BOB WILLS IS THE APEX OF WESTERN CIVILIZ's topics - tribe.net

MOONSHiNE PARTY: western-swing meets bluegrass meets old-time country music MAY 3 SAN FRANCISCO

2008-05-02T00:24:36Z

Fresh from the mountains of San Francisco and laced with pure American Roots Music, this 'shine is 100 proof and guaranteed to get you off your feet and dancin' like a crazy drunk...if you're not already.

May 3
MOONSHiNE PARTY!
w/
THE EARL BROTHERS
BiG B & HiS SNAKE OiL SAViORS
TOSHiO HiRANO

@Cafe du Nord
2170 Market Street, SF
415-861-5016

8:30 doors / 9pm show
$10 advance / $12 doors

Advance tix at:
www.cafedunord.com
or w/o service fee at The Music Store, 66 West Portal, SF. 415-664-2044

THE EARL BROTHERS (Moonshine Release Party)
It's always a big event when The Earl Brothers appear, let alone release a brand-spankin' new CD. These guys are on to something that's so primeval, insistent, dark, old-time and thrilling that it just about defies description. I find myself completely mesmerized by their gothic Stanley Brothers sound. It just doesn't get anymore tough-edged and raw than the Earls.
Dave Higgs - Nashville Public Radio

BiG B & HiS SNAKE OiL SAViORS (SF)
This 8 piece western-swing band will blow your head off...literally - their horn section is simply amazing! Think Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys with a dash of hillbilly boogie.
HEADS UP: for you old-school country lovers out there, pedal steel legend David Phillips is in the house!

TOSHiO HiRANO (SF)
Smitten by American folk music as a teenager growing up in Tokyo, Hirano came to this country to visit the land of the music he loved. He went straight to Appalachia after he graduated from college in 1974 and took locals by surprise, tooling through West Virginia coal mining towns on a bicycle, a mandolin on his back, looking for the ancestral home of bluegrass, long before multiculturalism reached the backwoods.
Joel Selvin - Chronicle Senior Pop Music Critic

LINKS:
www.shelbyashpresents.net
www.earlbrothers.com
www.snakeoilswing.com
www.toshiohirano.com
www.cafedunord.com

WARNING: According to the Surgeon General, women should not drink moonshine beverages during pregnancy because of the risk of birth defects. Nor have relations with first cousins due to the same reason.

posted in BOB WILLS IS THE APEX OF WESTERN CIVILIZ - 0 replies

3/6 Happy Birthday 106th Bob

2006-03-07T23:36:58Z

James Robert (Bob) Wills (March 6, 1905 – May 13, 1975) was an American country musician and songwriter.

He was born near Kosse, Texas; his father was a fiddle player who along with his grandfather, taught the young Wills to play the fiddle and the mandolin. In his 20s "Jim Rob" attended barber school, got married, and moved to Turkey, Texas, to be a barber. He regularly entered fiddle contests in West Texas, New Mexico and Oklahoma and soon the fiddle had replaced the scissors in the young Wills' imagination. He headed to Fort Worth to pursue a career in music. It was there that while performing in a medicine show, the show's owner gave him the nickname "Bob."

In Fort Worth Wills met Herman Arnspinger and formed The Wills Fiddle Band. In 1930 Milton Brown joined the group as lead vocalist and brought a sense of innovation and experimentation to the band, now called the Light Crust Doughboys due to radio sponsorship by the makers of Light Crust Flour. Brown left the band in 1932 to form the Musical Brownies, the first true Western Swing band. Brown added twin fiddles, tenor banjo and slap bass, pointing the music in the direction of swing, which they played on local radio and at dancehalls.

Wills remained with the Doughboys and replaced Brown with new singer Tommy Duncan. Unable to work with W. Lee O'Daniel, the authoratarian host of the Light Crust Doughboy radio show and General Manager of the parent, Burrus Mill and Elevator Company, Wills and Duncan left the Doughboys in 1933.

After forming a new band, "The Playboys" and relocating to Waco, Wills found enough popularity there to decide on a bigger market. They left Waco in January of 1934 for Oklahoma City. Wills soon settled the renamed "Texas Playboys" in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and began broadcasting noontime shows over the 50,000 watt KVOO radio station. Their 12:30-1:15 Monday-Friday broadcasts became a veritable institution in the region. By 1935 Wills had added horn, reed players and drums to the Playboys. The addition of steel guitar whiz Leon McAuliffe in March, 1935 added not only a formidable instrumentalist but a second engaging vocalist. Wills himself largely sang blues and sentimental ballads.

