Cheatham Street Warehouse has a new owner: Randy Rogers. The country music star recently purchased the legendary club from iconic venue owner Kent Finlay’s children Jenni, Sterling and HalleyAnna. Kent Finlay, who died on Texas Independence Day 2015, founded Cheatham Street Warehouse \u2013 the iconic Texas launching pad responsible for skyrocketing George Strait, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Randy Rogers, Todd Snider and hundreds more singers and songwriters \u2013 more than forty years ago. Additionally, Finlay’s children all grew their musical wings at the venue.<\/p>\n
\u201cKnowing that Cheatham Street’s legacy will stay in tact under the love and care of Randy Rogers fills all of our hearts,\u201d eldest daughter Jenni Finlay says. \u201cRandy came up performing at Dad’s beloved Songwriters Night and it’s only fitting that he takes the helm. We’re so excited about the next chapter for Cheatham Street.\u201d \u201cI plan on honoring Kent in every way with my plans and vision for Cheatham,\u201d Rogers said to the family. \u201cThis means so much to me personally.\u201d<\/p>\n
Finlay’s beloved Cheatham Street Warehouse has always existed for creation. Songs begin on Cheatham\u2019s stage. They grow. Breathe. Live. Earn more miles. Finally, they mature into shape. Finlay’s songwriters night, an open mike for original songs he hosted for nearly every Wednesday night at the venue for more than four decades, nurtured singular songwriters and storytellers with stunning frequency during his lifetime. For instance, the celebrated \u201cClass of ’87\u201d included Americana all-stars Todd Snider, James McMurtry, Terri Hendrix, Bruce Robison and Hal Ketchum learning their craft.<\/p>\n
\u201cKent and his great little honkytonk with indoor toilets gave me and a whole host of others a place to learn our craft and to learn how to be, sing and play music onstage,\u201d Strait says. \u201c[I thank] Kent for believing in the up-and-coming Ace in the Hole Band with a totally unknown singer who had big dreams and for helping make those dreams a reality. I’ll never forget those days.\u201d<\/p>\n
Literally bucketsful more \u2013 including celebrated guitarists Eric Johnston and Monte Montgomery, deep-browed songwriters Owen Temple and Walt Wilkins, fiery live acts Joe King Carrasco and Charlie and Will Sexton \u2013 have emerged from his humble honky tonk stage. Additionally, legendary singer-songwriters such as Marcia Ball, Guy Clark, Ray Wylie Hubbard, Willie Nelson, Billy Joe Shaver, Ernest Tubb, Townes Van Zandt and dozens upon dozens more regularly stepped on the Cheatham stage throughout the 1970s Cosmic Cowboy heyday.<\/p>\n
\u201cRandy Rogers’ career began on the Cheatham Street Warehouse stage,\u201d says Gregg Andrews, Cheatham Street Music Foundations board of directors president. \u201cHis devotion and loyalty to Kent as a songwriting mentor has never waivered and he’s fully committed to perserving Kent’s outstanding legacy. Through the years, Kent and his family transformed the creaky old warehouse along the railroad tracks into a songwriters’ oasis of world renown and integrity that has left an incredible mark on Texas music.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Cheatham Street Warehouse has a new owner: Randy Rogers. The country music star recently purchased the legendary club from iconic venue owner Kent Finlay’s children Jenni, Sterling and HalleyAnna. Kent Finlay, who died on Texas Independence Day 2015, founded Cheatham Street Warehouse \u2013 the iconic Texas launching pad responsible for skyrocketing George Strait, Stevie Ray […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":70264,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"give_campaign_id":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[8,116],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-70263","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","category-rft-news"],"yoast_head":"\n