Dewy Groom (April 30, 1918 – March 31, 1997) was a recording artist and record label owner. He also owned and ran the

Longhorn Ballroom The Longhorn Ballroom in Dallas, Texas (USA). has been called, Texas' Most Historic Music Venue and since its inception has had a colorful set of proprietors. Originally built by O.L. Nelms, an eccentric Dallas millionaire, for his close friend, ...

, an iconic country western dance hall in

Dallas Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

Background

During the 1940s Groom played at clubs owned by

Jack Ruby Jack Leon Ruby (born Jacob Leon Rubenstein; April 25, 1911January 3, 1967) was an American nightclub owner and alleged associate of the Chicago Outfit who murdered Lee Harvey Oswald on November 24, 1963, two days after Oswald was accused of th ...

, a man he referred to as his friend. After the second world war, Groom went into club management as a means to showcase his own musicianship. In 1950, he opened the Bounty Ballroom. In 1958, he moved his operation to the former Bob Wills Ranch House. And that's where The Longhorn was run from. The Longhorn nearly became the site for the filming of ''Urban Cowboy'', but Gilley's with its larger space became the final choice. As a country music artist who played guitar and bass, he had worked with

Howdy Forrester Howdy Forrester (March 31, 1922 – August 1, 1987), born Howard Wilson Forrester, was an American bluegrass fiddler and a popularizer and practiser of the "Texas" or "show fiddle" style.Carlin 2003, p. 141. He was a long-time member of Roy ...

and Georgia Slim.

Career

In 1949, he and his band had a single "Can't Win For Losing You" bw "Butane Blues" released on the Imperial label. It was credited to Dewey Grooms and his Texas Longhorns. In July, 1971, his single " Sentimental Journey" bw "What Will My Mary Say" was released on

Thunderbird Thunderbird, thunder bird or thunderbirds may refer to: * Thunderbird (mythology), a legendary creature in certain North American indigenous peoples' history and culture * Ford Thunderbird, a car Birds * Dromornithidae, extinct flightless birds ...

TH 542. In 1960, he acquired the Longhorn Records label which had releases by Clay Allen and Billy Gray. In 1986 after 25 years, Groom shut down his Longhorn Ballroom club.

Death

Groom died in 1997 at the age of 78.Flashback : Dallas
Dewey Groom and The Longhorn Ballroom ''by Paula Bosse''
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References

{{Authority control Imperial Records artists Longhorn Records artists Thunderbird Records artists 1997 deaths 1918 births