FRI25SEP
FORLINI & CROSS
8PM
AT THE DOOR
SPICEWOOD, TEXAS
THE STORY OF POODIE'S ROADHOUSE
Before it was Poodie's Roadhouse, it was a barbecue joint called Rabbits. Before there was a big deck, an outdoor stage or a name known across the Hill Country, there was a small place on a hill in Spicewood where people came to eat, drink and hear live music.
Over four decades and four owners, the building changed. The name changed. The people behind the bar and on the stage changed.
But the heart of the place stayed the same.
Music brought people up the hill. Community kept them coming back.
From local songwriters and young musicians finding their footing, to legends and longtime friends returning to play, Poodie's has always been more than a bar. It has been a gathering place—a true Texas roadhouse built around the stage, the people and the feeling that everyone is welcome.
Through every chapter, one thing has remained at the heart of the place: The music.
// BURGERS, FRIES AND FRIED TORTILLAS1984 · JAMES WEIR
FROM RABBITS TO THE HILLTOP
In 1984, Spicewood local James Weir bought a barbecue joint called Rabbits and turned it into a beer joint: the Hilltop Bar and Grill.
It was simple in those days—burgers, fries and fried tortillas for anyone who wanted something to eat alongside their beer. But there was always music.
Weir kept live music going and ran the place with a certain no-nonsense attitude. If he didn't like a band, they didn't play again. And if you walked through the door wearing a tie, you might find yourself leaving without it.
But on holidays, Weir would put out a big spread. Everyone brought a dish, and people from all around Spicewood would show up. It was the kind of place where the community came together.
The band area came in 1996. Weir and a handful of regulars knocked down the walls, built the stage and put the wall back up, leaving the pictures hanging exactly where they were.
That little stage would become the heart of everything that followed.
// EVERY SHOW. EVERY MILE. NO BAD DAYS.2001 · THE ELLIS BROTHERS
POODIE COMES ON AS A PARTNER
Around 2001, brothers Cecil, Richard and Brooks Ellis bought the Hilltop from James Weir, along with David Wells, who eventually opted out of the partnership.
They moved the ladies' restroom, remodeled and expanded the kitchen and moved the bar back several feet.
Then they brought in one of their best customers as a partner: Willie Nelson's longtime road manager, Randall "Poodie" Locke.
Poodie had a remarkable ability to get artists to make the trip up the hill to Spicewood. Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard, Freddy Powers, Billy Joe Shaver, Ray Wylie Hubbard, Tanya Tucker, Leon Russell, Toby Keith, Cross Canadian Ragweed and Billy Bob Thornton, to name a few, all found their way to the stage.
And the people Poodie knew came along with them—Ron White, Dennis Quaid, Renée Zellweger, Luke Wilson, Owen Wilson, Coach Royal and plenty of other musicians, actors and characters.
Poodie didn't just bring people to the hilltop.
He brought the hilltop to life.
// SUNSETS FROM THE BIG DECK2006 · SHARON AND WALT
THE BIG DECK AND A NEW NAME
In 2006, Sharon Burke and her husband at the time, Walter Klein, bought out one of the Ellis brothers. Walter and Poodie were old running buddies from the '70s.
They took the Hilltop in a new direction, adding a full liquor-by-the-drink bar, rather than bringing in your own 1/2 gallon, and building the huge outdoor deck that became known as Poodie's Big Deck.
And they changed the name on the sign out front.
The Hilltop Bar and Grill became Poodie's Roadhouse.
The name was new, but the spirit of the place remained the same: good music, cold drinks, good food and a place where people could come as they were.
They wanted "Roadhouse" in the name because, in the old days, when you saw that name, you knew the place had food as well as music.
// THE STAGE IS WHAT IT'S ALL ABOUT2009 · A FIVE-MINUTE VISION
SHE LOOKED ACROSS AT THE STAGE
Sharon bought out the last Ellis brother in 2009, one month to the day before Poodie passed away that May. Her husband, Walt, died the following January.
As the majority owner, Sharon was spending much of her time in Chicago, and the bar struggled without someone at the helm. By mid-2010, she had decided to sell.
Then she sat at the corner of the bar and looked across at the stage.
In about five minutes, she saw what selling would mean: the place could be bulldozed or changed forever into something else.
And she couldn't let that happen.
Sharon and Poodie had always agreed on one thing: the stage at Poodie's was what it was all about.
The songwriters. The young musicians coming up. The legends coming back to pay homage. Open mic, where people could work out the jitters. A true, down-home honky-tonk where people could dance, listen to music, have some fun and feel at home.
That became the mission.
// NO BAD DAYS SINCE DAY ONETODAY · STILL ON THE HILLTOP
A DOWN-HOME HONKY-TONK WITH FIVE-STAR SERVICE
With the help and guidance of Joe Ables of the Saxon Pub, and her good friend John Burris, who opened some doors and pointed Sharon in the right direction, Poodie's began to turn around.
In 2012 she had "The all out Smoke Out." "Smoke 'em if you got 'em." Your last opportunity to smoke a cigarette inside of Poodie's.
Today, Poodie's is doing better than it ever has.
And one of the biggest reasons is the people who work here.
Poodie's staff has become part of the fabric of the place. Guests regularly compliment the team—their friendliness, their service and the way they make people feel welcome.
Some of the staff have been here for 15 or even 20 years. They know the regulars. They know the music. They know the stories. They know how Poodie's works, and they understand what makes this place different.
On any given weekday afternoon, you may find the legendary Brooks Brannon behind the bar. On an evening shift, you might get lucky enough to find the infamous Sherry Pye holding down the joint.
Both have been instrumental in the success of Poodie's, and their personalities and years of experience have become part of the character of the Roadhouse itself.
That kind of loyalty and experience can't be manufactured.
It's part of what makes Poodie's feel like Poodie's.
From the beginning, the goal has been simple:
A down-home honky-tonk with five-star service.
Not a fancy restaurant. Not a polished nightclub.
A real Texas roadhouse—with great music, cold drinks, good food, friendly people and service that makes you want to come back.
// THE HISTORY. THE MUSIC. THE PEOPLE. THE HILLTOP.2018 · SHARON AND DAVID
A NEW CHAPTER
The new outdoor stage is opening another chapter for Poodie's, creating room for bigger shows, new artists and the next generation of Texas music.
And behind the scenes, Sharon's life partner, David Beilharz, has helped shape the atmosphere of Poodie's in his own creative way.
Sharon and David began their relationship in 2018, and over the years David has put his own hands and ideas into making the place feel even more like home.
He remodeled the women's bathroom, opened up the sliding doors so beautiful nights could become part of the experience. He built the flag pole, created the fire pit and, most recently, built the new outdoor stage for her—an incredible addition that has opened the door to an entirely new chapter for Poodie's.
None of it was about changing what Poodie's was.
It was about adding to what was already there.
The history. The music. The people. The hilltop.
Four decades later, the stage is still what it's all about.
And Poodie's is still on the hilltop.
