Roughstock.com

Western Swing

By: Roughstock Staff

Last Updated: January 27, 2009 12:01 AM

Western Swing originated in the dance halls of small towns throughout the Lower Great Plains in the 1920s and 1930s, evolving from the old house parties and ranch dances where fiddlers and guitarists would entertain crowds with their toe-tapping melodies. According to Hall of Fame guitarist Merle Travis, "Western Swing is nothing more than a group of talented country boys, unschooled in music, but playing the music they feel, beating a solid two-four rhythm to the harmonies that buzz around their brains. When it escapes in all it musical glory, my friend, you have Western Swing."

Western Swing, although hard to truly define, is best described as a blend of big band, blues, dixieland, and jazz, among others, and the genre introduced drums and the steel guitar (by way of Hawaii) to country music. This unique musical mixture was originally referred to as Western music until the 1931 Duke Ellington hit, "It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)" brought the word “swing” into the mainstream.

Combining the popular styles of jazz and big band swing with the culture of the Southwest, Western Swing differed in several ways from the music played by the nationally popular horn-driven, swing bands of the same era. In Western bands—even the fully orchestrated bands—vocals and the other instruments followed the fiddle's lead. Additionally, most Western bands, either lyrically or instrumentally, improvised frequently during recordings or performances, while popular horn bands tended to stick with the original arrangements. Numerous groups, from San Antonio to Shreveport, enjoyed this creative freedom and put their own stamp on the new sound.

Bob Wills (the "King of Western Swing") and Milton Brown (the “Founder of Western Swing”) are considered to be the seminal figures in the genre’s movement when, in the early 1930s, they co-founded the Light Crust Doughboys. Sponsored by Light Crust Flour (hence the name), the Doughboys played dancehalls and performing for rapt radio audiences in this period of rejuvenation and renewal after the Great Depression. Brown quit the group in 1932, recorded with his Musical Brownies for three years, and then passed away in 1936 when he developed pneumonia after a car accident. Wills, after quitting the Doughboys over a dispute with their sponsor, continued to perfect his style in the late 1930's with his band The Texas Playboys. Many of Wills’ greatest hits were recorded between 1935 and 1942, including "San Antonio Rose" and "Take Me Back to Tulsa" (click here to listen).

Western Swing reached its peak in this time period, and in the early 1940s, the Light Crust Doughboys (sans Wills) performed during radio broadcasts that went out to over 170 stations in the South and Southwest and were heard by millions of people nationally. Wills fine-tuned his sound with The Texas Playboys, as they continued their gig at Cain's Ballroom in Tulsa from 1934 to 1943; crowds averaged 6,000 patrons nightly. Daily shows were broadcast on KVOO radio, and regular shows continued until 1958, with Johnnie Lee Wills as the bandleader.

Later in the 1940s, with the United States' continuing involvement in World War II, a 30 percent federal excise tax was levied against "dancing" night clubs. Although the tax was later reduced to 20 percent, "No Dancing Allowed" signs went up all over the country. Wills still drew record crowds, greeting thousands of guests per month. The opening of famous establishments such as the Palomino in North Hollywood were a sure sign of the music’s widespread appeal, but soon the musical tastes of the nation change. The decline of Western Swing in the years following the War reflected the renewed enthusiasm of the more mainstream big-band sound, and although strands of Western Swing were still evident across the country, the genre would never attain similar popularity ever again.

Roughstock's History of Country Music
Introduction Bill Monroe and Bluegrass ('40-'60) Outlaw Country (1970s)
     
The Beginnings ('20-'40) Cowboy Music (1940-1960) Urban Country (1980s)
     
Western Swing ('30-'50) Honky Tonk Music (1950s) Garth And New Country (1990s)
     
Acuff & The Grand Ole Opry (1940s) The Nashville Sound (1960s)  

Click here to get daily updates from Roughstock.

