In national histories of American music, the mentions of "Austin, Texas," "the 1970s," and the "Armadillo World Headquarters" may immediately bring to mind such names as Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings. Even in Austin itself, public memory tends to conflate the national success of Willie Nelson, the aesthetics of the decade's "hippie-redneck" confluence, and the audiences that gathered at the Armadillo. Barry Shank, one of the scene's prominent historians and critics, has argued that for

Yet, Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings only played the Armadillo World Headquarters a combined total of approximately one dozen times, the former making at least seven appearances and the latter only five. The majority of those performances occurred between late 1972 and early 1974, less than two years of the Armadillo's decade-long tenure, which ran from 1970 to 1980. Rock guitarist Ted Nugent played the Armadillo World Headquarters more often than Jennings did, as did The Ramones. Stanley Hall's Austin Ballet Theatre graced the Armadillo stage with far greater frequency than Willie Nelson.

Despite the tendency to identify the venue primarily with the development of the progressive country subgenre, the Armadillo hosted an astoundingly diverse array of musical styles, including gospel, honky-tonk, Western swing, conjunto, Tejano, zydeco, Cajun, blues, R&B, rock and roll, and others. Former audience members fondly recall performances by such prominent artists as the Clash, Bruce Springsteen, Frank Zappa, Ravi Shankar, and the Pointer Sisters. In addition to those concerts, there were numerous non-musical events, such as appearances by the National Lawyers Guild, the Underground Press Syndicate, Timothy Leary, John Henry Faulk, Cheech and Chong, and the San Francisco Mime Troupe.

To truly understand the history and larger significance of the Armadillo World Headquarters, some important questions need to be answered. Just who performed at the Armadillo? When did they do so and why? What were the larger cultural implications of these performances and, for that matter, the larger implications of the entire 'social scene' that existed at the Armadillo? Finally, how do we reconcile popular perceptions about the Armadillo and its role in promoting certain types of music with the reality of what actually took place there? These questions are important to address, because they can help us better understand a number of intriguing points regarding public memory and popular music in relation to this important transitional period in Texas music history.

It is critical to examine the history of music venues themselves, since researchers and reporters often focus mainly on musical performances or songs as the primary expression of deeply meaningful social experiences. Such experiences certainly reflect the significance of the relationship between artists and audiences, but there are also many other factors involved in the larger live music experience, including the role of club owners, booking agents, stage managers, poster artists, bartenders, audiences, and, of course, the venue itself. All of these components work together to help create a specific event-and a unique "experience"-at a particular place and time.

This article draws on extensive research into the performance calendar of the Armadillo World Headquarters, along with interviews and other sources, in an attempt to document which artists performed at the Armadillo World Headquarters from August 1970 to December 1980. It also looks at the role that a number of different individuals, from musicians to staff, played in the day-to-day operations of the club. Finally, this article explores the larger social and cultural implications of the Armadillo's musical lineup in an attempt to sort fact from fiction regarding the history of this now legendary venue.