He also owned and ran the Longhorn Ballroom, an iconic country western dance hall in Dallas, Texas.
The Longhorn nearly became the site for the filming of Urban Cowboy, but Gilley's with its larger space became the final choice.
[1] As a country music artist who played guitar and bass, he had worked with Howdy Forrester and Georgia Slim.
[2] In 1949, he and his band had a single "Can't Win For Losing You" bw "Butane Blues" released on the Imperial label.
[3][4] In 1960, he acquired the Longhorn Records label which had releases by Clay Allen and Billy Gray.