With its jazz sophistication, pop music and blues influence, plus improvised scats and wisecrack commentary by Wills (something he learned clowning in medicine shows), the band became the first superstars of the genre. In 1940 "New San Antonio Rose" sold a million records and became the signature song of The Texas Playboys. The song's title referred to the fact that Wills had recorded it as a fiddle instrumental in 1938 as "San Antonio Rose". By then, the Texas Playboys were virtually two bands: one a fiddle-guitar-steel band with rhythm section and the second a first-rate big band able to play the day's swing and pop hits as well as Dixieland. Despite losing various members to the World War II draft, Wills kept the big band until late 1942.

By the fall of 1943, after a brief, unpleasant stint in the U.S. Army, Bob Wills had moved to Sacramento with a reorganized, downsized Texas Playboys. He became an enormous draw in Los Angeles, where many of his Texas, Oklahoma and regional fans had relocated during World War II.

He commanded enormous fees playing dances there, and began to make more creative use of electric guitars to replace the big horn sections the Tulsa band had boasted. In 1944 on a rare cross-country tour, he appeared on the Grand Ole Opry and defied that conservative show's ban on drums onstage. By 1945 he was working from Fresno, California then in 1947 he opened the Wills Point nightclub in Sacramento and continued touring the Southwest and Pacific Northwest from Texas to Washington State.

During the postwar period, KGO radio in San Francisco syndicated a Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys show recorded at the Fairmont Hotel. Many of these recordings survive today as the Tiffany Transcriptions, and are available on CD. They show the band's strengths off significantly, with superb instrumental work from fiddlers Joe Holley and Jesse Ashlock, steel guitarists Noel Boggs and Herb Remington, guitarists Eldon Shamblin and Junior Barnard and electric mandolinist-fiddler Tiny Moore.

A binge drinker, Wills became increasingly unreliable in the late 1940s, causing a rift with Tommy Duncan that ended when he fired Duncan in the fall of 1948. Having lived a lavish lifestyle, in 1949 Wills moved back to Oklahoma City, then went back on the road to maintain his payroll and Wills Point. An even more disastrous business decision came when he opened a second club, the Bob Wills Ranch House in Dallas, Texas. Turning the club over to what was later revealed as dishonest managers left Wills in desperate financial straits with heavy debts to the IRS for back taxes that caused him to sell many assets including, mistakenly, the rights to "New San Antonio Rose." It wrecked him financially.

Wills continued to tour and record through the 1950s into the early 1960s, despite the fact that Western Swing's popularity even in the Southwest, had greatly diminished. Even a 1958 return to KVOO where his younger brother Johnnie Lee Wills had maintained the family's presence, did not produce the success he hoped. He kept the band on the road into the 1960s. After two heart attacks, in 1965 he dissolved the Texas Playboys (who briefly continued as an independent unit) to perform solo with house bands. While he did well in Las Vegas and other areas, and made records for Kapp, he was largely a forgotten figure, though inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1968. A 1969 stroke left his right side paralyzed, ending his active career.

Wills's musical legacy, however, endured. His style influenced performers Buck Owens and Merle Haggard and helped to spawn a style of music now known as the Bakersfield Sound (Bakersfield was one of Wills's regular stops in his heyday). A 1970 tribute album by Merle Haggard directed a wider audience to Wills's music, as did the appearance of younger "revival" bands like Asleep at the Wheel and the growing popularity of longtime Wills disciple and fan Willie Nelson. By 1971, Wills recovered sufficiently to travel occasionally and appear at tributes. In 1973 he a final reunion session of members of the Playboys from the 1930s to the 1960s and invited Haggard to take place. The session, scheduled for two days, took place in December, 1973, the album to be titled "For the Last Time". While Wills appeared on a couple tracks from the first day session, he suffered another stroke overnight, and a more severe one a few days later. His musicians completed the album without him. Wills by then was comatose. He lingered until his death on May 13, 1975.

Links

Texas Playboys Website
http://www.texasplayboys.net/

Bob Wills Official site
http://www.bobwills.com/

posted in BOB WILLS IS THE APEX OF WESTERN CIVILIZ - 0 replies

Does ANYBODY Care About This Music?

2006-01-21T23:37:41Z

A Western swing band I know, the Saddle Cats, is getting terrible turnouts. Other Western bands likewise. I booked a Saddle Cats show the other night and it was a disaster. But Cari Lee and the Saddle-Ites have had similar shows where they outnumbered the audience.

What gives? I can post to the various Western and twang lists and nobody shows up from the lists.

Or do people just sit at home and play Bob Wills CDs?

posted in BOB WILLS IS THE APEX OF WESTERN CIVILIZ - 14 replies

Locations of Places Bob Wills Played?

