To Do: Help Angela at the Stag’s Head

If you ever dug the scene at The Ale House, you probably know or have seen Angela Mullan Jenkins. An Irish immigrant with a penchant for having a damn good time, she came to Houston in 1980 and began her long association with British Investments as a waitress at the Richmond Arms about the time Rod Stewart’s “Maggie Mae” became the unofficial British national anthem. From there she moved to The Ale House on West Alabama, where she developed one of the hippest music venues in town.

She was the first person I knew who knew who U2 was – and she introduced me to the Pogues. She turned the Ale House into a jumping joint that was instrumental in the whole underground rock scene in Houston from the late-70s until it shut its doors in 2001. The True Believers slept on her floor more than once, and she opened her stage to upstarts like Jesse Dayton’s Alamo Jets. She was that kind of cool.

She’s been a cancer survivor for some years, but her nemesis has returned and, like so many in the bar and entertainment business, she doesn’t have enough insurance. The Stag’s Head will be having a Help Angela party Saturday May 3 from 4 to 6 p.m. with live music and free crawfish. Cactus Music and the Mucky Duck have contributed generously to the over 75 items that have been donated for an auction, which will begin at 5:45 p.m.. From 4 to 6 pm, all liquor sales and tips will go Mrs. Jenkins to help defray her medical expenses.

Never one to get in the spotlight, Jenkins has quietly done untold good for the local music scene over the years. Now it’s our turn to rock her world. – William Michael Smith

Tax deductible donations can be dropped off at the Stag’s Head. Checks should be made payable to Angela Mullan Jenkins Medical Fund.