Country Music's All-time Ten Biggest Bands (1/10)

Hank Thompson & the Brazos Valley Boys 

For over four decades, Hank Thompson wore a cheerful crown as the purveyor of honky-tonk swing, keeping the style alive with a top-notch band, fabulous showmanship, and a versatility that allowed him to expand his repertoire into romantic ballads and hardcore honky-tonk numbers. With hits peppering the charts from the late 1940s to the 1980s, Thompson wrote and performed up-beat odes to the highs and lows of Western life. 

Born September 3, 1925, in Waco, Texas, Hank Thompson grew up listening to the Grand Ole Opry and to country artists. He began learning harmonica and guitar as a child, and appeared in local talent shows as a teenager, which eventually led to his own local radio program (billed as Hank the Hired Hand). After graduating from high school in 1943, Thompson joined the Navy. Following his discharge, Hank returned to Waco and to the radio business and set about putting together a band he dubbed The Brazos Valley Boys (BVB). 

The BVB quickly became a popular live act around the area and recorded their first single, Whoa Sailor for the Globe label in 1946. A few more singles followed, by which time Tex Ritter had become a Thompson admirer. Ritter helped Thompson land a record deal with Capitol in 1947. Thompson scored his first major hit for Capitol with Humpty Dumpty Heart (No. 2, 1948). In 1951, he hooked up with producer Ken Nelson, who would helm many of his most successful recording sessions. One of the songs was The Wild Side of Life (No. 1, 1952), a monster hit that became Thompson's signature song.

Thompson continued to score hit after hit for three decades, including 30 songs that reached the Top 10 on the country charts. Hank's relationship with Capitol ended in 1965. He first moved to Warner Brothers, then ABC/Dot. Many of Hank's compositions revolved around cheerful imbibing, such as A Six Pack to Go (No. 10, 1960) and On Tap, in the Can, or in a Bottle (No. 7, 1968). But these were often preludes to songs of sorrow, which he sang with the same plucky, ever cheerful and clear tenor voice, like Humpty Dumpty Heart, a playful parry of shattered love. 

Hank continued to record and tour and his singles charted regularly during the 1970s all the way up to the early 80s, though Hank never matched the level of success he'd enjoyed during his heyday. Even after the hits dried up, Thompson maintained a busy concert tour schedule, playing all over the world. Hank Thompson was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1989.

The Brazos Valley Boys (BVB) Hank was justifiably proud of his band. From 1953 to 1965, for thirteen consecutive years, Billboard magazine voted The Brazos Valley Boys (BVB) the Number One Country Western Band. Since their inception the BVB have defied musical convention. The BVB incorporate the American musical art forms of country, jazz, Dixieland, blues and big-band swing to produce their own brand of western swing music; an energetic, eclectic style that had wide appeal.

 Thompson began building his new BVB with the help of Billy Gray. Billy, who joined the band in 1950, stayed for almost ten years. Thompson and Gray honed their brand of western swing less jazzy than Bob Wills, less orchestral than Spade Cooley and different and distinctive from popular Oklahoma bandleaders Leon McAuliffe. Still, he had to move beyond the raw honky-tonk of a Hank Williams or Ray Price and even the spare sound of Thompson's own earliest recordings to keep the dance halls hopping. Hank found the sound he wanted with the help of Gray's arrangements and a procession of great musicians. Some of the finest musicians and biggest names in western swing music have graced the stage and recording studio as The Brazos Valley Boys. 

Hank Thompson (lead vocal, guitar); Billy Gray (band leader, guitar); Curley Lewis (fiddle); Doug Rogers (drums); J. D. Walters (steel guitar); Mark Jordan (keyboard); Marvin Bredemeier (fiddle); Merle Travis (guitar); Morey Sullivan (bass guitar); Pee Wee Whitewing (pedal steel); Tom Bresh (guitar). 

In our series featuring the biggest bands in country music, we proudly proclaim The Brazos Valley Boys as the No. 1 Country Music Band of All-time.

