The honky tonk has been with us for over a century and will most likely be with us for many more. It is sometimes used as a term to indicate a place to have a good time and other times as a term to indicate a den of iniquity.
Around the turn of the twentieth century, the first references to a honky tonk appeared, and they involved entertainment palaces in the southern and southwestern United States. The term “honky tonk” was used to describe establishments that favored traveling burlesque shows on the vaudeville circuit.
The clubs that earned the moniker honky tonk catered specifically to the Caucasian working man, which was one of their distinguishing features. People who advocated for a strict code of conduct tended to criticize the shows and the people who went to them. A lot of time and effort was spent condemning the immoral acts that took place in honky tonks, claiming that they were the root cause of every social ill imaginable.
In reality, in the early twentieth century, honky-tonks were frequently the only way for lower and middle-class workers to see anything resembling a professional state show. A typical evening at the tonks would include nationally touring singers and dancers, as well as a comedy act for good measure. While alcohol was served, most honky tonks used bouncers to keep the show running smoothly. Indeed, alcohol was frequently cited as a source of resentment toward a honky tonk’s operation in the community, with the implications of having “painted ladies” who were “kind to gentlemen for a price” a close second.
As vaudeville faded away, honky tonk gained a new identity in the form of clubs featuring ragtime and jazz musicians, many of whom were African Americans. The honky tonk presented the only viable way to make money with music for a number of promising and talented African Americans. Clubs that catered to ragtime and jazz and drew both white and black crowds became known as the “chitlin” circuit, named after a delicacy enjoyed poor to middle-class citizens in the South and Southwest.
By the 1930s, some honky tonk clubs were introducing a new genre of music known as country and western. Emerging country artists toured extensively to small clubs across the country, laying the groundwork for the modern-day honky tonk. When the term “honky tonk” is mentioned nowadays, most people immediately think of country singers, bars, pool tables, plenty of beer, and line dancing. Many of these honky tonk clubs wear the name with pride, emphasizing that patrons come to their establishments to hang out with friends, meet new people, and have a good time after a long day at work.