2005-11-17T16:43:54Z

I'm interested in knowing places where Bob Wills played in California. Especially, I'm interested in knowing exactly where the Wills Point ballroom was. It's been variously described as "in" and "near" Sacramento.

Anybody?

posted in BOB WILLS IS THE APEX OF WESTERN CIVILIZ - 4 replies

Every now and then

2005-09-18T07:44:18Z

they play a set of Texas Playboys on the Santa Cruz college radio station or on KPIG. When I lived there it made me happy.

posted in BOB WILLS IS THE APEX OF WESTERN CIVILIZ - 2 replies

light crust doughboys are still on top!

2005-08-15T01:00:54Z

don't forget BWs earlier group...

posted in BOB WILLS IS THE APEX OF WESTERN CIVILIZ - 0 replies

Dude Martin

2005-08-09T10:55:23Z

Nobody's posted here in awhile, so I thought I'd mention a great aircheck I found from KGO Radio in 1948. It features Dude Martin, a local Western bandleader as a DJ playing the popular Western tunes of the day.

Go to http://www. and then click on the KGO Dude Martin - Sunrise Roundup, Feb. 11, 1948 link to hear this interesting broadcast.

KGO has long been known in SF as the nation's leading news/talk station, having begun the format in 1962. But prior to that it was big on Western music along with network shows from ABC (its longtime owner).

Bob Wills had a live show on KGO in I think 1946, hosted by none other than Jack Webb of Dragnet fame.

So, if you can imagine that KGO once had a morning drive DJ who played Western music!

http://www.bayarearadio.org/pages/stations.shtml

posted in BOB WILLS IS THE APEX OF WESTERN CIVILIZ - 0 replies

Saddle Cats in SF -- FREE FREE FREE FREE!

2005-06-23T08:51:52Z

This Thursday (which is already today), the great Western swing band the Saddle Cats will appear at the Atlas Cafe in San Francisco, 8 to 10pm. The Atlas is in the Potrero/Mission area at the corner of 20th and Alabama Streets. AHAAAAA!!

The Saddle Cats features Richard Chon from Bakersfield (formerly of the Sons of the San Joaquin) on fiddle, the incomparable Bing Nathan on bass, and the legendary pedal steel player Bobby Black. AHAAAAA!!

The Saddle Cats seldom play out these days, and never for free, so this is a great opportunity to see them! YESSSS!!

http://www.saddlecats.com/

Go give a listen and see if these guys aren't the reincarnation of the later Bob Wills sound.

posted in BOB WILLS IS THE APEX OF WESTERN CIVILIZ - 0 replies

YES!

2005-06-01T07:24:54Z

I'm happy I found this tribe. Glad to be here.

Growing up I had no idea this music was Western swing. To me it was "country music".

A local Bay Area TV station, KTVU had a Saturday evening live music show put on to promote the various dance clubs and the bands such as Cottonseed Clark, Blackjack Wayne, etc. A local radio station, KEEN, played this music, too.

But then it slipped away and was gradually replaced by Nashville Sound, a music so abhorrent to me that I stopped listening to country music for good.

It was about 6 or 7 years ago that I happened to walk past a club in San Francisco's North Beach and heard a band featuring a fiddle a pedal steel, bass, etc. Immediately I was transported back to being 8 years old again. I had found my music!

As chance would have it it turned out that the pedal steel player in that band, the Saddle Cats just happened to be the legendary Bobby Black, who had been in on those TV sessions in my youth. Bobby went on to perform with Asleep At the Wheel and in Commander Coty & His Lost Planet Airmen.

But, even with all those Western swing bands out there, nothing compares to the freshness, innovation, and downright gritty spunk of Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys.

posted in BOB WILLS IS THE APEX OF WESTERN CIVILIZ - 2 replies

Bob's 100th

2005-02-27T23:32:52Z

Check out the stream at kpfa.org now. At 4pm Pacific time, Steve Hathaway will be on to talk about this:

http://aspa-sfsu.org/events/wills.htm

I am hating that my schedule isn't flexible enough to allow me to attend that lecture series. I'll have to celebrate privately.

posted in BOB WILLS IS THE APEX OF WESTERN CIVILIZ - 0 replies

"the texas playboys are on the air!"

