Photos: Tulsa Honors Jim Halsey With Street Naming Between Cain's Ballroom and OKPOP Museum

Legendary music manager and impresario Jim Halsey was honored Thursday, Oct. 15, as Tulsa unveiled Jim Halsey Way, an honorary designation for a section of West Easton Street between historic Cain's Ballroom and the OKPOP Museum in the Tulsa Arts District.

The celebration began at noon with a ceremony inside OKPOP Museum, held beneath the restored Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys tour bus, followed by the outdoor unveiling of the new street sign at the corner of North Main Street and West Easton Street. Halsey was joined by members of The Oak Ridge Boys, the Jim Halsey Street Naming Committee, music industry colleagues, friends and fans.

'I am so honored, and to have a street named after me right in front of historic Cain's Ballroom and right next to OKPOP Museum is more than I could have ever imagined,' Halsey said. In his remarks, he thanked God, his family and the many artists he has worked with throughout his career.

The Oak Ridge Boys' Duane Allen and William Lee Golden both spoke at the ceremony. Halsey has managed the group for more than 50 years and continues to manage it today.

'Jim Halsey began managing The Oak Ridge Boys over 50 years ago. He has guided us from small streets to larger streets, to the multi-lane interstate streets, to around the world. To be present when a street is named in his honor is a very fulfilling experience for me,' Allen said.

'He got our first recording contract to do a country album, and he's got every contract that we've had since then,' Golden said.

Allen also recalled the group's 1976 tour of the Soviet Union with Roy Clark, organized by Halsey as part of the U.S. State Department's cultural exchange program, with concerts in Riga and Moscow. 'We never saw an empty seat,' Allen said. Fifty years later, Jim Halsey Way honors that global reach in the city Halsey has called home since 1971.

Halsey founded the Jim Halsey Company in Independence, Kansas, in 1951, with legendary country singer Hank Thompson as his first client, and moved his base of operations to Tulsa in 1971. Over the decades, he has managed and booked some of music's most recognizable stars, including Roy Clark, Waylon Jennings, Merle Haggard, James Brown, Reba McEntire, Tammy Wynette, Clint Black, Minnie Pearl, Don Williams, The Judds, Lee Greenwood and Mel Tillis. He also worked closely with Tulsa music legend Leon Russell, whose Church Studio, just a few miles from the new street, helped establish Tulsa as a major center of American music.

Halsey is credited with being one of the first to present country music at Carnegie Hall, Madison Square Garden and Radio City Music Hall, and bringing country artists to the Las Vegas Strip. His honors include induction into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame in 2015 and the International Entertainment Buyers Association Hall of Fame. In June 2026, the Country Music Association presented him with the CMA Touring Lifetime Achievement Award at the 20th annual CMA Touring Awards in Nashville.

Jim Halsey Way is the result of a yearlong effort by the Jim Halsey Street Naming Committee: Ken Busby, Carol Matza, David Webb, Tony Winters and Larry Shaeffer, all Tulsa-area music professionals inspired by Halsey's contributions to the music industry.

'To recognize music legend and impresario Jim Halsey with a street named in his honor is a perfect tribute to a stellar career. Jim has helped make countless stars and solidified Tulsa as a true music capital. And to name a street across from Cain's Ballroom is the ultimate tribute to an amazing legacy,' said Busby, executive director and CEO of the Route 66 Alliance.

Halsey closed his remarks with a reflection on the city he has helped put on the music map.

'This is a city of energy, and that's what I have lived for my entire life is taking the energy that is there for us, that we can work with, build things, help other people, help other items of commerce and spiritual values, and build ourselves,' Halsey said.

About The Oak Ridge Boys

The Oak Ridge Boys are members of the Country Music Hall of Fame, the Grand Ole Opry, the Gospel Music Hall of Fame and the Vocal Group Hall of Fame. Five-time GRAMMY Award winners and winners of ACM, CMA, Dove and Billboard awards, the group has earned 12 gold, three platinum and one double-platinum album, more than a dozen national No. 1 singles and over 30 Top 10 hits. Their new album Buried Treasures is available October 30th from Lightning Rod Records.

Photo Credit: Earl Morse