Back in the 1990's, folks were flocking to Austin, Texas for its hip music scene. But there's a new town showing off a cool vibe, Tulsa, Oklahoma. Surprised? A lot of people are. But some have known about Tulsa for a while. Woody Guthrie and Leon Russell both bought homes there. Legendary bandleader Bob Wills used to broadcast his weekly radio show from Cain's Ballroom in Tulsa. It's where Tom Petty signed his first recording contract. And when Jack White discovered how cool it is, he almost fired his booking agent for not telling him about it sooner.
The art-deco architecture drew Francis Ford Coppola to Tulsa to shoot his film The Outsiders. With the newly completed Woody Guthrie Center and the Bob Dylan Archive, scheduled to open in 2021, music historians will love it. And the music scene is reportedly exploding, too. The aforementioned Cain's, which used to host about 1 show per month, is now booking 120! Leon Russell’s historic studio where Willie Nelson, Dr. John, and Peter Tosh all recorded in the seventies, is currently being renovated and updated, and is planning to reopen later this year.
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