Email It | Print It | Post A Comment | Bookmark and Share

READER'S COMMENTS

pandora says:

Posted: 9 hours ago

In Pandora Charms Jared design philosophy, to provide customers with personalized Pandora Charm Gift Sets opportunity is a very important part. Nuola Sen explains: "We want women to express themselves freely and you can follow their own ideas to create the appearance of any combination of Pandora Finished Bracelets."

wikimouse says:

Posted: Sunday, February 12, 2012

I think, before doing a car insurance comparison, perhaps the best thing to do is to read a little about it. You need be picky, there is a lot of car insurance companies out there. If you do some reading, your car insurance comparisons will be smarter. I had an issue with that, I did not have a vehicle insurance at the time.

cheap logo design says:

Posted: Sunday, February 12, 2012

You produce a great point in your own final paragraph. We couldn’t agree more together with your points. In today’s modern world, your approach to this issue is lacking in today’s kids. We need to ensure that our kids find out more on this topic so we never lose our ways. cheap logo design

web based crm says:

Posted: Saturday, February 11, 2012

This is really a good site with great information along with excellent post for all to view and comment on this site.The information present here is helpful for the readers.Overall wonderful site. web based crm free crm

web based crm says:

Posted: Friday, February 10, 2012

This is really a good site with great information along with excellent post for all to view and comment on this site.The information present here is helpful for the readers.Overall wonderful site. web based crm free crm

thomas and sabo says:

Posted: Monday, October 31, 2011

4. Wow, this list is great! There are so much things that I really need to learn how to do, but just not doing them. It is time for me to stop procrastinating and give the list a try.thomas and sabo

Generic Viagra says:

Posted: Sunday, October 30, 2011

Thanks for your time, I’ve just been interested in info about the following niche for some time after coupled with one is the perfect I’ve found out now. Although, just what exactly around the the last word? Do you find yourself favourable over the provide?

5-APB says:

Posted: Saturday, September 10, 2011

Their potency and effects range from mild to strong and generally do resemble MDMA. Benzo Fury (6-APB) is notably stronger or more potent than most of the others and this combined with its catchy street name has led to its growing popularity.5-APB is likely to surpass the popularity of 6-APB although due to the difficulty in production of this chemical it may be hard to aquire.

Faiza rahman says:

Posted: Saturday, September 10, 2011

I discovered your blog site on google and check a few of your early posts and my seotons. Continue to keep up the very good operate. I just additional up your RSS feed to my MSN News Reader. Seeking forward to reading more from you later on!…

says:

Posted: Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Western swing is my favorite one.Western Swing, although hard to truly define, is best described as a blend of big band, blues, dixieland, and jazz, among others, and the genre introduced drums and the steel guitar

says:

Posted: Sunday, June 19, 2011

I love western music.Hope I can continue my practice and become a great singer one day!!

colon cleanse says:

Posted: Tuesday, June 7, 2011

love to see more comments here,really nice topic to discuss

Bahia Shopping says:

Posted: Thursday, April 28, 2011

The very heart of your writing whilst sounding reasonable initially, did not sit properly with me personally after some time. Somewhere throughout the sentences you actually were able to make me a believer unfortunately just for a while.

Street Shop Milano says:

Posted: Friday, April 22, 2011

Oh my goodness! a tremendous article dude. Thanks However I am experiencing difficulty with ur rss . Don’t know why Unable to subscribe to it. Is there anybody getting similar rss downside? Anybody who knows kindly respond. Thnkx

Redlands Marketing UK says:

Posted: Friday, April 22, 2011

Hi, first I want to say awesome blog. I don’t always agree with your blogposts but it’s always a great read.

Nano Diamond says:

Posted: Monday, April 4, 2011

important information. It's really useful. Thanks

ed hardy says:

Posted: Friday, April 1, 2011

So content to benefit from such a insightful post that does not depend on base posturing to obtain the topic fulfilled. The post is in reality the greatest on this laudable topic. Preserve it up!

ed hardy says:

Posted: Friday, April 1, 2011

browser. Anyhow keep up the good work.

Cmc web studio says:

Posted: Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Nice article! It was a pleasure to read it

Movies and Music says:

Posted: Saturday, March 26, 2011

thanx for all my friend.i know this site many information can i find

Movies and Music says:

Posted: Saturday, March 26, 2011

very nice site.i will add to my bookmark. come to my site to ,Movies and music

Finance Group says:

Posted: Saturday, March 26, 2011

A little bit of internet browsing and discovered your blog looks somewhat screwed up in my K-meleon browser. However , fortunately scarcely anyone makes use of it any more but you may want to take a look into it.

Watson Rounds Law says:

Posted: Thursday, March 24, 2011

Resources like the one you mentioned here will be very useful to me! I will post a link to this page on my blog. I am sure my visitors will find that very useful.

