Reckless Kelly Tributes Austin’s Latest Shuttered Venue, Giddy Ups

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Reckless Kelley has a new album on the way September 13th called The Last Frontier, which is also the name of their 2024-2025 tour that’s going strong. The new album was produced by brothers Willy and Cody Braun with Jonathan Tyler, and also includes writing from brother Gary Braun of Mickey and the Motorcars, and regular Reckless Kelly collaborator Jeff Crosby.

Reckless Kelley recently released the title track from the album that features Texas music legend Kelly Willis, as well as a video for another one of the album’s early singles, “What’s Left of My Heart.” But this isn’t just any old video. It was shot at south Austin’s iconic honky tonk Giddy Ups. With it’s old west facade and local charm, Giddy Ups was a favorite of folks from the Manchaca area of Austin who weren’t fans of venturing into the actual city.

As you will notice though, Giddy Ups now unfortunately has to be referred to in the past tense, at least for now. It has become the latest victim of Austin’s music venue contraction and skewed priorities. On Sunday, August 11th, the establishment that has been open in one form or another since the ’40s (and in its present incarnation since 1996), officially closed down.

The bar’s long-time owner Nancy M. Morgan passed away in October of 2023 of Cancer. She started Giddy Ups in 1996 after previously bartending at Trophy’s on South Congress, now called C-Boys Heart & Soul. At the time of Nancy’s passing, the lease on the property was month-to-month, and had been that way ever since the COVID-19 lockdowns.

Nancy’s son Michael Morgan took over the place in his mother’s stead and things were going just fine. The business was profitable. But then in late June, the landlord refused to allow the lease to be renewed.

“This whole situation feels more like a ‘yeehaw, out of here’ than a genuine step forward for the neighborhood,” the venue said on social media. “We call it gentrification and an unsatisfiable act of greed, you might call it progress — whatever the label, it means losing a piece of that ‘living room extension’ vibe as [a] neighborhood bar and concert venue that Nancy M. Morgan built — simply a place where you can come as a stranger and leave as a friend.”

Previous to the shut down, there was even talk of a historical designation for the business. Similar to Austin’s Broken Spoke, which now does have historical designations, condo and apartment complexes sprouted up around Giddy Ups in the last few years.

The first establishment on the property was called Dotson’s, and it was opened by the Dotson family in 1947 to service the families and cowboys who lived and worked in the rural area south of Austin. There were four acres out back, and history has it that patrons would participate in Turkey shoots behind the establishment, while cowboys rode across Manchaca Road (pronounced “Man Shack” in Austin’s notoriously lazy tongue) from a rodeo arena across the street, tying their horses up out front.

The current building was originally built in 1957, and of course Giddy Ups also hosted music on a corner stage. Though it might not be as legendary as some other Austin spots, Gregg Allman, James Cotton, W.C. Clark, and other legends all played on the stage. Unlike other Austin haunts, Giddy Ups would give local and national bands opportunities others wouldn’t. They also hosted an alternative to SXSW for many years.

Enter Reckless Kelly, who are South Austin residents themselves, and were known to stop by Giddy Ups for drinks upon occasion. When deciding where to shoot the video for their song “What’s Left of My Heart,” Giddy Ups felt like the right place at the right time. Written by Cody Braun and co-directed by Braun and Tony Gates, the video also features cameos from some other Austin musicians and notables, including the legendary Rosie Flores, Django Walker, and Kelley Mickwee among others.

For some Austin music venues, there’s a sense of not “if,” but “when” the end will come, and along with it, all the history, memories, and sometimes friendships and family that is made at these magical spots. Michael Morgan and Giddy Ups insist they will rise again and are actively looking for another location to re-open the bar. But if nothing else, the memory of Giddy Ups will live forever more in the minds of patrons of the south Austin haunt, and the images of Reckless Kelly’s “What’s Left Of My Heart.”




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