Uploaded January 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Across Texas, historic dance halls and taverns are quietly disappearing. But in the Hill Country, one musician decided this one mattered too much to lose.
When Robin Ludwig bought the Devil’s Backbone Tavern, she didn’t see just a bar, she saw a piece of Texas culture worth protecting. Opened in 1937, and serving as a gathering place even earlier, the Backbone has long been a place where music, stories, and community meet on equal ground.
Once home to a tight-knit, welcoming crowd under the watchful eye of longtime owner Evelyn Cabina, the tavern had fallen quiet. Robin stepped in not to reinvent it, but to steward it. To honor the dance hall, the jukebox, the families, and the idea that places like this only survive if someone chooses to care.
Today, the Devil’s Backbone is alive again. Kids are two-stepping. Crock pots appear on free show Sundays. Live music fills the room. And everyone who walks through the door is treated the same, just like it always was.
This Texas Country Reporter story is about community, preservation, and the belief that if you want to change the world, you start by saving the places that bring people together.
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Texas Country Reporter
Episode #: 1967
Original air date: 5-10-2025
Across Texas, historic dance halls and taverns are quietly disappearing. But in the Hill Country, one musician decided this one mattered too much to lose.
When Robin Ludwig bought the Devil’s Backbone Tavern, she didn’t see just a bar, she saw a piece of Texas culture worth protecting. Opened in 1937, and serving as a gathering place even earlier, the Backbone has long been a place where music, stories, and community meet on equal ground.
Once home to a tight-knit, welcoming crowd under the watchful eye of longtime owner Evelyn Cabina, the tavern had fallen quiet. Robin stepped in not to reinvent it, but to steward it. To honor the dance hall, the jukebox, the families, and the idea that places like this only survive if someone chooses to care.
Today, the Devil’s Backbone is alive again. Kids are two-stepping. Crock pots appear on free show Sundays. Live music fills the room. And everyone who walks through the door is treated the same, just like it always was.
This Texas Country Reporter story is about community, preservation, and the belief that if you want to change the world, you start by saving the places that bring people together.
Tik Tok ► vm.tiktok.com/ZMR7EpeVw
Facebook ► facebook.com/TexasCountryReporter
Instagram ► instagram.com/texascountryreporter
Texas Country Reporter
Episode #: 1967
Original air date: 5-10-2025
