James White
April 12, 1939 – January 24, 2021
Broken Spoke owner James White, an unwavering supporter of country music locally, nationally, and internationally, died due to congestive heart failure.
Rascoe had this to say in her article for The Austin Chronicle: Country lifer, James White and family built a honky-tonk heaven here on Earth. According to White-Peacock, the honky-tonk icon was diagnosed with congestive heart failure 20 years ago, and had been in and out of the hospital with complications after having a new defibrillator put in two months ago. He passed at home on Sunday, January 24, 2021 with his family at his side.
“His heart just wasn’t working anymore,” explained White-Peacock. “I’m glad he’s at peace.
“My dad used to always say, ‘I wanted to build a place like no other, where people could come and listen to country music and have a good time. And when I built it, I named it the Broken Spoke.’
“I always liked that quote.”
White opened the Broken Spoke in 1964, when the red building at 3201 S. Lamar sat outside city limits with few neighbors. He went on to book stars including Willie Nelson, Bob Wills, Dolly Parton, Ray Price, Ernest Tubb, and George Strait, alongside a regular roster of beloved locals, not only for Austinites but tourists from around the globe. The White family business was the subject of a 2016 documentary Honky Tonk Heaven, Donna Marie Miller’s 2017 book The Broken Spoke: Austin’s Legendary Honky-Tonk, and featured on the cover of Strait’s 2019 album Honky Tonk Time Machine.
White-Peacock says she will continue to run the business with her husband Michael Peacock, mother Annetta White, and sister Terry White. The South Austin dance hall and eatery is currently open Tuesdays through Saturdays.
“We’ll have Weldon Henson there on Tuesday, and hopefully people will come out and think about my dad and have a Lone Star for him,” adds White-Peacock. “That’s the best thing people can do right now – help us keep the Broken Spoke alive and keep having a good time. That’s what made him happy.”
