Although its youth culture was far more imitative than innovative, Dallas in the 1960s was still a pretty groovy place for members of the Baby Boom generation, who were then in their teens and early twenties. Reflecting popular trends that emerged first in Los Angeles and San Francisco on the West Coast, New York on the East Coast, and across the Atlantic in "Swinging London," Dallas had its fair share of cool cats, groovy chicks, far-out night clubs, and (to quote Austin Powers), "swinging shindigs."

The author, age 17, with "Beatle haircut" and groovy Madras plaid shirt, 1966

Near the beginning of the decade, young Dallasites (and their neighboring suburban counterparts), seemed determined to turn the area into a landlocked version of Southern California. And why not? The metroplex (as it was not yet being called) already had its own version of Disneyland, namely Six Flags Over Texas. On Friday and Saturday nights there were innumerable places around the city and its suburbs that closely resembled a scene from "The Hollywood Knights" or "American Graffiti," with carloads of kids CRUISING up and down some the street, pulling into and out of the local drive-in hamburger stand, looking for a good time. Read more...

Young Dallasites looking for a good time could also tune in their TVs to "SUMP'N ELSE" the area's very own local version of Dick Clark's "American Bandstand," or go down to the remote studio at NorthPark and participate. Featuring local radio personality Ron Chapman, "Sump'n Else" debuted in September 1965 on WFAA-Channel 8 and aired every weekday afternoon until January 1968. Read more...

The local music scene also included innumerable "GARAGE BANDS," most of who probably dreamed of being the next Beatles. Certainly many of them resembled the "Fab Four," with their long hair, matching suits, and lineup of three guitars and drums. The majority settled for playing cover versions of Top 40 hit singles at local teen club dances but a handful actually cut a record and got some airplay on the local radio stations - KLIF and KBOX. An even smaller number had a national hit. Read more...

In the case of some of those aspiring musicians, their trademark LONG HAIR got them into trouble at school. Most ended up giving in to the stringent haircut regulations then in force, but in 1966 there were two cases, one in Carrollton and one in Dallas, where the guys decided to fight back. One case even made it all the way to the Supreme Court. Read more...

Of course there were CONCERTS galore. The Beatles appeared, just once, in 1964, but over the years other bands followed: The Dave Clark Five, The Beach Boys, Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix, the Doors, and many others. Popular venues were Memorial Auditorium, the State Fair Music Hall, McFarlin Auditorium, and Moody Coliseum. Read more...

The Dallas area even had its own version of Woodstock, namely the TEXAS INTERNATIONAL POP FESTIVAL, which TIME magazine labeled a "Son of Bethel." Occuring on Labor Day weekend 1969 near Lewisville, the event featured many of the same musicians who performed at Woodstock, as well as Ken Kesey and the Merry Pranksters, and Wavy Gravy and the Hog Farmers. Far out, man! Read more...

And what would the Sixties be without HIPPIES? Dallas had them too. Their favorite hangouts were the Stone Place pedestrian mall in Downtown Dallas and Lee Park, where a so-called "riot" occurred in April 1970, when about 200 longhairs clashed with police, who tried to stop people swimming in Turtle Creek. Read more...

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