Sondra Hernandez Staff writer April 12, 2025

Two Montgomery County sisters — one with a passion for music and gourmet bites, the other a diehard sports fan — have joined forces to refresh a longtime Conroe hangout. 

Debbie Glenn-Cross, who owns 13-year-old The Red Brick Tavern in downtown Conroe, teamed up with her sister, Lisa Wong, to open blues bar Lucy Blues in the spot of the former Tuts bar at 711 Madeley Street in downtown Conroe. 

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Lucy Blues opened in early March and is now open daily from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., pairing soulful sounds with the latest sports action on multiple big screen TVs. The spot has patio seating and an outdoor bar with large TVs is in the works. 

Tuts owner Charles Tullos approached Glenn and asked her to consider doing something with the bar which was vacant after the closing of Leftys in 2024. 

“I feel like Charles is one of the OGs of music in Conroe and I wanted to celebrate someone like him and like Jay Ross (Martin III) who had a vision for music in Conroe before it was a thing,” Glenn-Cross said. “They’re the ones who brought music to Conroe way back in the day.”

Tullos founded Tuts in April 1983 to bring live blues music to Conroe. He and Martin were also among the organizers of the still running Conroe Cajun Catfish Festival in downtown Conroe. 

He said at the time if you wanted to hear live music in Conroe, the only option was country music, noting that he’s a country music fan too.

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One of his claims to fame was he said he sold the cheapest beer in town, even cheaper than the VFW. The venue has hosted R&B singer Miss Molly, Ezra Charles, Burt Wills, Trudy Lynn, rock favorites like the Dr. Hook band, The Coasters, Rick Derringer and guitar great Milton Hopkins from Houston. 

Tullos said the old tin building on Madeley is full of three and a half decades of memories while preparing for TUTS 35th anniversary in 2018. 

When Glenn-Cross mentioned the new project to her sister, Lisa, she suggested they tackle the revamp together. 

“What’s fun is I’m the music person and she’s the sports person. She’s so creative and an absolute delight,” Glenn-Cross said. “It has a great vibe and a cool spirit. It’s just fun to hang out here.” 

Before it was Tuts it was a metal shop near downtown Conroe, she said. 

The first concert at Lucy Blues was from Galveston blues guitarist Hamilton Loomis who played there when it was still Tuts years ago. 

Lucy is for the name of B.B. King’s guitar “Lucille,” she said. Lucy is also the name of the guitar that Eric Clapton gave to George Harrison of the Beatles. 

The menu includes fun bar bites with familiar favorites from Red Brick Tavern along with some twists like Elvis’ banana, bacon, honey and peanut butter sandwich. 

“I’m grateful for this opportunity because they’re not making anymore dirt in Conroe and this is such a great location and an iconic place,” Glenn-Cross said. “It feels great to come back and give it a bit of a shine.” 

Up next the all-female Country trio The Heels will perform at Lucy Blues at 9:30 p.m. April 18. 

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