It's the story of a bartender who’s seen it all: 60 years of bulls, ballgames and big names.
Eighty-four-year-old Robert Payne has served up cocktails for most of his life at Houston's biggest events.
“I worked every day of every year since '57," Payne said.
Since 1957, Payne has been the man behind the bar inside the luxury suites at RodeoHouston.
“So it’s been fun, and I've grown with it, up to as old as I am now," Payne said.
If you haven’t done the math, that’s sixty years of serving up cocktails to some of the biggest names in the country.
“George Strait drank Cokes, that’s all i served him was a big Coke," Payne said.
He's met and mixed with music legends like Strait, Elvis Presley and Garth Brooks. Payne shook hands with Roy Rogers and hugged Selena.
But when the rodeo is not in season, you can find that 84-year-old mixing up juices inside the Juice Box. He's bartended at every single home game since before the Astros were even the Astros.
When the Astros aren't playing, he's pouring drinks at Texans games.
“A lot of fun for me and very experiencing," Payne said.
And Payne’s backstage pass goes beyond athletes and performers.
“Kennedy had red wine. Cabernet Sauvignon," Payne said.
He brought red wine to John F. Kennedy the day before the president was assassinated.
“He came to Houston first, and then he went to Dallas. And they had a big dinner for him, and speeches so I served him at the table. I had a chance to shake his hand," Payne said.
Payne likes to joke that he only works because he likes to eat, but he doesn’t really need to.
“I could sit there, and wave at the cars and wait for the mailman, because I'm getting my retirement. I’m getting my social security. I’m getting all of that, but I have to stay busy," Payne said.
He retired from the VA Medical Center after 30 years as a kinesiology therapist. He only bartends now because, why not!?
“I keep moving. I probably would die of boredom if I stayed in this big old house," Payne said.