Phoenix rib and music

Can you imagine? All had played and tap-danced on a local television variety hour and the boys had even cut a Christmas song for RCA in California. Along about , the Lautzes got religion and took out the bar. The restaurant alone didn't keep the business up, and it looked like the Handlebar-J had smoked its last rib.

But Brick and Gwen Herndon seized the opportunity to realize a longtime dream, and with the help of Gwen's late brother, John Lattimore, they bought the place. That set up a long, multileveled success story.

It was a busy time, but an exciting one," Ray recalls. After a while, I started doing things outside, too. With liquor flowing once again, the fortunes of the Handlebar-J improved. The family worked hard, and the Herndon brothers kept the Country Score strong. A few years after his father's death, Ray was asked to join J. David Sloan's band, the Rogues, at Mr. Lucky's on Grand Avenue. Although it was difficult to leave the family enterprise, the move eventually proved to be the turning point in Ray's career.

Lucky's, the Rogues were contracted to perform at a festival in, of all places, Luxembourg. And it was there that Ray Herndon met Lyle Lovett. Here was this guy playing guitar all by himself. He was stuck in between us and ended up sort of getting lost in the shuffle.

In , Ray and older brother Ron who'd joined Ray during his final season at Mr. Lucky's left J. David's Grand Avenue premises and, with a new band, took over the stage back home at the Handlebar-J. They were kind of old-fashioned," Ray explains. She didn't know what was going to happen 'cause the music was going to be too loud. Ever since then, knock on wood, it's been going up. Yet the Handlebar-J remains a far cry from the dance-palace glitter of other clubs in the Valley.

Various farm implements and other assorted country-fried gewgaws still litter the wood-panelled walls, leaving intact that tavern-in-the-town feel of the place. Hats, mostly of the ancient, decrepit cowboy kind, continue to line the rafters.

Gwen still works at the bar each day, returning at night to be among her longtime extended family. The festival takes place on March The festival takes places on the east side of downtown Phoenix's Margaret T.

Hance Park, N 1st Street. Friday: Gates open at p. Saturday: Gates open at p. Sunday: Gates open at p. Get your tickets here. If looking to drive, there are parking garages and lots throughout downtown Phoenix. Ride share programs also have a pickup and drop off locations directly next to the festival. Check out the info below to find the best things to do in the area, or explore the rest of our site for some more inspo.

I just saw an ad on TV for it. It's at UOP for four days at the end of April. Ribs too, I guess. It's the 1st Annual they say and is tied to NFL draft. Hopefully the ribs are good, because the musical acts sound like absolute torture. Originally Posted by asufan. Maybe "bad to the bone" is not the best tune to play at a rib fest.

Finger Laker. Heh I've actually seen both of them and they are very respectable live acts This thread makes me chuckle. I, too, am old enough to remember when KC and the Sunshine Band was current. I hope the ribs are good, too.