Pressed on limited edition color vinyl, Live at Gilley's captures Kris Kristofferson's 1981 performance at the world's largest honky tonk—the Pasadena, Texas roadhouse that inspired Urban Cowboy and defined mechanical bull culture before becoming a shrine to outlaw country. This New West Records release preserves Kristofferson delivering "Me and Bobby McGee," "Sunday Mornin' Comin' Down," and the literary songwriting that influenced everyone from Willie Nelson to Shooter Jennings.

Gilley's was more than a bar—at 40,000 capacity, it was a phenomenon that captured America's briefly renewed appetite for honky-tonk culture after John Travolta rode a bull there in 1980. Kristofferson's 1981 appearance brought Rhodes Scholar poetry to the sawdust floor, proving that outlaw country could be both cerebral and rowdy. The audience that packed Gilley's came to dance; they stayed to listen to the man who'd revolutionized Nashville songwriting with his literary ambition and working-class perspective.

Limited color vinyl LP. Recorded September 15, 1981 at Gilley's, Pasadena TX. New West Records. Historic honky tonk performance from outlaw country legend.