Gilley's to open anew

Gilley bringing club and possibly bull to Magnolia
By Melanie Smith
Tribune Staff

Henry's Hideout, located at 46010 FM 1774 in Plantersville, has a new owner and is soon scheduled to reopen under one of the most recognizable names in country music.


Henry's Hideout, located at 46010 FM 1774, was put up for lease this past spring and has been leased by Keith Gilley, son of Mickey Gilley. It is tentatively scheduled to reopen Oct. 7.

According to Deb Day of E.L. Free and Associates, a Magnolia realtor, Keith Gilley has leased the property.

"They have some new and exciting plans for this place," Day said. "It was definitely worth waiting for."

Keith is the son of Mickey Gilley, who co-owned Gilley's Club in Pasadena which was known as the "world's largest honky-tonk." Gilley's closed in 1989.

Gilley's Club became famous when it was featured in the 1980 movie "Urban Cowboy," starring John Travolta and Debra Winger. The mechanical bull featured in the movie, which was ridden by Travolta, will possibly be part of the memorabilia brought from the old Gilley's location in Pasadena to the new site in Magnolia, Day said.

Mickey Gilley is currently the owner and operator of a music hall in Branson, Mo.

"The family definitely has experience in owning successful clubs," Day said.

Henry's Hideout will undergo a series of transformations to make the club look like the original Pasadena club.

Negotiations are still underway for the name of the new club, which may carry both names.

"They want to make it look like the original Gilley's inside the dance hall, but the bar would still be called Henry's Hideout," Day said.

The tavern had been on the market since spring by Billy Phillips, a descendent of the founding owner of Henry's when it originally opened as a beer tavern in 1937. The 7,885-square-foot bar was later turned into a dance hall and saloon.

The club is tentatively scheduled to open Oct. 7 to celebrate the tavern's 71st anniversary.