Texas Musicians: Bob Wills

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Well, howdy, y’all! That’s a Texas greeting, isn’t it! I’m not at a restaurant for a change…I’m meeting friends for lunch to celebrate their anniversary a little later. But you’ll get your daily dose of Texas musicians, fear not. Here’s today’s Rock and Roll Hall of Famer. Bob Wills Yes, Rock and Roll. Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys were inducted in 1999 in the “early influence” category. Wills was one of the earliest pioneers in using drums in a country band. The basic concept of his music: he took the jazz/swing that was popular music in the 30s and put a country twang to it. The results were amazing. Imagine a square dance with jazz. There’s a lot of jazz elements in Wills’ music. (I didn’t notice that as a kid, but reading things that Chet Atkins said about country music and Western swing opened my eyes and ears.) Plus, where else are you going to hear clarinets and saxophones in country music???? He wasn’t the first. Milton Brown and His Musical Brownies had come and gone before Wills was on the radar. But, as Waylon Jennings sang, he was — and still is — the king. Bob Wills Born James Robert Wills March 6, 1905, Kosse Died May 13, 1975, Fort Worth (pneumonia/complications of a stroke) (age 70) HALLS OF FAME: Country Music, Rock and Roll, Nashville Songwriters, Texas Country Music, Western Music Association, Texas Cowboy Linda? NO!!!!!!!!! For everyone else, here’s a get-up-and-dance song featuring fiddles, steel guitars, clarinets, and saxophones: