Bob Wills

From ArticleWorld

James Robert Wills, later known as Bob Wills, was a singer and songwriter who played a key role in shaping and founding country music. Wills was born in Kosse, Texas on March 6, 1905. His father and grandfather taught him to play the fiddle and mandolin at a very young age. After high school Wills got married, went to barber school, and settled down to become a barber. However, much more was in store for him than cutting hair.

Wills frequently entered fiddle contests all over Texas, New Mexico, and Oklahoma. Soon his fiddle took precedent over his scissors and barber shop and he was headed to Fort Worth to pursue a music career. It was here that he came across the nickname "Bob" and started The Wills Fiddle Band with Herman Arnspringer. Milton Brown joined the group in 1930 and the name was changed to the Light Crust Doughboys. Brown left the band in 1932 and was replaced with Tommy Duncan, however, both Duncan and Wills could not work with their radio host and General Manager so they left the band in 1933.

Wills and Duncan formed "The Playboys" and moved to Waco, where they were so popular they decided to go on to a bigger market and audience. They left Waco a year later bound for Oklahoma City. While in Oklahoma, they changed the band name to "Texas Playboys" and started a daily radio broadcast. Oklahoma was good for them, and by 1935, the band had added drums, a horn, reed players, and finally a steel guitar. In 1940 the band recorded "New San Antonio Rose." It became their signature song and sold over one million records.

Wills started becoming very unreliable in the late 1940’s due to his binge drinking. This caused dissension with Duncan and Wills fired him in 1948. Wills continued to tour until 1965 when he had two heart attacks and ended the Texas Plowboys to perform solo. He was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1968 and was paralyzed on the right side after a stroke in 1969. Wills died on May 13, 1975, after another stroke.

Even though Bob Wills is gone, his musical legacy lives on. His style was very influential and can be heard in the music of Buck Owens and Merle Haggard in what has become known as the Bakersfield Sound. Several bands made an appearance in the 1980’s, like Asleep at the Wheel, that mirrored Will’s style and sound.