Old Quarter Acoustic Cafe is a music "''Listening Room''"
in
Galveston
Galveston ( ) is a coastal resort city and port off the Southeast Texas coast on Galveston Island and Pelican Island in the U.S. state of Texas. The community of , with a population of 47,743 in 2010, is the county seat of surrounding Ga ...
,
Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...
founded by Rex "Wrecks" Bell.
Originally a bar ''Old Quarter'', it was opened in
Houston, Texas in 1965 by Rex Bell and Cecil Slayton.
The ''Old Quarter'' is most well-known as the venue for
Townes Van Zandt
John Townes Van Zandt (March 7, 1944 – January 1, 1997) was an American singer-songwriter. live album ''
Live at the Old Quarter, Houston, Texas''. The song ''Rex's Blues'' from the album was written about Rex Bell whom
Van Zandt remarked upon during the recorded live performance.
The reopened ''Old Quarter Acoustic Cafe'' in Galveston, Texas features recurring "
open mic
An open mic or open mike (shortened from "open microphone") is a live show at a venue such as a coffeehouse, nightclub, comedy club, strip club, or pub, usually taking place at night, in which audience members may perform on stage whether t ...
" acoustic music performances.
History
Founders Rex Bell and Cecil Slayton opened a bar named ''Old Quarter'' in Houston, Texas near the corner of Congress Street and Austin Street.
This replaced the previous speakeasy ''The Yellow Cab Club''.
After Slayton left, Dale Soffar then partnered with Bell.
After Rex Bell left for Nashville, Tennessee in the 1970's, Dale Soffar was the sole owner.
In 1979, the Old Quarter closed its Houston location.
In 1996, Rex opened the ''Old Quarter Acoustic Cafe'' in Galveston, Texas in the
Strand Historic District.
[{{cite web, url=https://www.houstonpress.com/music/rex-wrecks-bell-is-just-playing-6573711, title=Rex "Wrecks" Bell Is Just Playing, author=John Nova Lomax, date=2008-09-24, publisher=Houston Press, archive-url=https://archive.fo/PgbfI, archive-date=22 Dec 2019] In 2016, Rex retired due to health problems. He sold the ''Old Quarter Acoustic Cafe'' to a past stage musician and patron, Joel Mora, and his wife Angela Mora.
Rex is still considered the "Old Quarter's patron saint" as he continues to frequent the cafe, take part in events, and play acoustic open mic shows.
References
Music venues in Texas
Event venues established in 1965
Event venues established in 1996