience. The performance may be by a single musician, sometimes then called a recital, or by a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra, choir, or band. Concerts are held in a wide variety an ...

television program Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, e ...

recorded and produced by Austin PBS. The show helped Austin become widely known in the United States as the "Live Music Capital of the World", and is the only television show to receive the

National Medal of Arts The National Medal of Arts is an award and title created by the United States Congress in 1984, for the purpose of honoring artists and Patronage, patrons of the arts. A prestigious American honor, it is the highest honor given to artists and ar ...

, which it was awarded in 2003. It also won a rare institutional

Peabody Award The George Foster Peabody Awards (or simply Peabody Awards or the Peabodys) program, named for the American businessman and philanthropist George Peabody, honor the most powerful, enlightening, and invigorating stories in television, radio, and ...

in 2011 "for its more than three decades of presenting and preserving eclectic American musical genres". ''Austin City Limits'' is produced by Austin PBS under the Capital of Texas Public Telecommunications Council. The show was created in 1974 by Bill Arhos, Bruce Scafe, and Paul Bosner. Beginning in season 15 (1990), ''Austin City Limits'' began broadcasting in

Dolby Surround Dolby Pro Logic is a surround sound processing technology developed by Dolby Laboratories, designed to decode soundtracks encoded with Dolby Surround. Dolby Stereo (also known as ''Dolby MP'' or ''Dolby SVA'') was developed by Dolby in 1976 f ...

, and continued until season 24 (1999). From 1976 to 2004 (seasons 1-29), the show was broadcast in

NTSC The first American standard for analog television broadcast was developed by National Television System Committee (NTSC)National Television System Committee (1951–1953), Report and Reports of Panel No. 11, 11-A, 12–19, with Some supplement ...

. From 2004 to 2007 (seasons 30-32), the show was broadcast in

HDTV High-definition television (HD or HDTV) describes a television system which provides a substantially higher image resolution than the previous generation of technologies. The term has been used since 1936; in more recent times, it refers to the g ...

720p 720p (1280×720 px; also called HD ready, standard HD or just HD) is a progressive HDTV signal format with 720 horizontal lines/1280 columns and an aspect ratio (AR) of 16:9, normally known as widescreen HDTV (1.78:1). All major HDTV broadcast ...

. Beginning in season 33 (2007–2008), the show began broadcasting in

widescreen Widescreen images are displayed within a set of aspect ratios (relationship of image width to height) used in film, television and computer screens. In film, a widescreen film is any film image with a width-to-height aspect ratio greater than t ...

1080i 1080i (also known as Full HD or BT.709) is a combination of frame resolution and scan type. 1080i is used in high-definition television (HDTV) and high-definition video. The number "1080" refers to the number of horizontal lines on the screen. ...

Format

Each episode begins with a preview of the artist as read by executive producer Terry Lickona, which leads into an opening credit sequence. After the credits, Lickona would introduce the artist. The camera was positioned during the performance, so that various closeup shots can be seen. After the performance, there was an interview segment. After the interview segment, Lickona would introduce our next artist, and another interview segment, followed by the closing credits. The show consisted of two artists in a half-hour format, as well as one artist in a one hour format. Beginning in season 30 (2004-2005) and continuing to today, Lickona would ask the artist a question. Beginning in season 46, Lickona appeared on camera to introduce that night's performance, as well as the interview segments. The show was originally taped at KLRU's Studio 6A during the first 36 seasons (1976-2011). Beginning in season 37 (2011-2012), the show moved to its current home at the Moody Theater.

Songwriters Special

Beginning in season 5 (1980), ''Austin City Limits'' introduced its Songwriters Special, which remained in use until season 34 (2008-2009). The first Songwriters Special teamed up with

Willie Nelson Willie Hugh Nelson (born April 29, 1933) is an American country musician. The critical success of the album ''Shotgun Willie'' (1973), combined with the critical and commercial success of ''Red Headed Stranger'' (1975) and '' Stardust'' (197 ...

, Floyd Tillman,

Hank Cochran Garland Perry "Hank" Cochran (August 2, 1935 – July 15, 2010) was an American country music singer and songwriter. Starting during the 1960s, Cochran was a prolific songwriter in the genre, including major hits by Patsy Cline, Ray Price, Eddy ...

Red Lane Red Lane, born Hollis Rudolph DeLaughter with surname pronounced ''Dee-LAW-ter'' (February 9, 1939 – July 1, 2015), was an American country music singer, songwriter and guitarist who was a member of the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame (1993) ...

, Whitey Shafer, and Sonny Throckmorton.

Television pilot

The pilot was shot on October 17, 1974, and starred Willie Nelson. (B.W. Stevenson was actually taped the night before, but the recording was deemed unusable.) The deliberate lack of production slickness plus attention to audio detail pleased even the notoriously TV-shy Nelson. Lead Marketer Ken Waggoner, and ''ACL'' creator Bill Arhos pitched the pilot to PBS as part of its 1975 pledge drive. The show's success as a fundraiser was enough for Arhos to get ''ACL'' green-lighted as a series.

Availability

The show inspired the creation of the

Austin City Limits Music Festival The Austin City Limits (ACL) Music Festival is an annual music festival held in Zilker Park in Austin, Texas on two consecutive three-day weekends. Inspired by the KLRU/PBS music series of the same name, the festival is produced by Austin-based ...

, an annual live music festival at

Zilker Park Zilker Metropolitan Park is a recreational area in south Austin, Texas at the juncture of Barton Creek and the Colorado River that comprises over of publicly owned land. It is named after its benefactor, Andrew Jackson Zilker, who donated the la ...

in Austin. In 1982, Bill Arhos returned to ''Austin City Limits'' as the executive producer starting in season 7, and he stayed until his retirement in season 24 (1999). In 2015, Arhos died at the age of 80. In 2014, he was inducted into the ''Austin City Limits'' Hall of Fame. Some of the performances from ''Austin City Limits'' have been released as CDs and DVDs in the ''Live from Austin, TX'' series. Full episodes can also be viewed online at the show's official website. There is an ''Austin City Limits'' store at the Austin Bergstrom International Airport. On June 21, 2012, the

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (RRHOF), sometimes simply referred to as the Rock Hall, is a museum and hall of fame located in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States, on the shore of Lake Erie. The museum documents the history of rock music and ...

Cleveland Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

, announced that nearly 40 years of ''Austin City Limits'' footage would be digitally archived "in perpetuity" at the Museum's new Library and Archives; recordings from more than 800 live performances will be made available to the public. On September 9, 2018, Austin City Limits Radio was launched in Austin at 97.1 FM (utilizing a leased

HD Radio HD Radio (HDR) is a trademark for an in-band on-channel (IBOC) digital radio broadcast technology. It generally simulcasts an existing analog radio station in digital format with less noise and with additional text information. HD Radio is used ...

subchannel of KGSR (93.3-HD2)), with an eclectic playlist representative of the television show's history.

Syndication

In 1981, ''Austin City Limits'' began syndicating to local stations under the moniker ''Austin City Limits Encore''. MTV Live (formerly Palladia HD) acquired

rerun A rerun or repeat is a rebroadcast of an episode of a radio or television program. There are two types of reruns – those that occur during a hiatus, and those that occur when a program is syndicated. Variations In the United Kingdom, the word ...

rights to the series in 2016 under the moniker ''Best of Austin City Limits''. From 2002 to 2003, CMT (formerly Country Music Television) repackaged several country music-themed episodes under the moniker ''Best of Austin City Limits''. When ''Austin City Limits'' aired on CMT, episodes ran for 42 minutes to make room for commercials, and began with an introduction by Charlie Robison and Tara McNamara. From 1992 to 1993, TNN repackaged older ''Austin City Limits'' performers under the moniker ''Austin Encore''. The program also aired on CMT Canada from 1998 to 2002.

