AUSTIN, Texas — After 50-plus years of country music and Texas two-stepping, the Broken Spoke have a new reason to celebrate.
George Strait's new album, 'Honky Tonk Time Machine,' features a photo of the iconic Austin honky-tonk on its cover.
"[Strait] says, 'My favorite honky-tonk in the world is the Broken Spoke,'" owner James White said. "It don't get much better than that."
The album was released on Friday, so White said it was fitting to throw a party.
White booked Strait a few times in the '70s and '80s. He said the country music legend paid him another visit in January 2019.
"He walked in the backdoor like it was nothing. And he shook my hand and said, 'Hello, Mr. White. How're you doing? Looks like the place ain't changed.' And I said, 'We ain't changed much out here.'"
White has owned the Broken Spoke for 54 years,
"They will never let you build another Broken Spoke in Austin, Texas again. They don't like anything that's got character and heart and soul. They like everything tilt-wall, plastic, imitation, phony-bologna. Everything looks the same," White said. "But this is the real deal."
White said the customers are what keeps the place alive.