"Bob Wills Is Still the King"

[wolfs]

Does anyone like Bob Wills? I feel like he's underappreciated. I first heard about him from the Waylon Jennings song, and once I heard a bit of Wills's music, I was hooked.

I picked up a box set of his work (Take Me Back to Tulsa - from the label Proper Box - four discs for under $25) and I've been digging almost every minute of it. I really like older rural American music (acoustic blues, early jazz, early country, etc.) and it just amazes me how the Texas Playboys seem to put all these different influences together seemlessly.

Does anyone else feel on this? Am I the only person that gets goosebumps when Tommy Duncan sings?

[RHFusillo]

I live in Texas. It would be a criminal offense to say anything against Brother Bob.

But, truthfully, Bob Wills ruled. He still rules.

[Lazylion]

Originally Posted by wolfs

I first heard about him from the Waylon Jennings song...

I love that song! It might have been the first Waylon song I ever heard. I used to sing it every night, and I wouldn't mind bringing it back!

[wolfs]

I'm glad to hear that he's still remembered in Texas... I grew up in northern Wisconsin when top 40 country was just becoming really widespread throughout the rest of rural America... like when Garth Brooks, Brooks and Dunn, Clint Black were first hitting big. So most people's appreciate for country maybe spread back to the 60's and 70's (Waylon, Willie, Merle, Loretta) a lot of that stuff that I really like, but I never got a deep sense of the history of the music until I started digging on my own... Bob Wills's music just really impresses me since I like so many different genres, and the songs... they're so damn catchy!

[wolfs]

"You can hear the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tennessee,
That's the home of country music, on that we all agree.
But once you cross that ole Red River, hoss, that just don't mean a thing,
Once you're down in Texas, Bob Wills is still the king!"

That's my favorite verse from the song... great song, great album. I even love the stupid little joke at the beginning of the song (I wrote this next song on the plane between Dallas and Austin... going to El Paso... whoops)

[Chris Rhoades]

Bob Wills!

[Loel]

Bob Wills indeed!
i like the stuff he did with Mel Tillis
as a guest,asleep at the wheel does
some nice tributes to Bob as well
good stuff...

cheers