ROOTS of Country Music

The Professional Work of Bob Wills

(Mar. 6, 1905 – May 13, 1975)

Career Highlights

Barn Dance Affiliate

Cains Ballroom, KVOO Tulsa (1934-1958)

Stage Name: King of Western Swing

Band Names:

• Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys
• Bob Wills & His Playboys -1933
• Light Crust Doughboys
• Wills Fiddle Band

Film, Night Club, Radio & TV

• Blazing the Western Trail, 1
• Ernest Tubb’s  Midnight Jamboree, 3
• Go West, Young Lady, 1
• The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour, 4
• The Johnny cash Show, 4

 1-Film, 2-Night Club, 3-Radio, 4-TV 

Billboard Chart Data 

• No. 1 Singles: 6
• Top-10 Singles: 23
• Crossover Singles: 4
• Charted Singles: 26
• Chart Years Active: (1944-1960)

Awards

Country Music Association

Country Music Hall of Fame -1968

Nashville Songwriters Association

• Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame -1970

Academy of Country and Western Music

• Pioneer Award -1969

Other

• Gold record: New San Antonio Rose-1940

Career Labels:

• Vocalian (1935-1941)
• Columbia Records (1935-1947)
• Tiffany Music Corporation (1946-1948)
• Okeh Records (1941-1945)
• MGM Records (1948-1950)
• Liberty (1960-1961)

Billboard Top-10 Singles

1. New San Antonio Rose, 1 -1944
2. We Might as Well Forget It, 1
3. You're From Texas, 1
4. Smoke on the Water*1 -1945
5. "Hang Your Head in Shame, 1
6. Stars and Stripes on Iwo Jima*1
7. You Don't Care What Happens to Me, 1
8. Texas Playboy Rag, 1
9. Silver Dew on the Blue Grass Tonight*, 2
10. White Cross on Okinawa*2
11. New Spanish Two Step*#2 -1946
12. Roly Poly, 2
13. Stay a Little Longer, 2
14. I Can't Go on This Way, 2
15. I'm Gonna Be Boss from Now On, 2 -1947
16. Sugar Moon*2
17. Bob Wills Boogie, 2 
18. Bubbles In My Beer, 3 -1948
19. Keeper of My Heart, 3
20. Thorn In My Heart, 3
21. Ida Red Likes the Boogie, 3 -1950
22. Faded Love, 3
23. Heart To Heart Talk, 4 -1960 

*-No. 1 Chart Single

#-2nd Biggest Single In Country Music 1946

1-Okeh Records

2-Columbia Records

3-MGM Records

4-Liberty Records

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Bob Wills Filmography

1. Take Me Back To Oklahoma ~ Nov. 11, 1940
2. Melody Ranch ~ Nov. 15, 1940
3. Go West, Young Lady ~ Nov. 27, 1941
4. The Lone Prairie ~ Oct. 15, 1942
5. A Tornado in the Saddle ~ Dec 15, 1942
6. Riders of the Northwest Mounted ~ Feb. 15, 1943
7. Saddle and Sagebrush ~ Apr. 27, 1942
8. Silver City Raiders ~ Sep. 10, 1943
9. The Vigilantes Ride ~ Dec. 23, 1943
10. Wyoming Hurricane ~ Apr. 20, 1944
11. The Last Horseman Jun. 22, 1944
12. Bob Willis and His Texas Playboys ~ Oct. 7, 1944
13. Rhythm Round-Up Sep 7, 1945
14. Blazing the Western Trail ~ Sep. 18, 1945
15. Lawless Empire ~ Nov. 15, 1945
16. Frontier Frolics ~ Aug. 14, 1946

(Ken Curtis with Cheryl Walker)

------------------------------------ --------------------------------------------------------------------Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys Studio Sessions (1929-1950)

Jim Bob Wills & Herman Arnspiger
Nov. 1, 1929

KRDL Studio, Adolphus Hotel, Dallas, Texas USA

Session Personnel: James Robert "Bob" Wills (fiddle), Herman Arnspiger (guitar)

1. Gulf Coast Blues
2. Wills Breakdown

Fort Worth Doughboys
Feb. 9, 1932

Jefferson Hotel, Fort Worth, Texas USA

Session Personnel: Milton Brown (vocal), Durwood Brown (guitar), C.G. "Sleepy" Johnson (tenor guitar), James Robert "Bob" Wills (fiddle)

