Cain's Ballroom, Tulsa

Cain’s Ballroom in Tulsa is one of the most storied music venues in the United States. Built in 1924 as a garage for local figure W. Tate Brady’s automobiles, the space was transformed in 1930 by Madison W. “Daddy” Cain into a dance hall, launching its new life as Cain’s Dance Academy. What began as a dime-a-dance venue soon became a cradle of musical innovation-and a place where the floor bounces with history.

The spring-loaded maple dance floor, still intact today, was the stage-both literal and cultural-for the rise of Western swing in the 1930s and '40s. Cain’s earned its legendary nickname, “The Carnegie Hall of Western Swing,” thanks largely to Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys, who broadcast live shows from the venue and helped shape a hybrid genre that fused country, big band jazz, blues, boogie, and even rhumba. From 1935 to 1942, Cain’s was their home base, and the legacy of those performances still echoes in the room.

Cain’s remained a crucial part of American music through the decades. In the 1970s, it became a regular stage for Leon Russell and his band under the ownership of Larry Shaeffer. Then came punk: on January 11, 1978, the Sex Pistols played one of only seven U.S. shows here during their infamous North American tour. After their performance, Sid Vicious punched a hole in the green room wall-today, that wall fragment is preserved and on display inside the venue like a holy relic of rock rebellion.

Decorated with photos of legends like Ernest Tubb, Hank Williams, and Kay Starr, and topped off with a disco ball and neon star, Cain’s Ballroom is equal parts honky-tonk time capsule and rock 'n’ roll sanctuary. In 2021, Pollstar ranked it #13 worldwide in club venue ticket sales-proof that nearly a century on, Cain’s is still dancing to its rhythm.