Country Music's All-time Ten Biggest Bands (2/10)

Williams, Hank: The Drifting Cowboys 

Hank Williams (9/17/1923 – 1/1/1953): Hank was a singer-songwriter and musician regarded as among the greatest country music (honky-tonk) stars of all time.

The original Drifting Cowboys band (during Hank’s heyday 1947 – 1952) was made up of Jerry Rivers (fiddle), Don Helms (steel guitar), Hillous Butram (bass guitar) and Bob McNett (guitar), whose work will be forever associated with their "front-man," the legendary Hank Williams. 

Bob McNett (10/16/25 - 6/21/95): Bob was born in Roaring Branch, Pennsylvania (PA) and died of Prostate Cancer in Montgomery, PA. NcNett met Hank in Shreveport, Louisiana. Bob had originally come to the area as a member of Patsy Montana's band. After Patsy disbanded her group, Bob joined the Drifting cowboys (1948) and worked with Hank on the Hayride and went with Hank to the Grand Ole Opry. McNett left the Cowboys in 1950. In 1977 he joined a reformed Drifting Cowboys band. 

Don Helms (2/28/27 - 8/11/08): Don was born (2/28/27) in New Brockton, Alabama. Don became a member of the Drifting Cowboys in 1944, but left in 1945 when he was drafted. Helms rejoined the band in 1948, but only remained a few months. In 1949 he joined the band, where he remained until1952. Don also worked with Ray Price's Cherokee Cowboys (1952 – 1956), the Wilburn Brothers (1957 – 1967), Hank Williams Jr. (1968 -1972) and Earnest Tubb (1974). He was voted to The Steel Guitar Hall of Fame in 1984.

Hillous Butram (4/21/28 - 4/27/02): Butram was born in Lafayette, Tennessee. He started as a Grand Ole Opry staff musician at the age of sixteen. Butrum joined The Cowboys in 1949 and remained with the band until1950. In 1950, he joined Hank Snow's Rainbow Ranch Boys. Around 1956 Hillous joined Marty's Band. In 1977 Butrum reunited with a reformed Drifting Cowboys band, which included the original members. Hillous died on April 27, 2002.

Jerry Rivers: Jerry Rivers played fiddle with the “original” Drifting Cowboys. Rivers was born on 8/25/1928 in Miami, Florida, but raised in Nashville. Jerry took up the fiddle as a teenager and was, by the mid-40s, playing it semi- professionally. In 1948, he toured with the Short Brothers and then returned to Nashville where he worked with Big Jeff Bess. While with Bess, Rivers was approached by Williams to join his band. Rivers cut his first discs with Williams in January 1950. 

Country Music's All-time Ten Biggest Bands 3/10)

Bob Wills & the Texas Playboys

Country Music's All-time Ten Biggest Bands 4/10)

Ernest Tubb & the Texas Troubdors 

One of country music's most distinctive voices and legends was a man born on a ranch in a small town called Crisp, Texas that fans worldwide came to know as the Texas Troubadour, Ernest Tubb. 

In 1936, Tubb contacted Jimmie Rodgers’s widow (Rodgers died in 1933) to ask for an autographed photo. A friendship developed and she was instrumental in getting Tubb a recording contract with RCA. His first two records were unsuccessful. A tonsillectomy in 1939 affected his singing style, so he turned to songwriting. 

In 1940, Tubb switched to Decca records to try singing again and it was his sixth Decca release with the single Walking the Floor Over You that brought Tubb to stardom.

Tubb joined the Grand Ole Opry in February, 1943 and put together his band, the Texas Troubadours. Ernest remained a regular on the radio show for four decades and hosted the Midnight Jamboree following the Grand Ole Opry shows. 

One aspect of Ernest Tubb aside from that distinctive voice and manner was the sound he achieved and was known for on his recordings and his personal appearances. The band through the years contained many names. 

Tubb always surrounded himself with some of Nashville's best musicians. Jimmy Short, his first guitarist in the Troubadours, is credited with the Tubb sound of one-string guitar picking. From about 1943 to 1948, Short featured clean, clear riffs throughout Tubb's songs. 