1. Sunbonnet Sue
2. Nancy Jane

Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys
Sep. 23, 1935

Brunswick Warehouse, 508 Park Avenue, Dallas, Texas USA

Session Personnel: James Robert "Bob" Wills (fiddle), Thomas Elmer "Tommy" Duncan (vocal), Herman Arnspiger (guitar), C.G. "Sleepy" Johnson (guitar), Johnnie Lee Wills (banjo), William Leon McAuliffe (lead guitar, steel guitar), Thomas C. "Son" Lansford (bass), William E. "Smokey" Dacus (drums), Jesse Thedford Ashlock (fiddle), Arthur D. "Art"  Haines (fiddle, troumbone), Ruth McMaster (fiddle)9, Alton Meeks "Al" Stricklin (piano), Robert "Zeb" McNally (alto saxaphone)

1. Osage Stomp
2. Get With It
3. I Can't Give You Anything But Love
4. Spanish Two Step
5. Maiden's Prayer
6. Wang Wang Blues
7. St. Louis Blues
8. Good Old Oklahoma
9. Blue River
10. Mexicali Rose
11. I Ain't Got Nobody
12. Never No More Blues

Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys
Sep. 24, 1935

Brunswick Warehouse, 508 Park Avenue, Dallas, Texas USA

Session Personnel: James Robert "Bob" Wills (fiddle), Thomas Elmer "Tommy" Duncan (vocal), Herman Arnspiger (guitar), C.G. "Sleepy" Johnson (guitar), Johnnie Lee Wills (banjo), William Leon McAuliffe (lead guitar, steel guitar), Thomas C. "Son" Lansford (bass), William E. "Smokey" Dacus (drums), Jesse Thedford Ashlock (fiddle), Arthur D. "Art" Haines (fiddle, troumbone), Alton Meeks "Al" Stricklin (piano), Robert "Zeb" McNally (saxaphone)

1. Who Walks In When I Walk Out
2. Old Fashioned Love
3. Oklahoma Rag
4. Black and Blue Rag
5. Sittin' On Top of the World
6. Four Or Five Times
7. I Can't Be Satisfied

Bob Wills & Sleepy Johnson
Sep. 25, 1935

Brunswick Warehouse, 508 Park Avenue, Dallas, Texas

Session Personnel: James Robert "Bob" Wills (fiddle), C.G. "Sleepy" Johnson (guitar)

1. Smith's Reel
2. Harmony
3. Tulsa Waltz
4. Waltz In D

Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys
Sep. 29, 1936

Warner Brothers Studio (Furniture Mart Building) Chicago, Illinois USA

Session Personnel: Bob Wills (fiddle, vocal), Tommy Duncan (vocal), Herman Arnspiger (guitar), C.G. "Sleepy" Johnson (guitar, fiddle), Johnnie Lee Wills (banjo), Leon McAuliffe (steel guitar, guitar), Joe Frank Ferguson (bass),  William E."Smokey" Dacus (drums), Jesse Ashlock (fiddle), Al Stricklin (piano), Ray DeGeer (saxaphone, clarinet), Robert "Zeb" McNally (saxaphone), Everett Stover (trumpet)

1. She's Killing Me
2. Weary of the Same Ol' Stuff
3. No Matter How She Done It
4. Bluin' the Blues
5. Steel Guitar Rag
6. Get Along Home Cindy
7. Trouble In Mind
8. What's the Matter With the Mill
9. Sugar Blues
10. Basin Street Blues
11. Red Hot Gal of Mine
12. Darktown Strutters Ball
13. Too Busy
14. Back Home In Indiana
15. Away Out There
16. Crippled Turkey

Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys, Dallas, Texas. Jun. 7,8,9, 1937

Session Personnel: Bob Wills (fiddle), Herman Arnspiger (guitar), C.G. "Sleepy" Johnson (guitar), Leon McAuliffe (steel guitar), Johnnie Lee Wills (banjo), Al Stricklin (piano), Jesse Ashlock (fiddle), Cecil Brower (fiddle), Robert "Zeb" McNally (saxaphone), Tiny Mott (saxaphone), Ray DeGeer (saxaphone, clarinet), Everett Stover (trumpet), William E. "Smokey" Dacus (drums)

Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys, Dallas, Texas. May 16, 1938

