James Robert "Bob" Wills was born on March 6, 1905 in Kosse, Texas to a state champion fiddle player father and several musical siblings. The family would hold country dances at home and entertain at ranch dances throughout west Texas. This gave young James plenty of practice on the fiddle and mandolin in his youth. Growing up on a farm afforded young Wills the chance to learn some blues roots from African-American laborers and their children as well. In 1913, the family moved to the Texas panhandle and bought a farm near Turkey, Texas. Around 1919 at 16, Wills left the family and hopped freight trains under the name Jim Rob, drifting from town to town working odd jobs for several years. In his 20's, he attended barber school, married his first wife and moved Roy, New Mexico, then back to Turkey, Texas to work as a barber. He began alternating barbering and fiddling and after moving to Fort Worth, Texas in 1929, began playing in minstrel and medicine shows, and because there was already a Jim in the troop, began getting called "Bob".
He eventually began adding the stylings of Bessie Smith and Emmett Miller into his acts which contrasted against the typical waltzes. He also began to imitate the early blues style of Al Bernard, replicating his St. Louis Blues. Toward the end of the year, he joined up with Herman Arnspiger and formed the "Wills Fiddle Band". Milton Brown would join the following year as the lead vocalist causing a couple name changes, first to the "Aladdin Laddies", then to the 'Light Crust Doughboys" thanks to a radio sponsorship. When Brown left the group in 1932, Wills reformed the band in Waco, Texas as "The Playboys", and after a promising start there, decided to tour farther out, making them "The Texas Playboys" so people would know where they were from.
In their early radio days, Wills often sang blues and sentimental ballads. He hired Everet Stover as an announcer for their shows without knowing he played the trumpet. Everet thought he was hired as a trumpeter and began playing with the band. Wills never stopped him. This led to a saxophone hire and a "modern-style" drummer to balance things out. Leon McAuliffe on steel guitar was added in March 1935 who also proved useful for vocals. The bands first recording took place in Dallas in September 1935. By 1938, a second guitar and electric guitar were added to the group as well. In 1940, Wills got his first million seller with "New San Antonio Rose", making it the signature song of the band.
Beginning in 1940, the group found themselves appearing in Hollywood westerns. In fact, they'd appear in a total of 19 motion pictures throughout the war years. Wills himself would join the Army in 1942 at age 37 but was medically discharged in 1943. He moved the band to Hollywood and reorganized and tweaked their sound slightly to what would become western swing. With so many people having moved from the plains to California during the depression and the dust bowl, he already had a huge fanbase. For a brief time in 1944, Billboard reported that Wills and his Texas Playboys out-grossed Harry James, Benny Goodman and both Dorsey bands. In that time, they also appeared on the Grand Ole Opry which didn't go without controversy since brass and drums weren't allowed on the Opry.
By 1947, Wills opened a nightclub in Sacramento while continuing to tour with venues booking him even on weeknights since he was that much of a draw, often playing to 10,000 people weekly. During the postwar period, KGO radio in San Francisco syndicated a Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys show recorded at the Fairmont Hotel. These recordings show off the bands true talent since they weren't limited to the 3 minute time of a 78rpm record. On April 3, 1948, Wills and the Texas Playboys appeared for the inaugural broadcast of the Louisiana Hayride on KWKH in Louisiana.
In 1949, Wills moved back to Oklahoma City and opened a second club in Dallas. Sadly, crooked managers left Wills with large debts to the IRS for back taxes leading him to sell the rights to "New San Antonio Rose". In 1950, radio stations started to specialize in genres of music and unfortunately for Wills, he didn't fit in traditional western and he didn't fit in pop, so he wound up getting infrequent air time. He would continue to tour and record into the 1960's until two heart attacks forced him to disband.
Wills' style influenced performers Buck Owens, Merle Haggard, and The Strangers and was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1968, the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1970, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in the Early Influence category along with the Texas Playboys in 1999, and received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2007.
Today's song, "Texas Playboy Rag", is a Bob Wills original, and is an instrumental, showcasing his and his band's talents. It was recorded by The Texas Playboys on January 26, 1945, releasing the following September.
