Razorback Wit at George’s Majestic Lounge

LINED UP: Comedian Fred Armisen sold out George’s Majestic Lounge, which hosted his “Comedy For Musicians But Everyone Is Welcome” show last August. (Courtesy venue)

A 100-Year Formula of Community Engagement, Honoring the Past and Artists on the Cusp of Fame

George’s Majestic Lounge on the outer rim of the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville has stayed relevant for about 100 years with a formula of community engagement, paying homage to the past and a reputation for booking artists on the cusp of fame.

“Relevance has been top-of-mind for (partner) Day (Crowne) and I for years; being blessed to be at the helm of a legacy institution,” offered owner/musician Brian Crowne. “We don’t want to be complacent. You don’t forget the past – you honor it – but you don’t forget about what’s next.”

In 1927, George Pappas opened a restaurant and bar near the Louis-San Francisco Railway, across the tracks from the Frisco Depot. Locals recall social events and dances on the venue’s old patio in the 1930s. Pappas sold the business to Mary and Joe Hinton in 1947. Mary Hinton ran the lounge until 1987 when she sold it to Dr. Bill Harrison and his wife, Betty Harrison. The couple had a special attachment to the club because it was where they had their first date while in college in the late 1950s.

The Harrisons sold the business and property to Suzie Stephens, who sold the business to Brian and Day Crowne in 2004. The Crownes purchased the property in 2012 and have sole ownership of the lounge, which has been named one of the 100 best venues in America by Consequence of Sound and among the Top 100 College Bars in the U.S. by Playboy magazine.

“There have only been four owners in nearly 100 years,” Crowne said. “Everybody who has owned it has cared about the venue and this community, in different ways.”

The lounge features brick walls, wood rafters and enough Arkansas Razorback and music memorabilia to fill a small museum, from autographed guitars and show posters to a collection of beer taps and college yearbooks dating to 1906. It’s the largest private collection outside the university, which was founded as Arkansas Industrial University in 1871 before  adopting its present name in 1899.

“It’s been a neat way to subtly introduce people to the history of this venue,” said Brian Crowne, recalling a senior couple who visited the club in May. The husband graduated in 1961. “We got his yearbook down and he looked himself up, his fraternity, and he signed the yearbook with his wife. He got to relive his college days.”

The lounge was voted in the Top 20 Favorite Fayetteville Memories by University of Arkansas alumni from the last 50 years. Razorback first-year students routinely come in looking up their parents, grandparents and great-grandparents. But the music mementos are equally significant. Brian Crowne’s favorite is a George’s Majestic Lounge-themed guitar hanging on the wall under a fat-tire bicycle.

“Most of the memorabilia here are things that happened in this building,” he said. “It about the creative vibe and a sense of history.”

The lounge was the first bar to integrate in the late ‘50s, the first bar in Northwest Arkansas to offer color television and the first pizza delivery service in the region. There have been several expansions over the years, including the installation of a 700-capacity stage house, replacing the old open-air patio. The original structure includes a corner stage with standing room for 200.

“I like to say we shoved a black box theater stage up to an old juke joint,” Brian Crowne said with a laugh. “We weren’t trying to change the character, we were trying to enhance it. Everything we’ve done has been about creating a place where we would want to hang out.”

Live music became a regular feature in the ‘70s with many national acts playing the venue in recent years.

The list covers Brandi Carlile, Eric Church, Old Crow Medicine Show, Turnpike Troubadours, Cody Johnson, Sturgill Simpson, Brantley Gilbert, Leon Russell, Morgan Wallen, Punch Brothers, All American Rejects, Dan + Shay, Gavin DeGraw, Jenny Lewis, Drive by Truckers, Lucinda Williams, Johnny Winter, Eddie Money, Pat Green, Luke Combs, Tower of Power and Zac Brown Band.

Upcoming ticketed shows include Sawyer Hill, NLE Choppa, All Them Witches, Lucero, and Pokey Lafarge.

Brian and Day Crowne met when he was a touring musician. They share two children (ages 16 and 19) and a vision for the lounge that pivots around the artist/fan experience and having the flexibility to book various events from acoustic shows to street festivals in their adjoining parking lot. They balance the calendar with private and community/charitable events.

 

“It’s friggin’ feast or famine and you want to be able to morph up or down,” Brian Crowne said. “I understand the finances like nobody’s business, but to have a chance at longevity, it’s how you treat people. You have to treat people good when you’re winning and you have to treat people good when you’re losing.”

The lounge presents musical acts that turn into magical shows. Recently, percussionist Mike Dillon and Punkadelic performed. With Dillon on Xylophone and Ginny Mac on accordion, the sound was Klezmer meets water drum in a hurricane. Like the venue, it was authentic with a throwback feel that propelled the music in a fresh direction.

Affable longtime, long-tressed bartender Bob Kramer has toiled at the lounge since 1997. Wearing tie-dye and a “Got Weed” ballcap, he claims he came with the place. The audience that night was an eclectic mix of local music enthusiasts, Dillon’s 81-year-old mom in rhinestone boots and a photographer in a black “College Educated Evil Feminist Slut” T-shirt.

Punkadelic clarinetist Patti Steel wearing cat ears was playing spoons on her midriff, while keyboardist Brian Haas made unexpected use of a talk box. It’s an experiential playground that feels like a gypsy caravan set up shop while waiting for the next train, which comes by daily.

“This is the heart of music,” confided Mac, who started playing by ear at 12 and studied classical piano, accordion and opera. “I love that there are spaces that provide the opportunity for musicians to just stretch out. That’s where you get something new.”