Session Personnel: Bob Wills (fiddle, vocal); Tommy Duncan (vocal); Eldon Shamblin (lead guitar); C.G. "Sleepy" Johnson (guitar); Johnnie Lee Wills (banjo); Leon McAuliffe (steel guitar); Joe Ferguson (bass); Al Stricklin (piano); Jesse Ashlock (fiddle); Charles Laughton (saxaphone, trumpet, clarinet); Robert "Zeb" McNally (saxaphone); Everett Stover (trumpet); William E. "Smokey" Dacus (drums)

Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys, Dallas, Texas, Nov. 28,29-30, 1938

Session Personnel: Bob Wills (fiddle); Tommy Duncan (vocal); Eldon Shamblin (lead guitar); Herman Arnspiger (guitar); C.G. "Sleepy" Johnson (guitar); Leon McAuliffe (steel guitar); Johnnie Lee Wills (banjo); Son Lansford (bass); Joe Ferguson (bass, saxaphone); Al Stricklin (piano); Tiny Mott (saxaphone); Robert "Zeb" McNally (saxaphone); Jesse Ashlock (fiddle); Everett Stover (trumpet); William E. "Smokey" Stover (drums)

Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys, Saginaw, Texas. Apr. 15-16,.1940

Session Personnel: Bob Wills (fiddle, vocal); Tommy Duncan (vocal); Eldon Shamblin (lead guitar); Herman Arnspiger (guitar); Leon McAuliffe (steel guitar); Johnnie Lee Wills (banjo); Son Lansford (bass); Al Stricklin (piano); Jesse Ashlock (fiddle); Louis Tierney (fiddle, saxaphone); Don Harlan (saxaphone); Tiny Mott (saxaphone); Robert "Zeb" McNally (saxaphone); poss Joe Ferguson (saxaphone); Wayne Johnson (saxaphone, clarinet); Tubby Lewis (trumpet); Everett Stover (trumpet); William E. "Smokey" Dacus (drums)

Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys, Dallas, Texas. Feb. 24-25, 1941

Session Personnel: Bob Wills (fiddle); Tommy Duncan (vocal); Eldon Shamblin (electric guitar); Leon McAuliffe (steel guitar); Son Lansford (bass); Al Stricklin (piano); Louis Tierney (fiddle); Don Harlan (clarinet); Wayne Johnson (saxaphone, clarinet); Robert "Zeb" McNally (saxaphone); Tubby Lewis (trumpet); Jamie McIntosh (trumpet); Gene Tomlins (drums)

Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys, Hollywood, California. Jul. 24, 1941

Session Personnel: Bob Wills (fiddle); Tommy Duncan (vocal); Eldon Shamblin (electric guitar); Leon McAuliffe (steel guitar); Darrell Jones (bass); Al Stricklin (piano); Jesse Ashlock (fiddle); Don Harlan (clarinet, saxaphone); Wayne Johnson (clarinet, saxaphone; poss Robert "Zeb" McNally (saxaphone); Louis Tierney (fiddle, saxaphone); Gene Tomlin (drums)

Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys, Hollywood, California. Jul. 14-15, 1942

Session Personnel: Bob Wills (fiddle, vocal); Leon Huff (guitar, vocal); Doyle Salathiel (electric guitar); Leon McAuliffe (steel guitar, vocal); Darrell Jones (bass); Morris Billington (piano); Joe Holley (fiddle); Louis Tierney (fiddle, saxaphone); Woodie Wood (clarinet, lnt, alto saxaphone); Benny Strickler (trumpet); Danny Alguire (trumpet, vocal); Alex Brashear (trumpet); Neil Duer (trombone); George Balay (clarinet, saxaphone); Don Harlan (clarinet); Bob Fitzgerald (drums)

Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys
Jan. 24, 1945

Columbia Studio; 6121 Sunset Boulevard, Hollywood, California USA

Session Personnel: Bob Wills (fiddle); Tommy Duncan (vocal); Cameron Hill (electric guitar); Jimmy Wyble (electric guitar); Noel Boggs (steel guitar); Ted Adams (bass); Monte Mountjoy (drums); Millard Kelso (piano); Alex Brashear (trumpet)

1. Hang Your Head In Shame
2. Smoke On the Water
3. Texas Playboy Rag
4. Bluer Than Blue
5. Roly Poly
6. Frankie Jean
7. You Don't Care What Happens to Me
8. Stay A Little Longer 

Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys
Jan. 26, 1945 

Columbia Studio; 6121 Sunset Boulevard, Hollywood, California USA 

Session Personnel: Bob Wills (fiddle); Tommy Duncan (vocal); Cameron Hill (electric guitar); Jimmy Wyble (electric guitar); Noel Boggs (steel guitar); Ted Adams (bass); Monte Mountjoy (drums); Millard Kelso (piano); Alex Brashear (trumpet)

