Mickey Gilley

[Rocky]

2015 will be his final year in Branson. He has played at Gilley's Theatre there for 26 years. He is now traveling all over the country in a new bus doing concerts in 200 cities this year and many more next year. A new Gilley's Club is being built in his hometown of Pasadena, Texas.

[yorkshire88]

Good to see Mickey doing a concert back in Ferriday and supporting the Delta Music museum.

http://www.hannapub.com/concordiasentin ... 0d1b8.html

[PeterC]

Good to see Mickey doing a concert back in Ferriday and supporting the Delta Music museum.

http://www.hannapub.com/concordiasentin ... 0d1b8.html

Wish he'd do a concert in England! Now he would make an interesting support act for Jerry...

[niek81]

I'm still hoping one day they will add a support act that stay away from Jerry's music. As much as I love Linda, Mickey etc I never really understood why you would add a support act to the program that is more or lesse a copy of the main act....Same instrument, same style etc....I would prefer something bit more different. Makes Jerry's part more interesting as well instead of having two piano players in a row. ..

[PeterC]

I'm still hoping one day they will add a support act that stay away from Jerry's music. As much as I love Linda, Mickey etc I never really understood why you would add a support act to the program that is more or lesse a copy of the main act....Same instrument, same style etc....I would prefer something bit more different. Makes Jerry's part more interesting as well instead of having two piano players in a row. ..

Usually I pretty much agree, it's just that it would be good to see at least ONE UK visit by Mickey in a 50+ year career. Surprising that Mervyn Conn never brought him over for any of those 70s or 80s Wembley Country Festivals.

[yorkshire88]

http://www.hannapub.com/concordiasentin ... cfeae.html

[PeterC]

http://www.hannapub.com/concordiasentinel/gilley-concert-nets-for-museum/article_37e5dac8-3b9f-11e5-8820-abcc4e4cfeae.html

Mickey looks great!

[Piet]

So does she

[PeterC]

So does she

Mickey is probably thinking the same thing!

[bailbath]

http://laughlinentertainer.com/?p=3716

Mickey Gilley has a good sense of humor about the ups, downs and in betweens of his colorful life. His story includes connections to a couple of “colorful cousins” (Jerry Lee Lewis and Jimmy Swaggart); a string of hit records; successful business ventures; plane wrecks; and freak accidents. He has fought his way through paralysis from the neck down to a point where he is back to his old self.

Mickey Gilley is not only tough when it comes to his physical side, but he is tough in the business world, too. He wisely opened a honky tonk in Pasadena, Texas, and named it after himself—Gilley’s. When he put together a string of hits in the ‘70s, not only did he gain fame, but so too, did his club. Those hits include “Roomful of Roses,” “That’s All That Matters To Me,” “Window Up Above,” and his trademark, “Don’t the Girls All Get Prettier At Closing Time,”

In the ‘80s, the club became the centerpiece of the entire “Urban Cowboy“ movement after the John Travolta film of the same name hit theaters. Not only did Gilley find pay dirt with his club but he was riding high on the music charts thanks to his own hit from the film sound track, “Stand By Me.”

We have had interviews with Mickey Gilley each time he comes to town to play the Riverside Resort. The following is the latest installment based on a phone conversation we had last week. Here’s Gilley’s latest take on…

Playing Laughlin…

Gilley: We’re looking forward to coming back out to Laughlin. We always enjoy coming out there to perform for the folks. We bring a show that’s entertaining and interesting. I’m doing the highs and lows of my career and all the in betweens—it’s my life in music from the ’50s to the ’90s with video highlights. If people have never seen it before, they’ll get a big kick out of it. We’ve tweaked it since the last time we were out there to make it quicker and more entertaining.

Of course, we’ll do all of my 17 No. 1 hits. I’ve got a seven-piece band and two girl singers who make each performance memorable for everyone.

His thoughts on…

Conway Twitty…

Gilley: I recently did a gig in Canada. I performed a 90-minute show and then I did a two and a half hour autograph session. They asked me how long I was going to be there and I said, until the last person in line gets through. I like to visit with people and sign autographs so they can read them.

It reminded me of the times many years ago I toured with Conway Twitty. He was the star of the show. Nobody knew who I was. He’d be there for hours signing autographs after the show. His line was really long and my line might have one out of 30 people. All of a sudden some guy hollers to Conway, “What does it say?” Conway answers, “You’re not supposed to be able to read it, you’re just supposed to recognize it.”

