Giddy Ups Owner Nancy M. Morgan Welcomed All, and Didn’t Put Up With Disrespect

Nancy M. Morgan started pouring drinks at Trophy’s – now C-Boy’s Heart & Soul – on South Congress in 1995 and found her forever home at Giddy Ups on Menchaca Road the following year.

Things were different then. It sold beer, wine and “set-ups,” meaning liquor, mixer, and cups of ice. Giddy Ups didn’t have a liquor license until 2014, and didn’t become a live music destination until 1997, when Morgan was managing and working her way toward owning the joint. Morgan, who died October 15 of last year, considered the place an extension of her living room. To drive home the point that all were welcome, she hung a “Welcome Home” sign.

The original building was built by the Dotson family, who farmed on the property, and opened as a beer bar named Dotson’s. It was renamed Giddy Ups just a year before Morgan got there and began its transformation. There used to be turkey shoots on Sundays on four acres behind the bar. (Those stopped after a subdivision went in and the popular event was deemed unsafe.) Roping cowboys practiced in an arena across Menchaca and rode over, tying their horses outside, which is why the front of Giddy Ups has a hitching post to this day.

Few things gave Morgan as much pleasure as live music and seeing her patrons have a good time filling up the small dance floor. She strove to have live acts seven nights a week. She started her own music festival, Spring Fling, which was her response to South By Southwest. Morgan initially called it “South X So What” but “I didn’t want a lawsuit,” she wrote in a statement before her death. “It’s absolutely magic to host all of these great musicians all year long, not just a SX showcase,” she added.

Morgan had a policy: She wouldn’t book a band to play her place until she saw them perform live. Countless musicians have graced the tiny stage, including Shelley King, Jesse “Guitar” Taylor, Gregg Allman, and James Cotton. (It’s worth remembering that Cotton’s first job was blowing harp in Howlin’ Wolf’s band in the early 1950s.) Not much has changed since Giddy Ups’ structure was first built in 1957 other than a side room with fireplace and a patio area addition completed in 1995.

Morgan was also civic- and community-minded. She hosted regular chili cookoffs, and her open mic nights fundraised for Blue Santa. Giddy Ups was known to have a proprietor open to dancin’, drinkin’, and carryin’ on – up to a point. There are reports of people leaving headfirst horizontally, and at least one patron is said to be banned for life.

“A lot of folks do call me mom,” Morgan said once, adding, “I have zero tolerance for rude and vulgar behavior and almost everyone knows this. You treat people decent, respectful, and [have] respect for the bar and have some manners. One of our mottos at Giddy Ups: ‘No Whining.’ We do charge a $5 fine for whining.”

Unlike many other business owners, Morgan welcomed Austin’s growth and redevelopment. “Hey, we got a newbie,” she’d say to new patrons.

But more than anything it’s the regulars who make Giddy Ups what it is night after night after night. Former Austinite and Americana singer-songwriter Billy Eli, who now lives in Massachusetts, considers the place “our home base for five or six years.” He adds, “My quote was always, ‘It’s the best damn beer joint in the known universe.’”

“She was a real sweetie,” Eli says of Morgan. “She was one of the easiest club owners to work for and with. We never had an issue with her on money or on anything. It was like hanging out at your friend’s house if she had a big garage.”

Despite encroaching development, the future looks bright as little has changed – inside the building anyway – for Giddy Ups. Morgan’s son, Michael Morgan, owns the business and patrons can look forward to more nights wearing out their boots on that old dance floor.

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The Nancy M. Morgan Celebration of Life takes place this Friday, Jan. 26, through Sunday, Jan. 28, at “the biggest little stage in South Austin.” The party gathers over 30 of Morgan’s favorite acts including Mike Morgan, the Wild Healers, Kathy & the Kilowatts, and the Pearl Snaps. Friday kicks off at 7:30pm, while the weekend dates start at 3pm.