• Hang Your Head In Shame
• Smoke On the Water
• Texas Playboy Rag
• Bluer Than Blue

Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys, Hollywood, California. Apr. 20, 1945

Session Personnel: Bob Wills (fiddle); Tommy Duncan (vocal); Cameron Hill (electric guitar); Jimmy Wyble (electric guitar); Noel Boggs (steel guitar); Ted Adams (bass); Millard Kelso (piano); Joe Holley (fiddle); Louis Tierney (fiddle);
Alex Brashear (trumpet); Monte Mountjoy (drums)

Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys, Hollywood, California. Oct. 3, 1945

Session Personnel: Bob Wills (fiddle); Tommy Duncan (vocal); Lester Barnard Jr (electric guitar); Harley Huggins (guitar, vocal); Les Anderson (steel guitar); Bill Mounce (banjo); Billy Jack Wills (bass); Millard Kelso (piano); Joe Holley (fiddle); Louis Tierney (fiddle); Alex Brashear (trumpet); Johnny Edwards (drums)

Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys, Universal Studio, San Fransisco, California. Mar. 25, 1946

Session Personnel: Bob Wills (fiddle, vocal); Dean McKinney (vocal); Evelyn McKinney (vocal); Lester Barnard Jr (electric guitar); Noel Boggs (steel guitar); Billy Jack Wills (bass); Millard Kelso (piano); Louis Tierney (fiddle, saxaphone); Joe Holley (fiddle); Alex Brashear (trumpet); Johnny Cuviello (drums)

Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys, Universal Studio, San Fransisco, California. Apr, 15, 1946

Session Personnel: Bob Wills (fiddle); Tommy Duncan (vocal); Dean McKinney (vocal); Evelyn McDaniel (vocal); Lester Barnard Jr (electric guitar); Noel Boggs (steel guitar); Billy Jack Wills (bass); Luke Wills (bass); Millard Kelso (piano); Joe Holley (fiddle); Louis Tierney (fiddle, saxaphone); Alex Brashear (trumpet); Johnny Cuviello (drums)

Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys, Universal Studio, San Fransisco, California. May, 13, 1946

Session Personnel: Bob Wills (fiddle, vocal); Tommy Duncan (vocal); Lester Barnard Jr (electric guitar); Roy Honeycutt (steel guitar); Billy Jack Wills (bass); Millard Kelso (piano); Joe Holley (fiddle); Louis Tierney (fiddle, dl, saxaphone); Alex Brashear (trumpet); Johnny Cuviello (drums)

Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys, Universal Studio, San Fransisco, California. May, 20, 1946

Session Personnel: Bob Wills (fiddle, vocal); Tommy Duncan (vocal); Lester Barnard Jr (electric guitar); Roy Honeycutt (steel guitar); Billy Jack Wills (bass); Millard Kelso (piano); Joe Holley (fiddle); Louis Tierney (fiddle, saxaphone); Alex Brashear (trumpet); Johnny Cuviello (drums)

Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys, Universal Studio, San Fransisco, California. May, 27, 1946

Session Personnel: Bob Wills (fiddle, vocal); Tommy Duncan (vocal); Lester Barnard Jr (electric guitar); Roy Honeycutt (steel guitar); Billy Jack Wills (bass); Millard Kelso (piano); Joe Holley (fiddle); Louis Tierney (fiddle, saxaphone); Alex Brashear (trumpet); Johnny Cuviello (drums)

Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys, Universal Studio, San Fransisco, California. Aug. 4, 1946

Session Personnel: Bob Wills (fiddle); Tommy Duncan (vocal); Lester Barnard Jr (electric guitar); Noel Boggs (steel guitar); Billy Jack Wills (bass); Millard Kelso (piano); Louis Tierney (fiddle, saxaphone); Joe Holley (fiddle); Alex Brashear (trumpet); Johnny Cuviello (drums)

Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys
Sep. 3, 1946

Columbia Studio; 6121 Sunset Boulevard, Hollywood, California USA

Session Personnel: Bob Wills (fiddle); Tommy Duncan (vocal) Dean & Evelyn McKinney (vocal); Lester Bernard Jr. (electric guitar); Jimmy Widener (banjo); Tiny Moore (el mandolin); Herb Remington (steel guitar); Billy Jack Wills (bass); Johnny Cuviello (drums), Jesse Ashlock (fiddle); Joe Holley (fiddle); Millard Kelso (piano)

