The Big Easy List: Bob

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Ah, at last. I’m back in my element! It’s time for “what the heck is THAT?!” music. There won’t be any more of that this month, save for a “what the heck is THAT version” pick or two. Let’s go to obscureville by way of New Orleans! Bob - Willis Brothers Let’s start with my Willis Brothers story. I did my college internship at the Country Music Hall of Fame in the mid-90s. By that time, Vic Willis (accordion player in the screen grab/promo photo) was the only surviving member of the Willis Brothers. He was serving as the secretary treasurer of the Nashville local of the Musicians’ Union. So, one day, I walked from the Hall of Fame to the Musicians’ Union office (this was when everything was still on Music Row) to see if Vic was in the office. He was, and we sat and chatted for an hour. He didn’t think I was old enough to remember the Willis Brothers or their live performances of some of the commercials (they usually did the Kellogg’s segment, which was on at midnight my time [11 PM Nashville time] and way past my bedtime), so I had to “sing” (or whatever you call what I do) the “Sweetheart of the Corn” commercial that they used to do (“there’s a sweetheart of the corn from Kellogg’s waiting to go spooning with you, oh so tender and so sweet, double good enough to eat, I’m in love with the sweetheart of the corn”) to prove that I was indeed old enough to remember it. He was impressed. (Also, consider that most people in Nashville in the 90s were obsessed with Garth Brooks, not with barely-known country singers from a bygone era.) As for the Willis Brothers, they had one reasonably big hit, “Give Me 40 Acres.” This song, about a hobo visiting a friend who used to be a hobo but had settled down, was a top 20 country hit. That’s about the extent of their national success. However, you may have heard them. As the Oklahoma Wranglers, they were the backing band for Hank Williams’ first recording session and his touring band until Williams formed the Drifting Cowboys. Cool story, huh? It’s great to be me. Bob Written by Jack Clement and Vincent Matthews Recorded by the Willis Brothers From Bob, 1967 NEW ORLEANS LYRICS: Remember the good times down in New Orleans, Bob