Cain's Ballroom - a closer look

I recently decided to take a closer look inside Cain's Ballroom in Tulsa, Okla. Many thanks to the Cain's staff for allowing me a few minutes in this wonderful place. Cain's, at 423 N. Main St. in Tulsa, stands tall as one of the most historic music landmarks in the United States. It has hosted Bob Wills & the Texas Playboys, the Sex Pistols, and a lot of country, rock, soul and blues acts in a history that spans more than 80 years. Cain's originally was built as a garage in 1924. Madison W. "Daddy" Cain bought the building in 1930 and renamed it Cain's Dancing Academy. Cain's became the site of Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys' first radio broadcast, on KVOO in Tulsa. Because of the station's powerful signal, the broadcasts elevated Bob Wills and his western-swing music to national prominence. Cain's also remains the only surviving venue from the Sex Pistols' first U.S. tour in 1978. Cain's has played host to hund acts such as Willie Nelson, Bob Dylan, Merle Haggard, Elvis Costello, U2, The Police, Talking Heads, Hank Williams, Van Halen, The Ramones, Beck, Jerry Lee Lewis, Little Richard, Ministry, Nine Inch Nails, and Wilco. Many large country-music portraits from the 1940s and '50s hang on Cain's walls -- many of them autographed, I found. In the main entrance are portraits of Bob Wills, with his performing brothers Johnnie Lee Wills and Billy Jack Wills. Others portraits inside the venue are Cindy Walker, Leon McAuliffe, Tex Williams, Jimmy Wakely, Eddy Arnold, Red Foley, Johnny Bond, Pee Wee King, Roy Rogers, Spade Cooley, Moon Mullican, Gene Autry, Texas Tyler, O.W. Mayo, Howard Turner, Jimmy Dickens, Ernest Tubb, Pat Breene, Kay Starr, Hank Williams, Tennessee Ernie Ford, Roy Acuff, Hank Thompson, Hank Snow, Floyd Tillman, Tex Ritter, and Luther J. Wills. Alas, Cain's famed wooden floor was replaced a few years ago because it had become badly warped with age. Cain's Ballroom was listed to the National Register of Historic Places in 2003. More information can be found at cainsballroom.com. I am not an employee or part-owner of Cain's. I am simply a fan of the venue.

Added 5 Oct 2026