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| By Victor R. Martinez El Paso Times The X Marks It' Spot! Ted Aikman is -- in this words -- too old and too lazy to go out and get a real job. And for that, thousands of lawyers, doctors, college professors, bikers, sports fans and college students are grateful. "Don't worry," said Aikman, the owner of King's X, one of El Paso's most popular hand-outs, "I'll be doing this for a while." King's X, at 4119 N. Mesa, is celebrating its 40th anniversary with Party on the Pavement 6 on June 7. Eleven bands, including the Hitmen, Lowdog, the Happiness and Thieves of Always will perform starting 2 p.m. The last band will take the stage at 12:30 a.m. Vendors will sell jewelry, American Indian art, handmade soap and other items during the celebration. King's X does not discriminate. It's clientele is a random as any club in El Paso. Lawyers have spilled beer on the red and black carpet just as many times as painter have. "I think it's because of our longevity," Aikman said. "People come in and everybody gets a good drink at a fair price. Everybody gets along. You have doctors sitting with bikers, and you have lawyers sitting with plumbers. You don't have to put on airs." King's X does not attract the pretentious crowd. It is what it is, a neighborhood pub laid-back |
| Pittsburgh Sleelers fan club. It has been that way since Aikman's parents opened the bar in 1963. Like many customers such as Mark Upton, the King's X will always have a special place in his gut -- from all the beer and chimichangas. class to get good food with a nice cold beer," said Upton, a former El Pasoan living in Indianapolis. "We don't have anything like this in Indianapolis, so it's always nice to come home to something special like this. Kitchen, which has shared a separate space in the building for 20 years. Aikman, 44, has been cleaning barstools and picking up moist coasters since he was 14, when the X was known as the World King's Club. His parents changed the name to King's X in 1971. "We lived in a two-story home growing up on Arizona Street," Aikman said. "The master bedroom was downstairs and when my three brothers would fight, we would run downstairs. My dad would say, "There is no fighting down here, this is King's X,' which means time out." It continues to have the same meaning at the bar. "It is kind of a time out from work and stress," Aikman said. "Everyone has some fun and there is definitely no fighting allowed." By Victor R Martinez El Paso Times |
The King of Bars When we walk in, the jukebox blasts us with rap, music from the 90s -- just a little loud, just a tad pungent. We are surrounded by big-screen tv's showing the American League sound for the music. The crowd is light to moderate: people in their 20s, 30s, 40s. Then the music mellows. The Doors. Then later, "Mustang Sally." My buddy, David, gets up and walks toward the jukebox. He wants to see if this is the original version by Wilson Picket. But it ends suddenly, and we get the crowd noise and the announcer's voice from the baseball game. We are sitting in Lucy's Mexican Kitchen which opens directly into the King's X Cocktail Bar, located at 4119 North Mesa, waiting for some chicken enchiladas. The King's X is 34-years old this year, and like most women at 34, she is mature, she is discreet, she has staying power. The King's X is the oldest bar in El Paso -- operating in the same place, under the same name and under continuous ownership in four consecutive decades. But it has gone through many changes. Before Lucy leased the space next door fifteen years ago, Nolan Richardson and his wife ran a barbecue concession in the club while Richardson was coaching at Bowie High School. Before that, in the late 60s, Scotty's Barbecue shared the building with King's X. It was definitely the best Barbecue in town at the time. But Scotty's lit up one day from a greese fire, causing extensive smoke and water damage to the King's X. It had to close down for a few months for repairs. In the 60s, too, the X was swinging to the live jazz of legendary El Paso sax man, Art Lewis and friends. In the early 70s, Lewis was joined by the only musician in the area who could play mo' bettah blues than him, Long John Hunter. Fresh from his long stand at The Lobby in Juarez, Hunter held the gig with Lewis at the club for several years. In the 80s, the club switched to rock 'n' roll for a while, then tried country and western. Finally, they gave up on live music, altogether. "It just got too expensive to pay live bands," said Ted Aikman, son of the original owner. "So |
| Aikman said. as I do my customers." Over the years, the King's X has witnessed its share of dramatic episodes. A one-time patron occurred when he and two friends were awaiting the birth of a baby in 1971. "Fred and Jake and I were sitting in the King's X swilling down pitchers of cold, draft beer. Word finally had delivered a boy, and we were all really excited. "Jake was so happy that he raced outside, fired up his motorcycle and rode it right through the bar." The King's X was originally an Italian restaurant. It was taken over in 1963 and remodeled by Gil Aikman, Ted's Father. During it's long life, the club has been no stranger to celebrities. Pool master Willie Mosconi, himself, once ran the balls on the pool tables at the rear of the bar. Many of the supporting cast from the film The Border visited when the movie was being filmed nearby. The King's X hosts several special promotions each year. During the "Deck the X" party, about two weeks before Christmas, free drinks are served for an hour to anyone willing to help decorate the place for the holidays. Often there are parties and special events during the World Series. But no more Halloween parties. Ten or twelve years ago they had one. After the place closed, a guy dressed up like Clint Eastwood shot and killed Dracula in the parking lot. So now the girls who work there are trained to intervene whenever customers show signs of getting belligerent. "We like for people to feel safe and comfortable here," Ted Aikman said. "Good drinks and good service at fair prices is what we strive for." With five big-screen TV's scattered around, some might say the King's X is a wannabee sports bar. It is home to El Paso's Pittsburgh Steelers fans. They show college games on Saturdays and the NFL on Sundays. "My busy days are holidays for everybody else," Aikman said. By Burns Taylor |
| THE KINGS OF BARS |
| 2003 The King's X Celebrating 40 Years Anniversary |
| 2003 The King's X Celebrating 40 Years Anniversary |