1. Cotton Eyed Joe
2. Staccato Waltz
3. Punkin' Stomp

Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys, Hollywood, California. Sep. 4, 1946

Session Personnel: Bob Wills (fiddle, vocal); Tommy Duncan (vocal); Lester Barnard Jr (electric guitar); Tiny Moore (el mandolin); Herb Remington (steel guitar); Jimmy Widener (banjo); Billy Jack Wills (bass); Millard Kelso (piano); Joe Holley (fiddle); Jesse Ashlock (fiddle); Johnny Cuviello (drums)

Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys
Sep. 5, 1946

Columbia Studio; 6121 Sunset Boulevard, Hollywood, California USA

Session Personnel: Bob Wills (fiddle); Tommy Duncan (vocal) Dean & Evelyn McKinney (vocal); Lester Bernard Jr. (electric guitar); Jimmy Widener (banjo); Tiny Moore (el mandolin); Herb Remington (steel guitar); Billy Jack Wills (bass); Johnny Cuviello (drums), Jesse Ashlock (fiddle); Joe Holley (fiddle); Millard Kelso (piano)

1. Sugar Moon
2. Rose of Old Pawnee 
3. How Can It Be Wrong
4. Brain Clowdy Blues
5. Bob Wills Boogie 

Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys
Sep. 6, 1946 (03:00-06:00) 

Columbia Studio; 6121 Sunset Boulevard, Hollywood, California USA 

Session Personnel: Bob Wills (fiddle); Tommy Duncan (vocal) Dean & Evelyn McKinney (vocal); Lester Bernard Jr. (electric guitar); Jimmy Widener (banjo); Tiny Moore (el mandolin); Herb Remington (steel guitar); Billy Jack Wills (bass); Johnny Cuviello (drums), Jesse Ashlock (fiddle); Joe Holley (fiddle); Millard Kelso (piano)

1. There's A Big Rock In the Road
2. I Got A Cinder In My Eye
3. Go to Sleep Our Baby
4. Virginia 

Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys
Sep. 6, 1946  (23:00-02:00)

Columbia Studio; 6121 Sunset Boulevard, Hollywood, California USA 

Session Personnel: Bob Wills (fiddle); Tommy Duncan (vocal) Dean & Evelyn McKinney (vocal); Lester Bernard Jr. (electric guitar); Jimmy Widener (banjo); Tiny Moore (el mandolin); Herb Remington (steel guitar); Billy Jack Wills (bass); Johnny Cuviello (drums), Jesse Ashlock (fiddle); Joe Holley (fiddle); Millard Kelso (piano)

1. I'm Gonna Be Boss From Now On
2. Fat Boy Rag
3. drum test
4. The Kind of Love I Can't Forget
5. There's Two Sides to Every Story

Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys  Sound Recorders, San Fransisco, California. Aug. 18, 1947

Session Personnel: Bob Wills (fiddle, vocal); Eldon Shamblin (electric guitar); Tiny Moore (electric  mandolin); Herb Remington (steel guitar); Ocie Stockard (banjo); Billy Jack Wills (bass); Millard Kelso (piano); Louis Tierney (fiddle); Alex Brashear (trumpet); Johnny Cuviello (drums)

Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys  Sound Recorders, San Fransisco, California. Sep 6, 1947

Session Personnel: Bob Wills (fiddle, vocal); Eldon Shamblin (electric guitar); Herb Remington (steel guitar); Tiny Moore (electric mandolin); Ocie Stockard (banjo); Billy Jack Wills (bass); Millard Kelso (piano); Johnny Cuviello (drums)

Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys, Chicago, Illinois. Oct. 15, 1947

Session Personnel: Bob Wills (fiddle, vocal); Tommy Duncan (vocal); Eldon Shamblin (electric guitar); Herb Remington (steel guitar); Ocie Stockard (banjo); Billy Jack Wills (bass); Millard Kelso (piano); Joe Holley (fiddle); Tiny Moore
(fiddle, electric mandolin); Johnny Cuviello (drums)

Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys, Radio Recorders, Hollywood, California. Oct. 30, 1947

Session Personnel: Bob Wills (fiddle, vocal); Tommy Duncan (vocal); Eldon Shamblin (electric guitar); Herb Remington (steel guitar); Ocie Stockard (banjo); Billy Jack Wills (bass); Millard Kelso (piano); Joe Holley (fiddle); Tiny Moore
(fiddle, electric mandolin); Johnny Cuviello (drums)

Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys, Radio Recorders, Hollywood, California. Nov. 10, 1947

Session Personnel: Bob Wills (fiddle, vocal); Tommy Duncan (vocal); Eldon Shamblin (electric guitar); Herb Remington (steel guitar); Ocie Stockard (banjo); Billy Jack Wills (bass); Millard Kelso (piano); Joe Holley (fiddle); Tiny Moore
(fiddle, electric mandolin; Johnny Cuviello (drums)

Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys, Sound Recorders, San Fransisco, California. Dec. 30, 1947

Session Personnel: Bob Wills (fiddle, vocal), Tommy Duncan (vocal), Eldon Shamblin (electric guitar), Lester Barnard Jr (electric guitar), Herb Remington (steel guitar), Ocie Stockard (banjo), Tiny Moore (electric mandolin); Billy Jack Wills (bass), Millard Kelso (piano), Joe Holley (fiddle), Monte Mountjoy (drums)

Cotton Patch Blues Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys , Radio Recorders, Hollywood, California. May 5, 1949

Session Personnel: Bob Wills (fiddle, vocal), Jack Lloyd (bass), Eldon Shamblin (electric guitar), Herb Remington (steel guitar), Tiny Moore (vocal, electric mandolin), Luke Wills (bass), Johnny Gimble (fiddle), Doc Lewis (piano); Alex Brashear (trumpet), Billy Jack Wills (drums)

Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys, Trianon Ballroom, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Jan. 23, 1950

Session Personnel: Bob Wills (fiddle, vocal), Eldon Shamblin (electric guitar), Hal Clampitt (steel guitar), Tiny Moore (vocal, electric mandolin), Johnny Gimble (electric mandolin), Jimmie Widener (tenor banjo), Luke Wills (bass), Mancel Tierney (piano), Keith Coleman (fiddle), Bob White (fiddle), Billy Jack Wills (drums)

Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys, Radio Recorders, Hollywood, California. Apr. 27, 1950

Session Personnel: Bob Wills (fiddle, vocal), Eldon Shamblin (electric guitar), Billy Bowman (vocal, string guitar), Myrl "Rusty" McDonald (vocal, tenor banjo); Jimmie Widener (vocal, tenor banjo), Luke Wills (tenor banjo, bass); Johnny Gimble (vocal, electric mandolin, fiddle), Mancel Tierney (piano), Keith Coleman (fiddle), Jack Lloyd (bass); Billy Jack Wills (vocal, drums), Tommy Perkins (drums)

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------10 Classic Tracks

Right Or Wrong: (C 1503-2) Original issue, Vocalion 03451. Chicago, Illinois. Sep. 30, 1936. Bob Wills (fiddle), Tommy Duncan (vocal), Jesse Ashlock (fiddle), Ray DeGeer, Robert "Zeb" McNally (saxophones), Everett Stover (trumpet), Al Strickland (piano), C. G. "Sleepy" Johnson, Herman Arnspiger (guitar), Leon McAuliffe (steel guitar), Johnny Lee Wills (banjo), Joe Ferguson (bass guitar), William E. "Smokey" Dacus (drums).

Lyla Lou: (DAL-1169-2) Alternate take. Dallas, Texas. Feb. 24, 1941. Bob Wills (fiddle), Leon McAuliffe (vocal), Wayne Johnson, Robert "Zeb" McNally (saxophones), Tubby Lewis, Jamie MnIntosh (trumpet), Don Harlan (clarinet), Al Strickland (piano), Eldon Shamblin (guitar), Sonny Lunsford (bass guitar), Gene Tomlins (drums).

Dusty Skies: (H-382-1). Original issue, Okeh 06598, Hollywood, California. Jul. 26, 1941. Bob Wills (fiddle), Tommy Duncan (vocal), Wayne Johnson (saxophone), Louis Tinery (fiddle), Leon McAuliffe (steel guitar), Al Strickland (piano), Eldon Shamblin (guitar), Darrell Jones (bass guitar), Gene Tomlins (drums).

Cowboy Stomp: (CCO 4861-1) Instrumental. Original issue, Columbia Records 37988, Chicago, Illinois, Oct. 15, 1947. Bob Wills (fiddle), Tiny Moore (electric mandolin), Eldon Shamblin (lead guitar), Herb Remington (steel guitar), Millard Kelso (piano), Ocie Stockard (banjo), Billy Jack Wills (bass guitar), Johnny Cuvello (drums).