2005-02-23T20:47:07Z

"Destroy All Musical Recordings Except Those of Bob Wills" ??!?!
wow - i love extremists!

although i gotta say - id be hiding a secret stash of
smokey wood and his woodchips and modern mountaineers cuts in ma root cellar . . . .

aint been no activity here since december?!?!
what gives folks?

posted in BOB WILLS IS THE APEX OF WESTERN CIVILIZ - 1 reply

Wills Power

2004-12-27T01:07:33Z

I got a $100 Amoeba gift certificate from my best friend. I figured now is the time to get that Bear Family Bob Wills box set. The certificate would get me about 1/3 of the way there and if I couldn't afford it now I probably wouldn't ever be able to swing it. That box set has been on the wall of Amoeba tempting me for years now. I had a bit of a bittersweet holiday so I was really looking forward to some retail therapy. I'd walk in to Amoeba and get that box set.

Except it wasn't there. Actually, the whole wall of box sets was gone so I went to ask at the info booth where it might be. Working the info booth was a guy who asked me on a couple dates years ago. He used to remember/recognize me but now he didn't recognize me at all. Feh. Anyway, I asked and the box set was in the database but he figured it was probably returned. He said they'd order another one since they should have it in the store (which begs the question of why they returned it in the first place).

I walked around the store trying to shop for a few belated gifts. I saw a used Floyd Tillman box set for $99 and a used Hank Thompson box set for $150 (both were Bear Family boxes). I had to resist. I want that Bob Wills so badly but I'm scared to death that something will happen in these 2 weeks that I'm waiting for them to order it. I just wanted to hand them my gift certificate and my money in advance. They wouldn't do it. Hell, you're telling me a big business like Amoeba couldn't refund me my money if they ended up unable to order the item?

So I bought the gifts (and some sale items for me) with my own money, left my gift certificate untouched and am impatiently awaiting the arrival of that box set. I have to remind myself to be extra frugal until then.

posted in BOB WILLS IS THE APEX OF WESTERN CIVILIZ - 1 reply

still king

2004-12-20T02:35:53Z

I thought the Grilled Cheese Sammiches was the most clever group on tribe- until I saw this place.
AAAAaHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHaaaaaa!!!!!!!!!!

posted in BOB WILLS IS THE APEX OF WESTERN CIVILIZ - 0 replies

Not Bob, but Hank

2004-09-16T22:18:03Z

Check your local PBS schedule. American Masters: Hank Williams is a-gonna be on the boob tube tonight! Suckle mightily!

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/database/williams_h.html

posted in BOB WILLS IS THE APEX OF WESTERN CIVILIZ - 4 replies

what about his Texas Playboys?

2004-09-13T19:25:17Z

he wouldn't have gotten very far without his "boys" & "lasses", right? i mean after all it's the "AWWWWW-HAAAAAAWW" the we really love1

posted in BOB WILLS IS THE APEX OF WESTERN CIVILIZ - 1 reply

Bob moment:

2004-05-13T21:01:57Z

...it's a few months ago, and I'm driving w/ my friends' band back from Austin (SxSW festival);

we're in West Texas, and it's blazingly hot already in March. Been listening to too many of the free cds from crap bands at the festival and eating too much fast food & packaged shit;

we change driver shifts, the guitarist slides into the driver's seat and I into the van's front passenger seat. I light a joint and press eject on whatever's playing and put in Bob Wills & Texas Playboys' greatest hits... driver/guitarist takes a hit, turns to me and says "Whoa... what is this?"

"Bob Wills..." I say, "King of Western Swing. This is before people drew a line between country and swing jazz."

"Country & Jazz?!" he says.

"Yep." We listen to the clean guitar lines, the tightness of the swung-out rhythm section, the sweet fiddles icing the top of the cake.

"Far out" he says; "...I think I need to learn more about these cats."

Mission accomplished.

posted in BOB WILLS IS THE APEX OF WESTERN CIVILIZ - 2 replies

About Bob

2004-03-27T14:38:14Z

That last thread was informative. What are the definative recordings of Bob's work. What periods do you all prefer and what is some of the history of the Band?

posted in BOB WILLS IS THE APEX OF WESTERN CIVILIZ - 6 replies

Who else?

2003-12-23T23:37:52Z

I really love Bob Wills and I have heard some of the Bakersfield Okie western swing stuff which I really enjoy, but, what are some true standouts? I would enjoy hearing some other stuff. Are there any new bands that play music in this genre that you all enjoy?

posted in BOB WILLS IS THE APEX OF WESTERN CIVILIZ - 13 replies

Battle of the Bands

2003-10-28T20:34:50Z

The liner notes for "Columbia Historic Edition: Spade Cooley" mention a Battle of the Bands on the West Coast in which Spade Cooley band somehow beat Bob Wills' for the title "King of Western Swing". Now, I like Spade in measured doses, but I can't figure out what kinda rotgut hooch the audience must have been on that night to vote accordingly.

posted in BOB WILLS IS THE APEX OF WESTERN CIVILIZ - 3 replies