Production

Joe Gracey was talent coordinator during season 1. Executive producer Lickona joined the program in 1979 during season 4 as a producer. The first director of ''Austin City Limits'' was Bruce Scafe, who was the director for the show's first two seasons in 1976 and 1977; Charles Vaughn took over as producer-director in season 3 (1978); Clark Santee took over as director in season 4 (1979); Allan Muir took over as director in season 5 (1980), and he continued until season 7 (1982); Gary Menotti replaced Allan Muir as the show's current director starting in season 8 (1983).

Venues

For the first 36 seasons, ''Austin City Limits'' was taped in its original home at Studio 6A in the Communications Building B on the

University of Texas at Austin The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public research university in Austin, Texas. It was founded in 1883 and is the oldest institution in the University of Texas System. With 40,916 undergraduate students, 11,075 ...

campus, on a stage featuring a mock skyline of Austin in the background, which was introduced in season 7 (1982). The studio had a seating capacity of approximately 800, but due to limited access to fire exits the audience size was limited to 300. In 2010, the show and its original studio were inducted into the

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (RRHOF), sometimes simply referred to as the Rock Hall, is a museum A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and othe ...

. A plaque near the entrance to Communications Building B commemorating the occasion proclaims ''Austin City Limits'' as the "longest running music show in the history of American television". On February 26, 2011, ''Austin City Limits'' held its first taping in its new purpose-built Austin City Limits Live at The Moody Theater in downtown Austin's

Block 21 Block 21 is a $300 million mixed-use development complex located in the Second Street District of Downtown Austin, Texas. Austin's eighth-tallest building, the W Austin Hotel and Residences and Austin City Limits Live at The Moody Theater, the ...

. The additional seating capacity of 2,750 is used for an estimated 100 concerts and 100 private events per year at the venue.

40th season

On December 2, 2014, in celebration of Austin City Limits' 40th season, a DVD titled ''Austin City Limits Celebrates 40 Years'' was released.

Episodes

Hall of Fame

Established as part of the 40th anniversary of Austin City Limits in 2014. *Bill Arhos (2014) *

Stevie Ray Vaughan Stephen Ray Vaughan (October 3, 1954 – August 27, 1990) was an American musician, best known as the guitarist and frontman of the blues rock trio Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble. Although his mainstream career spanned only seven years, ...

and Double Trouble (2014) * Darrell Royal (2014) * Lloyd Maines (2014) *

(2014) *

Asleep at the Wheel Asleep at the Wheel is an American Western swing group that was formed in Paw Paw, West Virginia, and is based in Austin, Texas. The band has won nine Grammy Awards since their 1970 inception, released over twenty albums, and has charted more t ...

(2015) Played at ACL in '02. * Townes Van Zandt (2015) * Loretta Lynn (2015) *ACL Season One Crew (2015) * Guy Clark (2015) *

Flaco Jiménez Leonardo "Flaco" Jiménez (born March 11, 1939) is an American singer, songwriter and accordionist from San Antonio, Texas. He is known for playing Norteño, Tex Mex and Tejano music. Jiménez has been a solo performer and session musician, as ...

(2015) *

Dickie Peterson Richard Allan Peterson (September 12, 1946 – October 12, 2009)B. B. King Riley B. King (September 16, 1925 – May 14, 2015), known professionally as B.B. King, was an American blues singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer. He introduced a sophisticated style of soloing based on fluid string bending, shimm ...

(2016) *

Bonnie Raitt Bonnie Lynn Raitt (; born November 8, 1949) is an American blues singer and guitarist. In 1971, Raitt released her self-titled debut album. Following this, she released a series of critically acclaimed roots-influenced albums that incorporated ...

(2016) * Kris Kristofferson (2016) * The Neville Brothers (2017) *

Roy Orbison Roy Kelton Orbison (April 23, 1936 – December 6, 1988) was an American singer, songwriter, and musician known for his impassioned singing style, complex song structures, and dark, emotional ballads. His music was described by critics as ...