Cherokee Maiden: (H 377-1) Original issue, Okeh 06568, Hollywood, California, Jul. 24, 1941. Bob Wills (fiddle), Tommy Duncan (vocal), Don Harlan (clarinet), Jesse Ashlock, Louis Tinery (fiddle), Wayne Johnson (saxophones), Leon McAuliffe (steel guitar), Al Strickland (piano), Eldon Shamblin (guitar), Darrell Jones (bass guitar), Gene Tomlins (drums).

Cotton Eyed Joe: (HCO 2004-1) Original issue, Columbia Records, 37212, Hollywood, California, Sep. 4, 1946. Bob Wills (fiddle), Tommy Duncan (vocal), Jesse Ashlock, Joe Holley (fiddle), Lester Benard Jr (lead guitar), Tiny Moore (electric mandolin), Herb Remington (steel guitar), Millard Kelso (piano), Jimmy Widener (banjo), Billy Jack Wills (bass guitar), Johnny Cuvello (drums). 

My Life's Been a Pleasure: (H 383-1) Original issue, OKeh 6681, Hollywood, California, Jul. 26, 1941. Bob Wills (fiddle), Leon McAuliffe (steel guitar and vocal), Don Harlan (clarinet), Jesse Ashlock, Louis Tinery (fiddle), Wayne Johnson (saxophone), Al Strickland (piano), Eldon Shamblin (guitar), Darrell Jones (bass guitar), Gene Tomlins (drums).

A Way Out There: (C 1490-2) Chicago, Illinois, Sep. 29, 1936. Bob Wills (fiddle), Tommy Duncan (vocal), Jesse Ashlock (fiddle), Ray DeGeer, Robert "Zeb: McNally (saxophones, Everett Stover (trumpet), Al Strickland (piano), C. G. "Sleepy" Johnson, Herman Arnspiger (guitar), Leon McAuliffe (steel guitar), Johnny Lee Wills (banjo), Joe Ferguson (bass guitar), William E. "Smokey Dacus (drums). 

I Ain't Got Nobody: (DAL 137-1) Original issue, Vocalian 03206, Dallas, Texas, Sep. 25, 1935. Bob Wills (fiddle), Tommy Duncan (vocal), Jesse Ashlock (fiddle), Art Hines (trombone), Robert "Zeb: McNally (saxophone), Leon McAuliffe (steel guitar), Al Strickland (piano),  C. G. "Sleepy" Johnson, Herman Arnspiger (guitar), Johnny Lee Wills (banjo), Sonny Lunsford (bass guitar), William E. "Smokey" Dacus (drums).

Please Don't Leave Me: (H 375-1) Original issue, Okeh 6681, Hollywood, California, Jul. 24, 1941. Bob Wills (fiddle), Tommy Duncan (vocal), Wayne Johnson (saxophone), Jesse Ashlock, Louis Tinery (fiddle), Leon McAuliffe (steel guitar), Al Strickland (piano), Eldon Shamblin (guitar), Darrell Jones (bass guitar), Gene Tomlins (drums).

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------San Antonio Rose: The Bob Wills Story

Bob Wills' name will forever be associated with western swing. Although he did not invent the genre single-handedly, he did popularize the genre and changed its rules. In the process, he reinvented the rules of popular music. Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys were a dance band with a country string section that played pop songs as if they were jazz numbers. Their music expanded and erased boundaries between genres. It was also some of the most popular music of its era.

Throughout the '40s, the band was one of the most popular groups in the country and the musicians in the Playboys were among the finest of their era. As the popularity of western swing declined, so did Wills' popularity, but his influence is immeasurable. From the first honky tonkers to western swing revivalists, generations of country artists owe him a significant debt, as do certain rock and jazz musicians. Mr. Wills was a maverick and his spirit infused American popular music of the 20th century with a renegade, virtuosic flair.

James Robert Wills was born in 1905 on a farm in Limestone County near Kosse, Texas. Jim Rob as he was known in his youth grew up in a musical family of frontier fiddlers. When Bob was eight years old the family moved to Turkey, Texas. It was there at the age of ten that he played the fiddle at his first ranch dance as a fill-in for his father.

Turkey has celebrated, for many years, his life and music with a Bob Wills Day that annually draws several thousand people. It is a little overwhelming since the town has a population of just six hundred.

