SHORT TAKES : Sun Sets on ‘Cowboy’ Nightclub
Bulldozers on Thursday began grinding through the twisted remains of Gilley’s, the legendary honky-tonk left vacant because of a bitter legal battle and then devastated by arson.
The demolition is expected to take about two weeks. Only the club’s rodeo arena and recording studio will remain.
Gilley’s was just a popular country-western club in the oil patch until it was romanticized in the 1980 hit movie “Urban Cowboy.” Much of the movie was filmed in the club.
But trouble erupted between country singer and part-owner Mickey Gilley and Sherwood Cryer, who ran the club. A judge eventually ordered Cryer to pay nearly $16 million in damages for breaching his financial duty to Gilley. Cryer later declared bankruptcy.
Gilley’s was shut down in March after a break-in and theft of electronic equipment at the recording studio. Fire ravaged the 70,000-square-foot, warehouse-like structure in July. A juvenile has been charged with setting the fire and faces trial this month.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
