Mickey Gilley has accomplished what most artists only
dream of — a long and fulfilling career marked by loyal fans
and financial success. One of the secrets behind Mickey’s
longevity is his ability to balance the heart of an entertainer
with the brain of a businessman. He hasn’t had to “reinvent”
himself to stay in the game. He has stayed current with the
times, but Mickey knows what not to change. He has treated his
fans with the same respect throughout the years, maintained
his consistent high-quality performances, selected classic
songs that withstood the fickleness of trends and tapped into
business opportunities with an uncanny foresight.
the perfect case in point. Gilley’s Club was the sensation of the
era: the “world’s largest honky-tonk.” It was a launching pad
for some of country music’s biggest stars and the dominating
movie filmed in the Pasadena, Texas, nightclub.
Today, more than a decade after the club burned to the
ground in 1989, Gilley’s — like its namesake — just keeps
rising from the ashes to retain its legendary status. As the new
century dawned, developers announced the rebirth of Gilley’s
as “Gilley’s Dallas,” an entertainment complex that is part of
the “South Side” development in the Texas metropolis. Bigger
showroom featuring national headline acts.
“I knew we had done something extraordinary at the time,
Mickey says. “But I had no idea Gilley’s would outlast the
millennium. This is really incredible.”
In addition to Gilley’s Dallas, there is a Gilley’s Club at
The New Frontier Hotel in Las Vegas. This gives Gilley’s a
was mounted as a musical, which ran on Broadway for part of
stage.
Even as he was helping to build the original Gilley’s Club
into the landmark honky-tonk of the century, Mickey was also