Bob left Turkey in 1929 and took up residence in Fort Worth. After a brief stint on radio he joined a traveling medicine show. While in it he met guitarist Herman Arnspiger and later teamed up with him to form the Wills Fiddle Band. They played for parties and private dances and also performed on radio six days a week.

In the fall of 1930 Wills and Arnspiger teamed with brothers Milton and Durwood Brown. The group then accepted an offer with WBAP (Fort Worth) and adopted the name Aladdin Laddies. From that point their fame and reputation spread as fast as the enthusiasm for the new music they played.

Radio exposure meant more dances with larger crowds and it led to the biggest break in Bob Wills' career. In 1931 Wills, Arnspiger and Milton Brown went to work for radio station KFJZ (Fort Worth). Their morning program was sponsored by the Burrus Mill and Elevator Company and its major product, Light Crust Flour.

It was not long before the band inherited the name the Light Crust Doughboys. They literally ruled the airways throughout the southwest. Before the breakup of the original Doughboys a number of prominent musicians joined their ranks including Sleepy Johnson, Leon Huff, Leon McAuliffe and Bob's brother, Johnnie Lee Wills. Another personality who was associated with them was W. Lee O'Daniel, who was the general manager of Burrus Mill and became the band's master of ceremonies.

Bob left the Doughboys in 1933 and with Johnnie Lee Wills, Kermit Whalen, Tommy Duncan and June Whalen took the name Bob Wills and his Playboys. The Playboys moved to Waco, briefly tried Oklahoma City where they added Texas to their name and then traveled on to Tulsa, Oklahoma (OK).

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Take Me Back To Tulsa: The Tulsa Years (1934-1942)

Tulsa is where Wills and His Texas Playboys began to refine their sound. Wills added an 18-year-old electric steel guitarist called Leon McAuliffe, pianist Al Stricklin, drummer Smokey Dacus and a horn section to the band's lineup. Soon, the Texas Playboys were the most popular band in Oklahoma and Texas. The band made their first record in 1935 for the American Recording Company (ARC), which would later become part of Columbia Records.

At ARC, they were produced by Uncle Art Satherley, who would wind up as Wills' producer for the next 12 years. The bandleader had his way and they cut a number of tracks that were released on a series of 78s. The singles were successful enough that Wills could demand that McAuliffe; who wasn't on the first sessions due to ARC's abundance of steel players under contract; was featured on the Playboys' next record, 1936's Steel Guitar Rag. The song became a standard for steel guitar. Also released from that session was Right or Wrong, which featured Duncan on lead vocals.

During their nine year stay on radio station KVOO in Tulsa, Bob Wills and his Texas Playboys achieved their greatest artistic and commercial success. Almost at once, Wills was successful in developing a dance schedule that eventually became quite lucrative. More important to Bob, he developed his greatest band during his years in Tulsa, OK.

In September, 1935, Bob took the band to Dallas, Texas (TX) for his first recording session with the Texas Playboys and his second with Brunswick (bought by Columbia Records in 1938).

The thirteen musicians in this session were pioneers of what would later be called western swing. They formed the nucleus from which Wills, in the next four or five years would develope what he considered to be the best Texas Playboys band he ever assembled.

The following are listed in order in which they joined the Texas Playboys:

After World War II, the demand waned for dance music by swing bands and Wills moved to California in 1943 where he formed a new, smaller Playboys band. (He enlisted in the army in 1942, but was discharged shortly thereafter for health reasons.)

During the rest of the 1940s and 1950s, Wills and the Playboys never reached their previous level of popularity, yet they continued to command sold-out concerts of loyal fans and sold many records. Heart attacks suffered by Wills in 1962 and 1964, in addition to other health problems, seriously reduced his output during the 1960s, yet his earlier recordings were released as sets by various record companies.

Although they were still extremely successful because of their records and radio, personal and movie appearances, this waned in the early 1950's. However, as there was a decline of interest in western swing and it became dormant for about twenty years. This dormancy remained until the renaissance of the early 1970's when a new generation discovered the music: and legacy of Bob Wills and western swing was born again.

Their last recording session was set for December Mar. 4, 1973, to coincide with a reunion of the group in Dallas. Bob Wills was there the first day and led the band from a wheelchair but that night he slipped into unconsciousness. The album of twenty-four songs was completed the following day and was appropriately titled, Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys, For the Last Time. Bob died on May 13, 1975, without ever regaining consciousness.

Go here for a complete writeup on the Texas Playboys

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Researched, written and compiled by Richard Bell. Roots of Country Music. Oct. 15, 2011.