On this day in 1975, Bob Wills died after a career that spanned almost 60 years. I’m not enough of a Western Music expert to comment sufficiently on the influence he and the Texas Playboys had on the genre. Suffice it to say that just about every classic CW singer pays homage to Wills.
San Antonio Rose was his theme song. First composed as an instrumental in 1938, it was rearranged and had lyrics added in the early 1940s. If I were to try to list every singer who did a cover, this would be one very long post. In fact, a list of who hasn’t done a cover would be much shorter. Here are a few who have, Willie Nelson, Patsy Cline, Ray Price, Floyd Cramer (instrumental), Chet Atkins, Jim Reeves, and Bing Crosby. And Leon Russell, of course. Sigh.
Many of those versions, and more, are available on line. The original, however, is the best.
As Waylon said, Bob Wills is still the king,
Bob Wills was a pioneer and a giant in Country Western music. His music plays as well today as it did 60 some years ago.
Made. Of. Win.But Elvis is the King …;-)
Of Rock and Roll, maybe, but not of Western Swing.
I have sung that song to all of my daughters, mostly when they were babies, to put them to sleep. Grew up listening to him, & I'm trying to keep it up with my kids. He's high up there in the Texas music pantheon; the king indeed.The Farmer's Daughter (the dance hall where he played most here) is now a nondenominational church. I about cried when I got back home and saw that.There's really no one I can look at in country music today–or Texas music, for that matter–and point at as Bob Wills's obvious heir, save maybe Asleep at the Wheel. There was such a depth to his music that no one even tries to match anymore. The steel, the fiddles…