Rosa's Cantina - El Paso, Texas
Several years ago I learned of the curious connection between Rosa's Cantina, Country and Western singer Marty Robbins and his 1959 smash hit "El Paso." The cantina plays a prominent role in the song to say the least.
Rosa's is located at 3454 Doniphan Drive in East El Paso.
"Rosa's was opened post-prohibition in the early-1940s under a different name: Los Tigres. Then in 1957 the owner, Beto Zubia changed the name to "Rosa's Cantina" for reasons still a bit unclear (rumors swirl about an affair with a waitress named Rosa, but nobody's going on record).
Up until this time the bar/cantina really wasn't that noteworthy. It was a neighborhood hangout that served the workers from the nearby smelters -- in fact this part of El Paso was referred to as "Smeltertown."
But then, according to legend, a tired Marty Robbins needed a break from his long drive between Nashville and Phoenix. He stopped in front of the small saloon, which was closed at the time and got out of his car. As he stretched his legs he reportedly looked through the windows, surveyed the surrounding area (the "badlands" of New Mexico are seen in the distance from Rosa's front door) and then finally got back on the road. By the time he and his band had arrived in Phoenix the ballad was complete.
Was Rosa's Cantina the catalyst for the song or merely a character that fit into the song he was already writing? We'll never know."
"Night time would find me at Rosa's Cantina..."
Info from a 2013/2017 Huffington Post article by Clint Lanier with Derek Hambree.
Rosa's Cantina - El Paso, Texas
Several years ago I learned of the curious connection between Rosa's Cantina, Country and Western singer Marty Robbins and his 1959 smash hit "El Paso." The cantina plays a prominent role in the song to say the least.
Rosa's is located at 3454 Doniphan Drive in East El Paso.
"Rosa's was opened post-prohibition in the early-1940s under a different name: Los Tigres. Then in 1957 the owner, Beto Zubia changed the name to "Rosa's Cantina" for reasons still a bit unclear (rumors swirl about an affair with a waitress named Rosa, but nobody's going on record).
Up until this time the bar/cantina really wasn't that noteworthy. It was a neighborhood hangout that served the workers from the nearby smelters -- in fact this part of El Paso was referred to as "Smeltertown."
But then, according to legend, a tired Marty Robbins needed a break from his long drive between Nashville and Phoenix. He stopped in front of the small saloon, which was closed at the time and got out of his car. As he stretched his legs he reportedly looked through the windows, surveyed the surrounding area (the "badlands" of New Mexico are seen in the distance from Rosa's front door) and then finally got back on the road. By the time he and his band had arrived in Phoenix the ballad was complete.
Was Rosa's Cantina the catalyst for the song or merely a character that fit into the song he was already writing? We'll never know."
"Night time would find me at Rosa's Cantina..."
Info from a 2013/2017 Huffington Post article by Clint Lanier with Derek Hambree.