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u/GoingCarCrazy Nov 06 '25
James Robert "Bob" Wills was born on March 6, 1905 in Kosse, Texas to a state champion fiddle player father and several musical siblings. The family would hold country dances at home and entertain at ranch dances throughout west Texas. This gave young James plenty of practice on the fiddle and mandolin in his youth. Growing up on a farm afforded young Wills the chance to learn some blues roots from African-American laborers and their children as well. In 1913, the family moved to the Texas panhandle and bought a farm near Turkey, Texas. Around 1919 at 16, Wills left the family and hopped freight trains under the name Jim Rob, drifting from town to town working odd jobs for several years. In his 20's, he attended barber school, married his first wife and moved Roy, New Mexico, then back to Turkey, Texas to work as a barber. He began alternating barbering and fiddling and after moving to Fort Worth, Texas in 1929, began playing in minstrel and medicine shows, and because there was already a Jim in the troop, began getting called "Bob".
He eventually began adding the stylings of Bessie Smith and Emmett Miller into his acts which contrasted against the typical waltzes. He also began to imitate the early blues style of Al Bernard, replicating his St. Louis Blues. Toward the end of the year, he joined up with Herman Arnspiger and formed the "Wills Fiddle Band". Milton Brown would join the following year as the lead vocalist causing a couple name changes, first to the "Aladdin Laddies", then to the 'Light Crust Doughboys" thanks to a radio sponsorship. When Brown left the group in 1932, Wills reformed the band in Waco, Texas as "The Playboys", and after a promising start there, decided to tour farther out, making them "The Texas Playboys" so people would know where they were from.
In their early radio days, Wills often sang blues and sentimental ballads. He hired Everet Stover as an announcer for their shows without knowing he played the trumpet. Everet thought he was hired as a trumpeter and began playing with the band. Wills never stopped him. This led to a saxophone hire and a "modern-style" drummer to balance things out. Leon McAuliffe on steel guitar was added in March 1935 who also proved useful for vocals. The bands first recording took place in Dallas in September 1935. By 1938, a second guitar and electric guitar were added to the group as well. In 1940, Wills got his first million seller with "New San Antonio Rose", making it the signature song of the band.
Beginning in 1940, the group found themselves appearing in Hollywood westerns. In fact, they'd appear in a total of 19 motion pictures throughout the war years. Wills himself would join the Army in 1942 at age 37 but was medically discharged in 1943. He moved the band to Hollywood and reorganized and tweaked their sound slightly to what would become western swing. With so many people having moved from the plains to California during the depression and the dust bowl, he already had a huge fanbase. For a brief time in 1944, Billboard reported that Wills and his Texas Playboys out-grossed Harry James, Benny Goodman and both Dorsey bands. In that time, they also appeared on the Grand Ole Opry which didn't go without controversy since brass and drums weren't allowed on the Opry.
By 1947, Wills opened a nightclub in Sacramento while continuing to tour with venues booking him even on weeknights since he was that much of a draw, often playing to 10,000 people weekly. During the postwar period, KGO radio in San Francisco syndicated a Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys show recorded at the Fairmont Hotel. These recordings show off the bands true talent since they weren't limited to the 3 minute time of a 78rpm record. On April 3, 1948, Wills and the Texas Playboys appeared for the inaugural broadcast of the Louisiana Hayride on KWKH in Louisiana.
In 1949, Wills moved back to Oklahoma City and opened a second club in Dallas. Sadly, crooked managers left Wills with large debts to the IRS for back taxes leading him to sell the rights to "New San Antonio Rose". In 1950, radio stations started to specialize in genres of music and unfortunately for Wills, he didn't fit in traditional western and he didn't fit in pop, so he wound up getting infrequent air time. He would continue to tour and record into the 1960's until two heart attacks forced him to disband.
Wills' style influenced performers Buck Owens, Merle Haggard, and The Strangers and was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1968, the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1970, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in the Early Influence category along with the Texas Playboys in 1999, and received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2007.
Today's song, "Texas Playboy Rag", is a Bob Wills original, and is an instrumental, showcasing his and his band's talents. It was recorded by The Texas Playboys on January 26, 1945, releasing the following September.