Houston Press Music Awards Preview – The Big Easy Social & Pleasure Club

By Mark Towns
Published: Houston Press, Thursday, July 10, 1997

Who would have guessed that Houston’s down-homiest blues bar would be located in uppity West U? Well, maybe the Press voters who have, year in and year out, given it the nod as the city’s Best Blues Venue. Sure, the Big Easy is something of a hole in the wall — but it’s a hole in the wall with character. Out in front, the Christmas lights stay on year round, overseeing a small, AstroTurf-lined patio complete with plastic tables and chairs. Inside, two pool tables and two pinball machines line the back left side of the room, with a long bar in the rear and a small but big enough stage up front past a few rows of tables and a small dance floor. Mardi Gras colors of gold, green and purple grace the room, accentuating the club’s Louisiana theme.

As for music, if a band’s got “blues” in its name, you can probably hear them here. And perhaps the most unique thing about the Big Easy is the record store housed right inside the club, which features rare blues and zydeco vinyl, cassettes and CD’s.

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