One time, me and Cal Smith were touring with Conway and Loretta Lynn. Cal Smith was to go on first, then Loretta, then I would come out and Conway would close the show because he was the star. Of course, I walk out there and get a smattering of applause and he gets five standing ovations. When I walked by him back stage, he says, “I wouldn’t have given that spot to a dry cleaners.”

On his cousin Jerry Lee Lewis...

Gilley: You know this is crazy, and I don’t know why, but I’ve always felt that Jerry Lee was jealous of my success even though he was a bigger star in rock and roll than I was in country. I know he was always jealous of Elvis—that’s my perception of what Jerry Lee was all about. He thought he was better than anyone else. Of course, he could play the hell out of the piano and he was a hell of a performer. But there was animosity because I finally did something in music and he was shocked.

I didn’t realize it at the time, but up until my first hit in ’74, I was doing a tribute to Jerry Lee. Everyone would come to the club because they couldn’t afford tickets to Jerry Lee’s concerts, so I’d do his songs so they could dance to the music.

Still going…

Gilley: I’m almost 80 and still doing shows. Believe it or not, I’m having more fun now doing what I do than I did back in the day because I’m one of the last still doing it.

It’s not about the fame and the money. It’s about the music. I do the music and the show because I want people to have a great time, so we make it entertaining, interesting and we’re doing what we love to do

I always thought that any time you can do what you love to do and make money to survive, you’re a success—maybe not by industry standards, but I was a success.

I look forward to walking on stage. I’m a workaholic. Music is my passion. Some acts change over the years because they get bored with their music. I keep my songs as close to the recordings as possible. I could make more money if I cut the band and the singers and sang to tracks, but that’s not me. I don’t want to lose that look on stage. That’s the full brunt of what I represent as an entertainer.

The bottom line. I haven’t had a hit since 1986, but here I am in 2016, and the majority of the places I play are either sold out or close to. I’ve played all over the world, met two U.S. Presidents and I have a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Differences between a casino crowd, a county or state fair crowd, and a Gilley’s bar crowd—and which do you prefer?

Gilley: They’re all different. Fairs and festivals are usually in the daytime, so you can’t use video. I like working the showrooms in Nevada. That’s the ultimate for me. The majority of them have the best sound and lights and acoustics. My perfect scenario is the venue with 1,000-1,500 people—not the concerts with 5,000 up to 8,000 that I went through in the ’80s when me and Johnny Lee were the hottest things in country music. I’m having more fun now than when I was having the hits. I’m more relaxed.

New business ventures…

Gilley: We just opened a Gilley’s in Vegas in Treasure Island, and one in the Nugget in Sparks, Nevada. We’ve got two in Oklahoma and one in Dallas. We’re in the process of rebuilding the one in Pasadena, 12 miles from the other one that was the location where they shot “Urban Cowboy.” I’ve been wanting to put the club back together…and I’m not getting any younger. I’m here in my theater in Branson today.

[PeterC]

Looks like poor Mickey has been involved in a car accident:

http://tasteofcountry.com/mickey-gilley-car-accident/

[Rocky]

January 4, 2018, Mickey and his son were driving a Scion north from Pasadena, Texas, to Missouri on US59, when another vehicle drove through an intersection at Corrigan, TX., and they swerved to avoid hitting it. Their Scion rolled 3 times landing on its roof and being totaled. Air bags did not deploy. They were wearing their seat belts. His son cut him loose and called EMS. Mickey had cuts on his forehead, a fractured left ankle, and fractured right shoulder. His son had several bumps and bruises. They were transported back to Pasadena. Mickey cancelled a gig in Greenville, TX. on the 6th, but will reschedule it later. He will be back on tour January 20th in Florida. He is booked solid until August. Turns 82 March 9th.

[Rocky]

Mid-May, 2018, Gilley has a new album released; TWO OLD CATS. Songs are country ballads and rockers with: Two Old Cats (Like Us)/I Don't Need Your Rocking Chair/Don't Be Ashamed of Your Age/Designated Drinker/Tying One On/White Lightning/In the Jailhouse Now/We're Nobody Today/Murder on Music Row/Mamas, Don't Let Your Babies Grow up to be Cowboys/ Boot Scootin' Boogie/Treat Her Right/Drinking Wine Spodeeodee. Available at Gilley's website or Amazon.com