Bob Wills And His Texas Playboys Audio CD's & Vinyl Record Albums

James Robert (Bob) Wills (March 6, 1905 – May 13, 1975) was an American country musician and songwriter. He was born near Kosse, Texas; his father was a fiddle player who along with his grandfahter, taught the young Wills to play the fiddle and the mandolin. In his 20s "Jim Rob" attended barber school, got married, and moved to Turkey, Texas, to be a barber. He regularly entered fiddle contests in West Texas, New Mexico and Oklahoma and soon the fiddle had replaced the scissors in the young Wills' imagination. He headed to Fort Worth to pursue a career in music. It was there that while performing in a medicine show, the show's owner gave him the nickname "Bob." In Fort Worth Wills met Herman Arnspinger and formed The Wills Fiddle Band. In 1930 Milton Brown joined the group as lead vocalist and brought a sense of innovation and experimentation to the band, now called the Light Crust Doughboys due to radio sponsorship by the makers of Light Crust Flour. Brown left the band in 1932 to form the Musical Brownies, the first true Western Swing band. Brown added twin fiddles, tenor banjo and slap bass, pointing the music in the direction of swing, which they played on local radio and at dancehalls. Wills remained with the Doughboys and replaced Brown with new singer Tommy Duncan. Unable to work with W. Lee O'Daniel, the authoratarian host of the Light Crust Doughboy radio show and General Manager of the parent, Burrus Mill and Elevator Company, Wills and Duncan left the Doughboys in 1933. After forming a new band, "The Playboys" and relocating to Waco, Wills found enough popularity there to decide on a bigger market. They left Waco in January of 1934 for [[Oklahoma City]. Wills soon settled the renamed "Texas Playboys" in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and began broadcasting noontime shows over the 50,000 watt KVOO radio station. Their 12:30-1:15 Monday-Friday broadcsts became a veritable institution in the region. By 1935 Wills had added horn, reed players and drums to the Playboys. The addition of steel guitar whiz Leon McAuliffe in March, 1935 added not only a formidable instrumentalist but a second engaging vocalist. Wills himself largely sang blues and sentimental ballads.