Advanced SEO says:

Posted: Thursday, March 24, 2011

I disagree with most people here; since I started reading this blog post I couldn't stop until I was done, while it wasn't just what I had been trying to find, was still a great read though. I will instantaneously get your blog feed to keep in touch of future updates.

Auto1 Beograd says:

Posted: Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Great post. I really appereciate your work done in developing this blog.

Autos From USA says:

Posted: Thursday, March 3, 2011

Hi. I needed to drop you a quick word to specific my thanks. I have been following your blog for a month or so and have picked up some good data as well as enjoyed the way you’ve got structured your site. I am trying to run my own weblog but I think its too normal and I want to focus more on smaller topics. Being all issues to all folks just isn’t all that its cracked as much as be.

yeast infection says:

Posted: Monday, February 28, 2011

Could someone like me, an amateur do that? I really wanna to make something like this. Just wanna tell u your home page seem broken when I browse using Mozilla.

roulette says:

Posted: Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Harmonious of the newest U.S. fa‡ade online casinos to come from the regulatory clutches of Curacao (see homepage representing validation seal), Fabulous Vegas actually has innumerable years of gaming experience junior to its belt. The Lavish Vegas Casino directing team has been round since the appear of online gambling, and in adding up to earning a solid name with players, has managed some of the most successful online casinos to date.

casino en ligne says:

Posted: Monday, February 14, 2011

Harmonious of the newest U.S. front online casinos to come up from the regulatory rule of Curacao (see homepage for the sake validation seal), Fabulous Vegas in point of fact has uncountable years of gaming participation comprised in its belt. The Lavish Vegas Casino government troupe has been around since the dawn of online gambling, and in into the bargain to earning a solid name with players, has managed some of the most successful online casinos to date.

Latest Gadgets says:

Posted: Monday, February 14, 2011

I learn something new on different blogs everyday. It is always refreshing to read posts of other bloggers and learn something from them. Thanks for sharing.

wan shop says:

Posted: Saturday, February 5, 2011

I recommended it on stumbleupon. The only thing that it’s missing is a bit of new design.

Saimon Chuck says:

Posted: Thursday, February 3, 2011

I think you are a good writer. Thanks. I am very proud to visit this site.

software system review says:

Posted: Thursday, February 3, 2011

I have found this your post because I have been searching for some information about it almost three hours. You helped me a lot indeed and reading this your article I have found many new and useful information about this subject.

Visx Develop says:

Posted: Tuesday, February 1, 2011

meaning to ask what analytics you use to track your visitors, i am going now on this blog adventure thing and using hitstatcounter.com not sure if its the best but it is free. cheers in advance.

Dandar Lawyers says:

Posted: Tuesday, February 1, 2011

You designed some excellent points there. I did a research within the theme and determined most persons will agree with your webpage.

choirul says:

Posted: Saturday, January 22, 2011

free text messages in unlimitsms.net, all operator and to all country

mercedes turbocharger says:

Posted: Sunday, January 16, 2011

It does seem that everybody is into this kind of stuff lately. Don’t really understand it though, but thanks for trying to explain it. Appreciate you shedding light into this matter. Keep it up Excellent post. It is one of the best post from other.

mohsin2 says:

Posted: Sunday, January 16, 2011

I think you’ve made some truly interesting points. Not too many people would actually think about this the way you just did. I’m really impressed that there so much about this subject that’s been

sara ali says:

Posted: Thursday, December 30, 2010

I think you’ve made some truly interesting points. Not too many people would actually think about this the way you just did. I’m really impressed that there so much about this subject that’s been uncovered and you did it so well, with so much class. Good one you, man! Really great stuff here.

louis vuitton says:

Posted: Thursday, December 9, 2010

louis vuitton

louis vuitton outlet says:

Posted: Thursday, December 9, 2010

louis vuitton outlet

online casino says:

Posted: Thursday, August 5, 2010

You really make it seem so easy with your presentation but I find this topic to be really something which I think I would never understand. It seems too complicated and very broad for me. I am looking forward for your next post, I will try to get the hang of it!

cleaning hertfordshire says:

Posted: Wednesday, July 7, 2010

Music always made me inspire specially the good old music. I love it.

buckatune says:

Posted: Friday, September 18, 2009

You can purchase great western swing mp3 downloads at www.buckatune.net

alinahnyi says:

Posted: Friday, July 24, 2009

replica watches wholesale watches wholesale watch

LEAVE A COMMENT