Hank & Audrey Williams with The Drifting Cowboys
Hank Williams was a star. He admired Ernest Tubb, especially Tubbs' Cowboy boots. Hank had the money and could make the time and he told Tubb that he wanted some Cowboy boots like his. Tubb loved Dixon’s Cowboy boots... wore them all the time. Tubb replied that Hank was welcome to come with him when Tubb picked up his new custom boots in Witchita Falls.
Ernest and Hank walked into Dixon’s Boots on a fine Saturday morning. Saturdays’ were busy days at Dixon’s. That was the day cowboys, ranchers and their families came to town. Hank was excited, he started going through boxes of boots like a child on Christmas morning. Cowboy Boots and empty boxes were scattered all over the shop.
Downtown Saturday Afternoon ShowAndy Dixon, a man known to have a short fuse, was getting irritated by the mess Hank was making. He told Tubb he’d best “reel that little Alabama roughneck in before I do.”
“That boy never had two nickels to rub together but all of his pockets are filled with cash today. And he’s going to spend it on Dixon's boots.” was all Tubbs had to say.
Andy managed to rein in his anger. Hank bought the best Cowboy boots Dixon’s had that day... and kept coming back for more.
Honky Tonking in his Dixon's BootsHere’s a pair of PeeWee style Dixon’s Cowboy Boots made when Hank Williams and a host of other Grand Ole Opry stars bought their Cowboy boots from Dixon’s.
The boots are still with us.
There's more about the Dixon boys and their boots in these archived posts. 9.08.07: Dixon's Boots and 8.10.07: Andy & Noble Dixon.
Photography: J. Davis
Posts
Glad to see your article. This is a nice pair of peewee Dixons with Christmas tree stitching and what looks like a quarter box toe. My first pair were measured & made to order with 16" green stovepipe tops with inlaid white spread eagles and red vamps with black eagle wing tips, 1/4 box toe and flat long base shoe heel - cost $75 in early 50's. I later had these revamped with navy blue rough out. The next pair I had made were 17" top color blocks (before anyone knew what color block was). Tops were turqoise back, pink front with front vamp of red calf and heel counter of gray. Hollywood, or needle toe and again the shoe heel (which was all I wore). These then were revamped with a tan vamp and 1/4 box toe. No one made a better looking l/4 box toe than Dixon. I was also quite amazed that you mentioned Wes-Tex Boot Company which was partially or possibley wholely owned by Bing Crosby. The girl I was dating at the time had one or two pair of Wes-Tex boots as her mother worked for them.
ReplyDeleteI'm pretty sure that Andy and Noble came to Wichita Falls from Ardmore Oklahoma. I know I was in Ardmore for a rodeo one time & looked in the windwow of a bootmaker downtown that had boots in the window that certainly looked like their 1/4 box toes. Someone told me at the time the shop was owned by their father.
Thanks so much for your research and sharing your information.
sacnotfull@hotmail.com
I believe I saw a pair of Dixon's Boots at Kimmel Boots in Comanche Texas. The box toe will always be my favorite. It sure beats that dumb looking super wide toe everyone is wearing now.
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