THE ORIGINAL STUBB'S BAR-B-Q

Stubb was honorably discharged from the Army in 1967 with a Purple Heart and returned to Lubbock. His health didn’t allow strenuous work, so he went to work in local restaurants and hotels. "I found nowhere did they have the kind of barbecue I could cook. I guess [what was lacking] was spirit and love and happiness and smiles. When I smell barbecue . . . I want to smell something that makes me feel better than I already feel." Stubb found a mentor in West Texas barbecue legend, Amos Gamel. He taught his young apprentice the secrets of smoking the meat to unlock its flavor, as well as the importance of a complimentary sauce. Stubb said that he could smell Amos’ barbecue from five miles away. The smoky aroma would bring a smile to his face every time because he knew he was coming home to the barbecue pit. As he learned the secrets of great barbecue, Stubb would say, "I was born hungry and someday I’m going to feed the world."

Unhappy with barbecue that didn’t meet his standards, Stubb opened his own restaurant in Lubbock. In 1968, Stubb opened his first restaurant in a ramshackle, white stucco building that only held 75 people. Perhaps remembering how food and music brought people together at his father’s revivals, Stubb filled an old jukebox in the corner with blues. For Stubb, music and barbecue were entwined for a unique, dining experience. Stubb perfected his art and began filling plates with the best barbecue around. One afternoon in Lubbock, Stubb picked up a young hitchhiker, who he would later know as Jesse "Guitar" Taylor, and took him to Stubb’s Barbecue. Jesse, having often passed Stubb’s restaurant, asked whether the owner would mind if he came in. Stubb replied, "I am the owner. It’s open to everybody!" Thus began a great friendship that united live music and Stubb’s Barbecue. Jesse invited his musician friends to Stubb’s for a Sunday Night Jam. It was the birth of a musical scene for Texas music.