At the invitation of Jason Mellard, director of the college of music at Texas State University in San Marcos, Nov. 20, 2019 I talked about my book, The Broken Spoke: Austin’s Legendary Honky-Tonk, published in 2017 by Texas A&M University Press. Both the first and second editions of my book were paid for by a grant from the John and Robin Dickson Series in Texas Music and sponsored by the Center for Texas Music History. Gary Hartman served as general editor.
As part of the opening night of the Armadillo Christmas Bazaar Dec. 13, 2018 I signed my books in front of the Wild About Music booth at the Palmer Events Center in Austin. Broken Spoke owner James White accompanied me and later sang a few songs on stage with country and western star Dale Watson.
As part of “Local Authors Day” at Barnes & Noble Sunset Valley, Broken Spoke owner James White together with singer Ben Stafford Rodgers, accompanied me to my book signing Dec. 1, 2019. We loved seeing old friends and meeting new ones while selling and signing my 2017 book, The Broken Spoke: Austin’s Legendary Honky-Tonk.
I spoke to the “Booked for Lunch” crowd Nov. 2, 2018 at the Marble Falls Public Library. Director Iona Minshew interviewed me for her podcast “Book, Line & Sinker,” posted on SoundCloud and she videotaped my presentation and posted it on YouTube.com. Phil Reynolds, the editor at The Highlander newspaper in Marble Falls interviewed me too; the article published Nov. 6, 2918. I sold and signed a lot of books and had a great time in Marble Falls!
James White and I signed books from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m. Oct. 23, 2018 at the South Austin Costco while dozens of Broken Spoke fans stopped by to chat. That day Austin Utility Company had announced a “boil water” order due to serious flooding, so consequently the number of shoppers at Costco increased ten-fold.
I spoke on a panel at the inaugural Oklahoma Book Festival in Oklahoma City Oct. 20, 2018 together with Tennessee author Fred Minnick and moderated by The Oklahoman newspaper’s ‘food dude’ columnist Dave Cathey. Afterwards, one of my favorite Austin authors, Sarah Bird, signed her latest novel, The Daughter of the Daughter of a Queen. Later that afternoon I also toured the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum.
Broken Spoke fan and my friend Shelley Sproull came out with her whole family to hear me talk and Christine Brown at Texas A&M University Press sold books. Singer and guitarist Ben Stafford Rodgers performed a few classic country songs and Deb Fleming moderated my talk.
James White and I talked about the Broken Spoke and Ben Stafford Rodgers sang some classic country songs for a full house inside the Thompson Center at the University of Texas Oct. 5, 2018. Afterwards we sold and signed copies of my book for fans for the second time this year for the OLLI group.
The Broken Spoke: Austin’s Legendary Honky-Tonk. By Donna Marie Miller.
(College Station: Texas A&M University Press, 2017. Pp. 256. Illustrations,
notes bibliography, index.)
Donna Marie Miller has written a very good and essential book. It is a
story of a native Austin family, the bar and restaurant business that patriarch
James White opened in 1964, and the countless characters both on
and off the stage who have populated this legendary honky-tonk for more
than half a century.
It is a good book because it is well researched, well organized, and well
written. Over a twenty-seven month period, Miller collected more than
one hundred oral histories from the White family and from employees,
patrons, and musicians and their representatives, thereby creating a valuable
trove of primary source data. She carefully explored the main currents
of Texas cultural history and Austin music history. Additionally, she
sought out films, videos, and audio recordings that were relevant to her
story.
Miller organized the book in seven sections, delineated by decades, and
within each section she wove together three dominant themes she calls
“braids.” The first covers local, state, and national events as they affected
the evolution of the Broken Spoke and the growth of the Austin music
scene. The “center thread” (11) depicts the life and times of the White
family, and the third braid presents the cast of characters—employees,
patrons, dancers, musicians—and their role in the story. This “braided
narrative structure” (11) enables the reader to experience the interplay
of the three story lines in a common historical setting.
Miller writes in an accessible and direct journalistic style. Her comprehensive
research is evident through her command of the material and
her free-flowing narrative. She sprinkles enough spice and lighthearted
anecdotes through the story to hold the reader’s interest and keep the
pages turning.
The Broken Spoke is an essential book because it analyzes a live music
venue, and in Texas, especially in Austin, the live music venue is the essential
cog in the wheel of our vibrant music scene. Whether a small folk club,
a rock ‘n’ roll joint, a multi-thousand seat concert hall, or a venerable
honky-tonk, these locations provide the economic bedrock upon which all
other aspects of the music scene unfold: the paychecks to musicians that
in turn underwrite managers, agents, music publishers, producers, studio
engineers, and related audio and video projects. Live music revenues
translate into musical instrument sales, advertising produced by copywriters,
graphic artists, and printing companies, and countless other commercial
enterprises that account for Austin’s multi-million dollar annual
entertainment and tourism industry. Miller successfully portrays how the
activities of the White family, the personnel and patrons at the club, and
an endless stream of musicians come together to facilitate the role that
the “Spoke” plays in the local and national music community.
Miller’s book calls the Broken Spoke “Austin’s Legendary Honky-
Tonk,” a bar, a restaurant, a “real country joint” (4), and “the last of the
true Texas dance halls” (6). It is also a home away from home for some
of country music’s biggest stars, a showcase for up and coming acts, a
blue-collar country club, an after-hours conference room for Texas legislators,
a country dance studio, a community center, and a country music
museum.
Most importantly, The Broken Spoke is a quintessential American story.
It is an authentic Norman Rockwell-like portrait of a strong, dedicated
family whose work ethic, commitment to each other, and shared vision
are now fueling a third generation. Having survived and thrived in an
extremely tough business, the Whites have nurtured a Texas tradition. The
Broken Spoke: Austin’s Legendary Honky-Tonk is an essential companion to
any student or enthusiast of Texas music and cultural history. Austin, Texas Craig Hillis
I spoke on a panel at the inaugural Oklahoma Book Festival in Oklahoma City Oct. 20, 2018 together with Tennessee author Fred Minnick and moderated by The Oklahoman newspaper’s ‘food dude’ columnist Dave Cathey. Afterwards, one of my favorite Austin authors, Sarah Bird, signed her latest novel, The Daughter of the Daughter of a Queen. Later that afternoon I also toured the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum.
Donna Marie Miller 
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