Return To Vinyls Podcast

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Season 2 Episode 6.
Bob Wills. The Man Who Put The Western In Country Western Drew From Jazz And The Blues And He Is Still The King.

Available On Your Favorite Podcast Platform Including Apple Podcasts, iHeart, Amazon and Spotify. Or Listen Here:

Legends of Country Music
Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys

Western Swing Along
Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys

For The Last Time
Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys

Website Links

BobWills.com

Ornette Coleman - Austin Chronicle

Bob Said What? Texas Monthly

Books

San Antonio Rose: The Life and Music of Bob Wills. By Charles R. Townsend and Bob Pinson


 

 

Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys. Coming April 4th.

Even if you are not a country western fan you probably know who Waylon Jennings is and very well might know his song Bob Wills Is Still The King. So who was Bob Willis you may wonder? He played violin and lead the group the Texas Playboys. He was known as the king of Western Swing which birthed the Western side of Country Western. And that Western Swing music is rooted in the blues and in jazz. Even Ornette Coleman played with him early on. Yes the Bebop and founder of the free jazz played Western Swing with Bob's Texas Playboys!

For Subscribers: Coda To Episode 2:6 Western Swing and Cowboy Music Lives On. COMING SOON. 

Wow & Flutter is a special bonus for subscribers to Return To Vinyls + FREE THREE DAY TRIAL ON APPLE.

Bob Willis influenced many musicians including Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Fats Domino, Jimi Hendrix, Cream, Merle Haggard, Buck Owens and many more. But none more than Asleep At The Wheel with Ray Benson. They still play great authentic Western Swing.

But Western music also included cowboy singers like Leonard Slye and his band The Sons Of The Pioneers. Never heard of him? He changed his name to Roy Rogers when he hit big and started doing movies. The band still exsist, with obvious member changes, but there is also the Riders In The Sky doing authentic Western cowboy music. They did some of the music for Toy Story 2.



Copyright Notice: All of the music samples used in this podcast series are used under Fair Use provisions of the US Copyright Law which states: “it is permissible to use limited portions of a work including quotes, for purposes such as commentary, criticism, news reporting, and scholarly reports.”
The copyright of all music in this podcast series is held by the individual holders. The theme and end songs are licensed from Fresh Music Library. All commentary is copyright by David Husom. All rights are reserved. Contact the author for educational use of this material.

Copyright © 2025 All Rights Reserved David Husom