Other well-known musicians to either travel with Tubb as band members or record on his records were Jerry Byrd, the phenomenal steel guitarist; Tommy "Butterball" Paige, who replaced Short as Tubb's lead guitarist in 1947. 

In 1949, Billy Byrd, the quintessential Tubb guitarist, joined the Troubadours, and brought jazzy riffs to the instrumental interludes, especially the four-note riff at the end of his solos that would become synonymous with Tubb's songs. Actually a jazz musician, Byrd, no relation to Jerry, remained with Tubb until 1959. 

In the 1960s, Tubb was well known for having one of the best bands in country music history. By the early-1960s, the Texas Troubadours included lightning-fingered Leon Rhodes (lead guitar, 1960-1967), Buddy Emmons (steel, 1960 -- 1961), Buddy Charleton (steel guitar, 1962 - 1967), Jack Drake (bass guitar), Cal Smith (rhythm guitar, 1961-1967) and Jack Greene (drums, 1962-1965), arguably one of the finest backup bands in the history of country music. Tubb always believed in the value of a strong band and surrounded himself with the only best musicians he could find. 

The Texas Troubadours band endured numerous lineup changes, and Buddy Charleton and electric guitarist Leon Rhodes were the instrumental focus of what was Tubb's "greatest lineup of the Texas Troubadours. 

Buddy Charleton is featured on numerous Tubb albums, including Live 1965, considered one of country music's top live albums. He also starred on three Decca albums that the Troubadours recorded without Tubb and on Tubb's duet records with Loretta Lynn.   

Texas Troubadours Band Members A-Z Listing: 

• Bill Drake (circa 1947)
• Billy Byrd (lead guitar, circa 1949 - 1959)
• Buddy Charleton (steel guitar, 1962 - 1967)
• Buddy Emmons (steel, 1960 -- 1961)
• Cal Smith (rhythm guitar, 1961-1967
• Dickie Harris (circa 1956)
• Hal Smith (circa 1947)
• Jack Drake (bass guitar, circa 1945 - 1967)
• Jack Greene (drums, 1962-1965
• Jimmie Short (circa 1943 - 1948)
• Johnny "Boy" Sapp (circa 1945)
• Leon Rhodes (lead guitar, 1960-1967)
• Leon Short (circa 1945)
• Ray "Kemo" Head (circa 1945)
• Rusty Gabbard (rhyrhm guitar, circa 1956)
• Tommy "Butterball" Paige (circa 1947) 

Country Music's All-time Ten Biggest Bands 5/10)

Merle Haggard & the Strangers 

Country Music's All-time Ten Biggest Bands (6/10)

Tex Williams & His Western Caravan 

Along with the orchestra led by his former boss, Spade Cooley, smooth-toned vocalist Tex Williams and his band The Western Caravan were one of the most popular western swing bands on the hopping California music scene in the 1940s. Although not as well-known as figures like Bob Wills and Hank Thompson, Tex was an important player in the development of the genre. Like the aforementioned musicians, Tex helped transform country music from its rural, acoustic origins to a more danceable, refined swing-style with a much wider popular appeal.  

Tex Williams was born on August 23, 1917 in Ramsey, Illinois. During his teen years, he sang on a local station and joined a band under the name of Jack Williams before moving west to Los Angeles, California in 1942, just in time for western swing fever that was sweeping the state. One of the groups which played at the Venice Pier Ballroom in Venice, California was led by Jimmy Wakely with Spade Cooley on fiddle. Hundreds of people would turn out on Saturday night to swing and hop. The masses of people and dancers loved Cooley. When Wakely got a movie contract at Universal, Spade replaced him as the bandleader. To capitalize on the success of the Bob Wills and Tommy Duncan paring, Cooley hired vocalist Tex Williams.  

