TULSA, Okla. — It started as a garage for Tate Brady’s collection of cars back in 1924. Many years later, it became a dance academy that offered “dime a dance” lessons.

Now, Cain’s Ballroom is a world-famous music and event venue that many artists consider a “must have” in their musical tool-belt. Cain’s just received quite an honor.

Since Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys first wowed Tulsa audiences back in the late 1930s and early 40s from the legendary stage and dance floor, Cain’s Ballroom has been a venue that most up-and-coming artists want to play.

“We always catch a lot of the ones that are blowing up. Two years ago, we had Lainey Wilson, who’s now one of the biggest country artists out there and we’ve had Zack Bryan,” said Chad Rodgers, co-owner and general manager of Cain’s Ballroom.

Rodgers also realizes that well-established artists love it here too and not just country singers.

“The Sex Pistols played here, Tom Petty played here, U2 played here, I mean, Buddy Guy, BB King, all these, you know, different genres,” Rodgers said.

While Cain’s Ballroom is an artist and a fan favorite, it also has caught the eye of the Academy of Country Music. Just last week, it was nominated once again for an ACM Award for “Club of the Year.”

“We’re ecstatic about the news. In 2022, was our first nomination. We didn’t win, but to wake up and get the news that we’ve been nominated a second time, for this year, we’re really excited,” said Rodgers. “Lots of congratulatory texts and messages and it was a real honor.”

Cain’s celebrated their centennial last year with a slew of special shows and performances, many of them coordinated by the artists themselves, purely out of love for the venue.

“We had a special pop-up show with Jack White, which is, he’s our number one fan. He said that Cain’s is his favorite place to play in the entire world. So, he did a show here last fall. We did one night with Robert Plant and Alison Krauss, they kicked off their world tour here, so that was a real honor,” Rodgers said.

Just two weeks ago, they were lucky enough to bring in a few fairly famous folks, who hand-picked Tulsa for the taping of a new television series.

“Being a part of that road show that Taylor Sheridan and Blake Shelton put together, we just had Keith Urban perform here at, they told us they chose this location. That Cain’s was their number one venue to choose on this tour that they’re doing,” Rodgers said.

That brings notoriety and, ultimately, revenue to Tulsa. Whether they win or don’t win that ACM Award, Rodgers said it’s truly an honor to be nominated and they never take it lightly.

“Since my family and I bought this place in ‘02, we’ve always kind of known that we are the custodians of this amazing venue,” Rodgers said.

Chad said that they plan on taking Cain’s Ballroom well into the future. In fact, they just announced yesterday that Wiz Khalifa will be performing there on June 1.