I'm ArvEL Jr. Stricklin and I found the Cellar in
1960 under a hotel on Houston Sreet in Fort Worth. Johnny Carroll had been keeping it open
on a 24-hour basis with the help of Charlie Womper, one or two others and a metal pedestal
ash tray, the hollow base of which was filled with 5-milligram Desoxyn tablets. JC told me
they'd each do an 8-hour shift. "One of those little white pills was good for 8 hours
of pedal-to-the-metal and then it would drop you like a rock!" Johnny told me.
"When I dropped I'd go wake up Womper or somebody and I'd crash!"
In 1960, after a fire had occurred in the hotel above, a new Cellar was opened
underneath a liquor store at 10th and Main. In Dec. 1964, the Fort Worth Cellar was
moved to the upstairs location at 509½ Main.
Pat Kirkwood opened and operated CELLAR clubs in San Antonio, Houston and Dallas.
He liked opening them on Pearl Harbor Day.
Johnny Carroll and drummer Adrian Watts opened a cellar in San Antonio in 1966 and Johnny
Carroll owned the Houston Cellar in 1973-74.
I was a regular sit-in on drums with
Johnny Carroll, in the Ft. Worth Cellar, during spring of 1962 and, in August of 1962,
Johnny Carroll hired me as THE FIRST fulltime Cellar staff musician, the only musician
other than himself who was paid to be there, 8PM 'til 5AM, seven nights a week.
Tiger was another regular sit-in on weekends and after hours but he had a day gig.
There's no need to exaggerate when
talking about the Cellar.
The truth is sufficiently unbelievable.
Upstairs in FW, 1964: Johnny Carroll onstage,
Arvel Jr. Stricklin at rear upper right ( in suit ),
waiting to go on for the bar rush midnite set. Center right, at table,
two of Arvel's band members, Doug Davis and Tim "Coyote" Williams.
|
Before he died, Kirkwood brought me some old
Cellar pictures to put up here. and other cellarfolk have sent pix. If you don't see yours
yet, let me know
arvel@arvel.com
CELLAR OPENINGS:
Fort Worth - 1111 Houston St.
Sept. 17th 1959
FW - 10th & Main 12-7-60
San Antonio
12-7-62
FW - 509½ Main 12-7-64
Houston
12-7-66
Dallas
12-7-68
CELLAR CLOSINGS:
FW 1111Houston St.; Winter, 1960
San Antonio; 1st week of Jan. 1963
FW 10th & Main; Dec. 1964
Dallas;
1973
FW 509½ Main 1973
Houston; 1974 |