Ultimately, the orchestra's success led to the dissolution of its most popular lineup. By 1946, Williams, the vocalist on all of the group's hits, was demanding more money and Cooley refused to pay it. The incident strained their relationship and the hot-tempered Cooley to the breaking point. Williams quit, taking much of the orchestra with him to form The Western Caravan. Before his departure, Capitol offered Williams a contract as a solo artist.  

The Western Caravan, numbered about a dozen members. They attained a desirable level of fluid interplay between electric and steel guitars, fiddles, bass, accordion and trumpet. At first they recorded polkas for Capitol Records with limited success. That was changed by the success of Smoke! Smoke! Smoke! (That Cigarette) written by Merle Travis. At his peak in the late 1940s, Tex recorded some of the most enjoyable country swing of his time, distinguished by his talking-blues vocal delivery.  

Tex Williams' biggest success was Smoke! Smoke! Smoke! (That Cigarette) (No. 1, 1947), which claimed top spot on the Billboard charts for an astounding 16 weeks. Williams rode a crest of popularity for several years triggered by the commercial success of Smoke. It was the second biggest song in country music that year, yielding to Eddy Arnold's, I'll Hold You in My Heart, which claimed the top spot for 21 weeks. Smoke appropriately became his signature song.  

Williams' heyday extended though the mid-1940s and into the late-1950s. During that period, Tex charted eighteen top-forty singles, of which ten broke into the top-10. Smoke set the model for a series of moderate hits, incuding That's What I Like About the West (No. 4, 1947), Never Trust a Woman (No. 2, 1947), Don't Telephone - Don't Telegraph (Tell a Woman) (No. 2, 1948), Suspicion (No. 4, 1948), Banjo Polka (No. 5, 1948), Who? Me? (No. 6, 1948), Talking Boogie (No. 6, 1948), Life Gits Tee-Jus, Don't It? (No. 5, 1948) and (There's a) Bluebird on Your Windowsill (No. 11, 1949).  

Williams' commercial success began to diminish in the early 1950s, and Capitol dropped him. Tex continued to record in the 1950s, but with little chart success. Finally, in 1957, the Western Caravan disbanded. After a fifteen year absence from the charts, Tex emerged with another top-forty hit, Bottom of a Mountain (No. 18, 1966, Boone label). In 1971, Tex made one final appearance in the top-forty with the memorably hit titled, The Night Miss Ann's Hotel for Single Girls Burned Down (No. 29, 1971, Monument label), though he continued to chart lower-level singles through 1978. Ironically, considering the subject of his biggest song, Williams died of lung cancer on October 11, 1985.  

In our series of Country Music's All-time Ten Biggest Bands, we justifiably proclaim Tex Williams and his Western Caravan No. 6.  

Country Music's All-time Ten Biggest Bands 7/10)

Pee Wee King & the Golden West Cowboys

Country Music's All-time Ten Biggest Bands (8/10)

Buck Owens & the Buckaroos

Buck Owens & the Buckaroos (1963 ~ 1974)

The Buckaroos were a Grammy-winning band led by Buck Owens from 1963 to 1974, who were heavily involved in the development and presentation of the Bakersfield Sound. Their peak of success was from 1965-1970. Known for their signature red, white and blue colored guitars and fiddles, the Buckaroos appear at Carnegie Hall in New York City.

Don Rich and Buck Owens began a musical collaboration in 1959 that produced some of the best country music of the next decade. Rich was a fiddler when the two hooked up, but soon he was picking up Buck's trademark guitar licks. Before long he had picked up the ball and run with it, to the extent that Owens had to persuade him to pick up the fiddle again. The two were not only band-mates and songwriting partners, but close friends. Rich's untimely death from a 1974 motorcycle accident put Owens into a tailspin that effectively halted his music career for another decade.

Wayne Wilson, Merle Haggard, Don Rich, Kenny Pierce, Tom Brumley and Willie Cantu were the original members of the Buckaroos during the 1960's. The 1970's lineup, in part included Don Rich, Jerry Wiggins, Jerry Brightman, Doyle Singer, and Jim Shaw. Various sidemen throughout the years worked as Buckaroos, including JD Maness,Wayne"Moose" Stone, Jay McDonald, Ken Presley and Merle Haggard Haggard (1962), who suggested the group's name. Jana Jae became the group's first female member and vocalist Victoria Hallman (aka Jesse Rose McQueen).