(2017) Played at ACL in '82 * Rosanne Cash (2017) * Marcia Ball (2018) *

Ray Charles Ray Charles Robinson Sr. (September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004) was an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. He is regarded as one of the most iconic and influential singers in history, and was often referred to by contemporaries as "The Ge ...

(2018) *

Los Lobos Los Lobos (, Spanish for "the Wolves") are an American rock band from East Los Angeles, California. Their music is influenced by rock and roll, Tex-Mex, country, zydeco, folk, R&B, blues, brown-eyed soul, and traditional music such as cumbia, ...

(2018) *

Lyle Lovett Lyle Pearce Lovett (born November 1, 1957) Lyle Lovett Pageat Allmusic – Lovett's Genre and Styles. Retrieved February 2, 2007 is an American singer, songwriter, actor and record producer. Active since 1980, he has recorded 13 albums and relea ...

(2019) * Buddy Guy (2019) * Shawn Colvin (2019) *

Alejandro Escovedo Alejandro Escovedo (born January 10, 1951) is an American rock musician, songwriter, and singer, who has been recording and touring since the late 1970s. His primary instrument is the guitar. He has played in various rock genres, including punk ...

(2021) * Wilco (2021) * Lucinda Williams (2021)

Sets

For the first 36 seasons ''Austin City Limits'' was taped in Studio 6A with sets designed by Augie Kymmel and Robert Sertner. The sets included one which resembled a dark room, another featuring red and blue lights, a third with horse fences, as well as the most iconic set with the Austin skyline backdrop. The show moved to the Moody Theater in season 37 (2011–12).

Theme song

In season 1, a soundcheck was run by producer Paul Bosner. From 1977 to 2004 (seasons 2–29), ''Austin City Limits'' used

Gary P. Nunn Gary P. Nunn (born December 4, 1945) is an American country music singer-songwriter. He is best known for writing "London Homesick Blues", which was the theme song for ''Austin City Limits'' from 1977 to 2004 (seasons 2–29). Nunn is also consi ...

's "London Homesick Blues" as the show's theme song. From 1982 to 1998 (seasons 7–23), the opening theme music was performed by John Mills. From 2000 to 2004 (seasons 25–29), the opening theme music was arranged by Tequila Mockingbird. From 2004 to 2007 (seasons 30–32), the opening theme music was composed by Austin musician

Charlie Sexton Charles Wayne Sexton (born August 11, 1968) is an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. Sexton is best known for his years as a guitarist in Bob Dylan's band, though also has become well known as a music producer. Sexton co-founded the Ar ...

. From 2011 to 2014 (seasons 37–39), the opening theme music was "An Introduction", written and performed by Explosions in the Sky. The opening sequence was created by Jonathan Jackson. For season 40, "Travis County Line" by Austin native Gary Clark Jr. became the theme. In season 41, a new theme music was introduced. For seasons 43–44, "History of Women" by The Black Angels became the theme. For season 45, the opening theme music was "Hot Thoughts" by Spoon. For season 46, the opening theme music was "Colors" by

Black Pumas Black Pumas is an American psychedelic soul band based in Austin, Texas, led by singer/songwriter Eric Burton and guitarist/ producer Adrian Quesada. The group received its first Grammy Award nomination in 2020 for Best New Artist. History In 20 ...

References

External links

PBS: ''Austin City Limits'' full-length videos''Austin City Limits'' Episode GuideThe Handbook of Texas Online
*
35 Years of ''Austin City Limits''''Austin City Limits'' - Live
{{Authority control Austin City Limits 1976 American television series debuts 1970s American music television series 1980s American music television series 1990s American music television series 2000s American music television series 2010s American music television series 2020s American music television series Music of Austin, Texas PBS original programming Peabody Award-winning television programs Television shows filmed in Texas United States National Medal of Arts recipients English-language television shows History of Austin, Texas