Thousands Invade Turkey, TX, to Celebrate Bob Wills' Music

Lubbock, TX, Avalanche-Journal ^ | 04-25-04 | Smith, P. Christine

[Theodore R.]

Sunday, April 25, 2004 Thousands invade Turkey to celebrate Bob Wills' music BY P. CHRISTINE SMITH AVALANCHE-JOURNAL

TURKEY — The fans came swingin' across Texas to honor Bob Wills and enjoy the legendary musician's unique style.

"They had (country) music back in those days, and Bob Wills came along and put western swing to it," said Al Paschall of Lubbock. "A lot of people tried to copy it, but they just ain't got it."

Paschall, who retired from a job with the Santa Fe Rail road, grew up not far from Turkey. He has attended the annual Bob Wills Day celebration 10 to 12 times, he said.

"I knew of him when I was just a kid," Paschall said.

Right or wrong, people two-stepped from as far away as Minnesota for the 33rd annual festival, which consists mostly of performances of many of Wills' big hits.

Wills created a new musical style by combining Texas fiddle music with blues, big-band jazz, Dixieland, Tin Pan Alley pop and mariachi.

The late western swing band leader hailed from this tiny town — population 496 — and became famous with his winning style. His Texas Playboys band thrived for 31 years.

Wills' hometown remains proud.

Other die-hard Wills fans arrived Saturday in Turkey to see what has been billed as one of the largest ever gatherings of former Texas Playboys. The main event put those former band members center stage to a very attentive audience.

Pat Cook of Amarillo sat patiently in a lawn chair on the sunny, warm afternoon, waiting for the show to begin. She has been missed only four Bob Wills Days.

Cook remembers attending a dance Wills' band played in Mineral Wells.

"We thought that was big stuff when I was growing up," she said.

Describing herself as a "big fan," Cook said she still listens to Wills' music "all the time."

"We dance to his music every Friday night at the senior citizens center," chi med in Cook's companion, Bill Powell.

Doug Erickson drove about 1,000 miles from Mankato, Minn. He became a Bob Wills fan when he was a college student in the 1960s, he said.

"To me the attraction is the live music," he said. "There's not many places you can find western swing anymore."

The former Texas Playboys seemed just as excited to be there as their fans were to have them.

Without missing a beat, the lead guitarist, bass player, steel guitarist, saxophonist, pianist, drummer and three fiddlers broke into Wills' hits to hootin' and hollerin' from the audience.

It brought back memories for the musicians.

"It was great. I wouldn't trade it for anything," said former Texas Playboy Truitt Cunningham of his six-month stint with Wills' band in 1954.

Truitt acted as band leader for the Saturday performance, which included nine Playboys. He plays bass guitar and sings.

Charles Townsend, a retired West Texas A&M University professor of American history and author of the 1976 book "San Antonio Rose: The Life and Music of Bob Wills," served as master of ceremonies.

He interviewed Wills 87 times for the biography.

"We became more than bio grapher and biographee," Townsend said. "We were friends."

Thousands of people converge on Turkey for the three-day festival.

"It's a lot of work," Mayor Pat Carson said with a smile.

p.christine.smith@lubbockonline.com 766-8754

[76834]

Roly Poly

[zip]

ping

[VOA]

"They had (country) music back in those days, and Bob Wills came along and put western
swing to it," said Al Paschall of Lubbock. "A lot of people tried to copy it,
but they just ain't got it."

One thing that has struck me when older relatives would talk about Bob Wills
is that his band's appearances drew a multi-generational crowd: from
the grandparents down to the grandkids.
Surely the "only game in town" aspect of enterainment "in the day"
accounted for some of this, but it sure does sound like "the good old days".
And we lost something when this artform started to pass along.

[deport]

Biographies of some of the Band Members

[NativeTxn]

Well, I'm going to date myself but I used to dance to Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys in Ft. Worth at Panther Hall! I was a college student and I agree that it was a family affair! There were children up to 80yr olds. I remember one of the best dancers there was over 80 and all the ladies lined up to dance with him and he never missed a dance or a beat. Thank you for the memories today!! I still play Bob Wills some but now I'm gonna play him more!! You are right about Asleep At The Wheel. They are great.

[NativeTxn]

I forgot to say that this was in the 60's. Bob never ended his show without playing Big Balls in Cowtown!!

[csvset]

The album "Riding with Bob" is one of my favorites.

Mine too.

[deport]

My dad sawed on a fiddle some and was a huge fan of Bob Wills. I never saw him in person but did hear a lot of his music and still have a lot of it on tapes that I had bought my dad over the years......

[NativeTxn]

I forgot to say that this was in the 60's. Bob never ended his show without playing Big Balls in Cowtown!!

[uncbob]

Haggard and Strait both do excellent covers on his Milk Cow Blues

[TEXASPROUD]

I bet you alternated between Panther Hall in Ft. Worth and the Longhorn Ball Room in Dallas. Then there was Debonair Danceland, there was a show on the dance floor and a show in the parking lot as well.

[Soaring Feather]

Yeah, TC, Bob Wills Is Still the King. Waylon Jennings.

[vetvetdoug]

I have seen many of Bob Wills' band mates play in Wichita Falls a couple of times. They are passing away much too fast. We had a high school reunion in 1991 and next door Henrietta was having a reunion. We had a DJ and the Henrietta folks had a western swing band with some of Bob Wills' band mates. We closed our reunion and joined the Henrietta reunion. That's Texas for you.....