The Buckaroos recorded eight albums from 1967-1970, all of which were top sellers, including Buckaroo, an instrumental album that crossed over onto the pop charts. Meanwhile, the Buckaroos reportedly had to be arm-twisted into playing at Carnegie Hall, Owens believing there wouldn't be enough country fans inNew York Cityto make it worthwhile. Buck's instincts were dead wrong. The 1966 show was an unmitigated, sold-out success, and the live release paved the way for more live albums by the band. The Buckaroos were named as Band of The Year by theAcademyofCountry Musicfour consecutive years (1965-1968). The Buckaroos were also selected as Instrumental Group of the Year in the Country Music Awards in 1967 and 1968.

Jerry Brightman, Jerry: joined the Buckaroos in 1972 and played steel guitar on Hee Haw until 1976. Brumley, Tom: A star in his own right is the son of the late Albert E. Brumley. Tom left the Buckaroos in 1969 to join Ricky Nelson's band. Tom was inducted into both the Texas Steel Guitar Hall of Fame and the International Steel Guitar Hall of Fame. Brumley died in 2009. Cantu, Willie: Cantu was residing inNashville, teaching drum classes. He was involved in the development of new drumming technology.

Holly, Doyle: Holly was a Buckaroo for 7 1/2 years and left the band to begin a solo career in 1971. In 1970, Doyle received Bass Player of the Year award from theAcademyofCountry Musicas a member of the Buckaroos. Holly died in 2007. Jackson, Ronnie:Jacksonplayed banjo and rhythm guitar for the Buckaroos in the early 1970's. Maness, Jay Dee: Jay Dee was only with the Buckaroos for a few months. When Hee Haw became part of CBS' fall 1969 lineup, he was out, and Doyle Curtsinger was in.

Rich, Don: Rich, a pinnacle member of the Buckaroo band, was with them from 1960 through 1974. When Don was killed in a motorcycle crash, at the time Don was the only original member still with the Buckaroos and the band was struggling to find their way back into the spotlight. Don's death marked the end of the Buckaroos reign as the top country music band. After his death, Buck went through a long period of depression and his career took a major setback. Shaw, Jim: Shaw began playing keyboard for the Buckaroos in 1970.

Singer, Doyle: Doyle was with the Buckaroos atCrystalPalace. He took over at bass in 1969 and Doyle Holly moved to rhythm guitar. Besides playing bass, Doyle has a great tenor voice and can be heard hitting the high notes with the Buckaroos. Wilson,Wayne:Wilsonplayed bass during a nine-month period when Doyle Holly was on his own. Wiggins, Jerry: In October 1971 Wiggins married country music singer and Buck's duet partner, Susan Raye, who toured with the Buckaroos. He was the drummer from 1967 to 1978.

Don Rich (guitar, 1960 - 1974) ~ Doyle Holly (bass 1964 - 1971) ~  Doyle Singer (bass, 1969) ~ Jay Dee Maness (steel guitar) ~ Jana Jae (vocalist) ~  Jay McDonald Ken Presley ~ Kenny Pierce ~  Jerry Wiggins (drums, 1967 - 1978) ~ Merle Haggard Tom Brumley (steel, 1964 ~ 1969) ~  Wayne "Moose" Stone ~ Jerry Brightman (steel guitar, 1972) ~ Jerry Wiggins (drummer, 67~78) ~  Jim Shaw (keyboard, 1970) Wayne Wilson (bass) ~ Willie Cantu (drums).

In our series of Country Music's All-time Ten Biggest Bands, we justifiably proclaim Buck Owens & the Buckaroos as No. 8.

Country Music's All-time Ten Biggest Bands (9/10)

Bill Anderson & the Po Boys

Country Music's All-time Ten Biggest Bands (10/10)

Porter Wagoner & the  Wagon Masters