COWBOY JAZZ and HILLBILLY SWING In the 1930s powerful jazz influences infected the
string bands of Texas and the Southwest.
Blending saxes and brass, hot
jazz fiddle, swinging dance rhythms, dixieland, swing and blues with rural
string band sounds created Western Swing.
A widely popular regional
music that may sound country . . . but it’s pure jazz and blues.
A series featuring Western Swing by Bob Wills and his Texas Playboys, Light Crust Doughboys, Milton Brown, Smokey Wood, Hot Club of Cowtown, and others.
COWBOY JAZZ 1A.mp3 BASIN STREET BLUES -- Bob Wills and his Texas Playboys, 1946 WILLIAM TELL -- Bob Wills and his Texas Playboys, unissued 1938 THAT’S WHAT I LIKE ABOUT THE SOUTH -- Bob Wills and his Texas Playboys, 1938 SWING BLUES #1 -- Bob Wills and his Texas Playboys, 1936 PIPE LINERS BLUES -- Modern Mountaineers, 1940 EVERYBODY’S TRUCKIN’ -- Smokey Wood & Modern Mountaineers, 1937 FORT WORTH STOMP -- Crystal Springs Ramblers, 1937 BUG SCUFFLE -- Swift Jewel Cowboys , 1939 I’M AN OLD COWHAND -- Dan Hicks & his Hot Licks, voc. Mary Anne Price, 1972 MISSION TO MOSCOW -- Hot Club of Cowtown, 1998
COWBOY JAZZ 1B.mp3 WOMEN, WOMEN, WOMEN -- Shelly Lee Alley and his Alley Cats, 1937 FAN IT -- Milton Brown & his Musical Brownies, 1936 TEXAS HAMBONE BLUES -- Milton Brown & his Musical Brownies, 1936 CHINATOWN MY CHINATOWN -- Milton Brown, 1935 CHINATOWN MY CHINATOWN -- Hot Club of Cowtown MISSISSIPPI DELTA BLUES -- Bob Wills and his Texas Playboys, 1941 PLEASE DON’T TALK ABOUT ME -- Bob Wills and his Texas Playboys, 1947 DARKTOWN STRUTTERS' BALL -- Bob Wills & his Texas Playboys, 1936
Bob Wills' "Tulsa Orchestra" Western Swing band with 8 horns, plus fiddles and amplified steel guitars.
COWBOY JAZZ 2A.mp3 KNOCKY, KNOCKY -- The Light Crust Doughboys, 1938 HILLBILLY SWING -- Jimmie Revard and his Oklahoma Playboys, c. 1937 MILK COW BLUES -- Johnny Lee Wills, 1941 PANHANDLE SHUFFLE -- The Sons of the West, 1941 SISTER KATE -- Clifff Bruner Texas Wanderers, c. 1937 SWEET JENNY LEE -- Hot Club of Cowtown, 1998 SUNDOWN BLUES -- The Texas Wanderers, voc Moon Mullican, 1940 BRING IT DOWN TO MY HOUSE HONEY -- Milton Brown and his Musical Brownies, 1937 HESITATION BLUES -- Milton Brown his Musical Brownies, 1936 CORRINE, CORRINA -- Bob Wills and his Texas Playboys, voc Bob Wills, 1940 TULSA TWIST -- Dickie McBride & the Village Boys, 1941
COWBOY JAZZ 2B.mp3 SITTIN’ ON TOP OF THE WORLD -- Mississippi Sheiks, early 1930s SITTIN’ ON TOP OF THE WORLD -- Bob Wills and his Texas Playboys, Wills vocal, 1935 SITTIN’ ON TOP OF THE WORLD -- Asylum St. Spankers LOUISE, LOUISE -- Milton Brown and his Musical Brownies, vocal Derwood Brown, 1937 JEEP’S BLUES -- Port Arthur Jubileers, 1940 HONEY WHAT YOU GONNA DO -- Bob Wills and his Texas Playboys 1941 BRAIN CLOUDY BLUES -- Bob Wills & his Texas Playboys, vocal Tommy Duncan, 1946 BIG BEAVER -- Bob Wills & his Texas Playboys, 1940
Bob Wills: Probably Tulsa May, 1942
(Photo: Courtesy Hal Smith)
COWBOY JAZZ 3A.mp3 OKLAHOMA STOMP -- Spade Cooley & his Orchestra, 1946 WHATS THE MATTER WITH THE MILL -- Bob Wills and his Texas Playboys, 1946 I NEVER KNEW -- Bob Wills and his Texas Playboys, 1946 TROUBLE IN MIND -- Skeets McDonald, 1950s WAITING JUST FOR YOU -- Hank Penny, vocal by Jaye P. Morgan I WISH I WAS A SINGLE GIRL -- Maddox Brothers and Rose JERSEY BOUNCE -- Hank Penny, 78 rpm MERLE’S BOOGIE WOOGIE -- Merle Travis, 78 rpm OKIE BOOGIE -- Jack Guthrie and his Oklahomans, 78 rpm BOB WILLS BOOGIE -- Bob Wills and his Texas Playboys, 1946 SQUARE DANCE BOOGIE -- Johnny Lee Wills, late 1940s, vocal Leon Huff THREE WAY BOOGIE -- Spade Cooley & his Orchestra, 1946
COWBOY JAZZ 3B.mp3 SNAKE DANCE BOOGIE -- Roy Hogsed, 1951 COCAINE BLUES -- Roy Hogsed, 1947 OLD JOE TURNER’S BLUES -- Cliff Bruner's Texas Wanderers, piano and vocal Moon Mullican FAT BOY RAG (excerpt) -- Bob Wills, 1945 DEAR OKIE (excerpt) -- Bill Carlisle, 78 rpm DEAR ARKIE (excerpt) -- Cliffie Stone, 78 rpm EASY MONTHLY PAYMENT BLUES (excerpt) -- Roy Hogsed, 1947, 78 rpm TAXES, TAXES (excerpt) -- Hank Penny early 1950s BOTTLE BABY BOOGIE -- Bob Wills & his Texas Playboys, 1953 ALIMONY BOUND (excerpt) -- Merle Travis, 78 rpm ALIMONY -- Maddox Bros & Rose, late 1940s FISHTAIL BOOGIE -- Roy Hogsed, 1947 HILLBILLY BEBOP -- Hank Penny, early 1950s
