| Bob Wills and Milton Brown |
Wills and Brown are often discussed together because they played together in a Texas group that became the Light Crust Doughboys, before starting their own bands in the early 1930s.
Before we get to the records, let's discuss the term "Western swing." Here's what I wrote about it a few years ago in the Spade Cooley post:
Western swing is generally considered to be a branch of country music, but its name also conveys two other influences. First, it is "Western" because it was produced by musicians who lived in the West, primarily California, with the best of them also appearing in Western films. And it was "swing" because it reflected the swing music of the time. The great Western bands - Cooley's among them - played for dancers, just as the city swing bands did. Some people believe that Cooley's promoter popularized the term "Western swing."
All that is true for the period under discussion back then - 1944-47. But the roots of the style were in Texas, the homes of both Wills and Brown. (Wills later moved to California.) And in the early years, the music did not "swing" in the sense of the swing bands who soon would become popular, who were characterized by a four-to-the-bar beat.
For the most part, the recordings we will present today are Western versions of string band music, and while Wills and Brown played for dancing, most of their records in this early period have a pronounced two-beat emphasis, unlike the rhythm that the swing bands would adopt.
That's not to say Wills and Brown were not innovative - their recordings were both musically interesting and highly influential, even though they themselves were influenced by earlier traditions, recordings and instrumentation, including jazz. Over time Wills updated the makeup of his band to reflect that of the big bands. You will hear many instrumental solos on these sides, and the later numbers pit saxes against trumpets, much like the swing bands of the time.
We'll start with Milton Brown, the lesser known musician.
Milton Brown and His Brownies - Country and Western Dance-o-Rama
You can find an detailed account of Milton Brown's brief career at boppinbob's blog From the Vaults. Brown's life was short - he died in a car accident in 1936 at age 32, just as his popularity was growing. By that time he had recorded a few sides for Bluebird and many more for Decca; it is from the latter collection that this early 10-inch LP was derived.
Six of these recordings come from January 1935, with the balance from March 1936. For the earlier session, the musicians were Milton Brown, lead vocal, Derwood Brown (Milton's brother), vocal and guitar, Ocie Stockard, vocal and banjo, Bob Dunn, steel guitar, Wanna Coffman, bass, and Fred Calhoun, piano. Fiddlers Cecil Brower and Cliff Bruner are listed for the 1936 recordings. There are fiddlers on the 1935 recordings, but they are unidentified.
| Milton Brown and His Brownies |
The first selection is on the LP is "St. Louis Blues," which shows off Milton Brown's excellent vocal skills, and the strong influence that the commercial blues had on the band.
"Sweet Jennie Lee" is a Walter Donaldson song from 1930 first recorded by Isham Jones, showing the impact of dance bands on the music.
"Texas Hambone Blues" is a compilation of blues stanzas that mostly exist to set off instrumental breaks.
"Brownie Special" is an amusing talking blues with Milton Brown playing the conductor. Future politician Jimmie Davis, also a Decca artist, is credited with the song.
"Right or Wrong" is another Tin Pan Alley song, by Arthur Sizemore, Paul Biese and Haven Gillespie, written back in 1921.
A college fight song is next - "Washington and Lee Swing," which provides a framework for solo outings by most members of the band.
The Brownies were a dance band, and the next song is a waltz - "Beautiful Texas," which is attributed to W. Lee (Pappy) O'Daniel, another quasi-musician later to become a politician. O'Daniel formed the aforementioned Light Crust Doughboys and recorded this song with them in 1934. (It also was done by Jimmie Davis.)
Finally, we have "Little Betty Brown." a traditional fiddle reel here with calls by Durwood Brown.
My transfer comes from a circa 1980 reissue where the engineer decided to twiddle with the bass and treble, throwing the balance way off. I've adjusted matters.
LINK to Milton Brown and His Brownies
Bob Wills Round Up / Bob Wills Special
To represent Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys, we have what are possibly the first two LP reissues of their records. The earlier item is the 10-inch Bob Wills Round Up, one of the initial entries in Columbia's "American Folk Music Series" in 1949.
The 12-inch LP Bob Wills Special, which Columbia issued on its budget Harmony label in 1957, was a reissue of the 10-inch LP with two additional songs and inferior sound. To the 10 songs derived from these LPs, I've added a bonus number from a 78.
| Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys |
The songs date from 1936-45. Among the musicians are Herman Arnspiger, guitar, Leon McAuliffe, steel guitar, Johnnie Lee Wills (Bob's brother), banjo, Smokey Dacus, drums, Wills and Jesse Ashlock, fiddles, and Al Stricklin, piano. Many of the dates, even as early as 1936, also include trumpet and saxes.
Round Up starts off with perhaps the most famous Wills number - "New San Antonio Rose," from 1940. Why is it "new"? Because it's a version of Wills' popular 1938 instrumental, "San Antonio Rose," only with lyrics. The remake is clearly an improvement, for two reasons. First, there is the vocalizing of the superb and influential Tommy Duncan, a notably relaxed and sonorous baritone whose disciples included Tex Williams and Ray Price. Also, the arrangement of the bridge was improved. In the earlier version it was a Leon McAuliffe solo. Here the first pass is a vocal with trumpets; for the second the distinctive mariachi-style twin trumpets carry the melody.
| Tommy Duncan and Bob Wills |
Duncan is also to the fore in a highly effective version of Richard M. Jones's 1924 quasi-blues "Trouble in Mind." This recording is notable for its strong beat, twin fiddle break and Stricklin solo. Wills' famed interjections, intros and "aa-haa's" also are prominent and as usual, perfectly timed. This is the earliest recording in the set.
"Take Me Back to Tulsa" from 1941 is one of the band's biggest hits. Here it is attributed to Wills, but it's possible that it makes use of traditional words and breaks, possibly worked out over time at live dates.
The influential country music songwriter and publisher Fred Rose wrote "I Can't Go On This Way." Its first release was in 1946 by Roy Rogers, with Wills' far superior version soon to follow.
The only instrumental in this set is "Big Beaver," attributed to Wills. It comes from 1940, and features solos by unidentified musicians playing trumpet and sax. (By 1942, he would be recording with three trumpets and five saxes.)
"Time Changes Everything" is another notable record, dating from 1940. Here it's ascribed to Wills, but usually is considered to be a Tommy Duncan song.
Fred Rose also wrote the novelty "Roly Poly," which was a big hit for Wills in 1945.
"Miss Molly" from 1942 was an early song by the prolific Cindy Walker, who wrote many tunes for Wills at the time. The vocal here is by Leon McAuliffe and a trio.
Next are the two songs from Bob Wills Special, which, as noted, is otherwise a reissue of Round Up.
One song is the "San Antonio Rose" instrumental. The other is "The Convict and the Rose," a dreary death row tale first recorded by Vernon Dalhart in 1925. The authors were Ballard MacDonald and Robert King. The two songs first appeared on the same 78 single in 1942.
Wills and Duncan had a falling out in 1948, and Tommy left the band. Supposedly the issue was Wills drinking and not showing up for dates - and Duncan complaining about the habit. They later reunited. Duncan died in 1967, Wills in 1975.
LINK to Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys