How one venue owner is helping to keep the torch (or lighter!) burning for area live music fans

Half a century ago, there was no better place on the High Plains for anyone to catch their favorite bands playing than Amarillo. The city’s unique position as an oasis on Route 66 (and later I-40) once acted as a magnet for bands traveling across the United States. After a long journey from Albuquerque or Oklahoma City, musicians of all stripes traveling through saw an opportunity in Amarillo to get out of their buses, stretch their legs, play a show and rest up for the next leg of their journeys. From the 1950s all the way up through the late 1990s, star-studded names such as Elvis, Little Richard, Motley Crüe, Emerson, Lake, and Palmer, and many other well-known acts did just that, putting on unforgettable shows that gave Amarillo a reputation as a center of live music unlike any other in the region. Venues such as the Nat Ballroom on 6th, The Moon Palace on Georgia, and the Amarillo Civic Center (among many others) were prime stopping points for these acts, and their legacies live on in the memories of those who attended the great shows put on at these places.

One question is often asked by residents of Amarillo and surrounding communities, however: “Where did all the bands go?”

While it may seem to many long-time residents that the music scene in Amarillo has gone the way of the landline telephone and cruising Polk on warm summer evenings, the reality is that live music never went anywhere, it simply takes on different forms these days.

Nestled in between a tattoo shop and vintage goods store on 6th Avenue is High Fidelity Records. While it has a lot of great music on offer in the form of vinyl, CDs and other physical media, High Fidelity also hopes to continue carrying the torch of record stores past through hosting small underground shows that appeal to those of many different walks of life. Ray Wilson, owner of High Fidelity, sat down with me in a cozy corner of the shop to discuss the history of the music scene in Amarillo, how it’s evolved over the years, what role venues like his and others on Route 66 play in keeping the scene alive, his own history as a performer in Amarillo, and all of the great music that you can still catch on a warm summer evening throughout the city.

(To listen to the full interview, click the link at the top of the page.)

“I’m a one-man operation” Ray told me as we were getting the interview planned out. The small store has maximally cozy vibes. One can’t help but notice the vintage listening station in the front of the store complete with turntable and comfy chairs, purpose-built to give people an opportunity to test out that new album they’re excited to hear, and the vintage vinyl sleeves plastered along the wall above the crates of used records give a warm, homemade touch to the space. Given such an intimate setting, many stopping in might never guess that the store also regularly hosts concerts, but the small hole in the wall has quickly become a fixture of live music for visitors to 6th Avenue. Some people may find it odd that such a small store would host live music, but according to Ray, live music is “part of the record store heritage”.

“A lot of the record stores that I would frequent when I was growing up – or read about in magazines and stuff like that — they had live music there,” Ray elaborated. “As a matter of fact, especially in the ’90s, some of the biggest stars and bands in that time got their first gigs at record stores like Tower Records”. One example he described was Nirvana, and how they got their start playing at Tower Records in a space not that much bigger than the little back corner of his store we spoke in.

“We’re kind of at that ‘maybe beginning stage’ of bringing back the musical history of Amarillo,” Ray mentioned when asked about his feelings about Amarillo bringing in well-known acts again. “We could have that again, I think there is a need and a want for it”

The demand is there, and attempts have been made over the last quarter century to meet that demand for larger bands and artists. One key issue many run into is the lack of facilities for larger acts to play in.

When asked about his plans for High Fidelity in the future, Ray was comfortable about what they’re doing in the here and now. “I think we’re going to pretty much stay where we’re at. As far as expanding, I don’t think there’s a need for that, I think [what we’re doing now] works pretty well. The concept of bringing a full band into a tiny space … is more intimate and a lot of fun,” Ray said. Not only is the intimacy a draw for bands and the audience, the smaller focus allows him to make the shows more focused on the bands and audience and not the financial side. “I make zero dollars. Actually, I lose money if I account for the fact that I clean up after the event. I don’t make any money, all the money from the door goes to the bands”.

In addition to High Fidelity, there are a handful of other venues on 6th bringing in live music: Mariscos, a restaurant across the street, has great Norteño and Tejano acts, The 806 Coffee Shop just down the block has been bringing in interesting indie bands and folk groups for almost 20 years, the stylish and cozy Aunt Eek’s to the west puts on fun spooky events in the fall, and the popular burger joints Smokey Joe’s and Goldenlight have long been great places to stop in and hear your favorite classic rock and country songs; all are doing their part to bring interesting events to the 6th Avenue and Amarillo as a whole. To keep up with events like these and many others, or to get the word out concerning any local community events you may be a part of, there’s no better place to look to than our very own Community Calendar.

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