How Western Swing Began:
Milton Brown and Bob Wills essentially created the thirties stylistic blend as the co-founders of the stringband which became known as Light Crust Doughboy, which played at the dancehalls and took real advantage of the radio broadcasting which was a new medium during that time. This helped the style to gain a following that was much wider through the music that was played by Wills as well as his Texas Playboys that were located in Tulsa, Brown which is in Forth Worth along with the Light Crust Doughboys that also live in Fort Worth.
The western swing music genre differed greatly from the music that was played by the big swing bands that were horn driven and nationally popular during that same era. In the western bands, even the ones that were fully orchestrated, the vocals as well as other instruments followed the lead of the fiddle. Additionally, most of the western bands improvised freely, collectively or either by soloists. The popular horn bands have a tendency to score and arrange their music. The use and the rhythm of stringed instruments that are electrically amplified, especially the guitar and steel, also gave a very distinctive sound to the music.
The Climb to Fame:
The western swing music genre reached what was known as its “golden age” during the years that followed World War II, blossoming along the West Coast during the time of the war, and was known to be extremely popular throughout the entire West. During the forties, the Light Crust Doughboys broadcast went out over one hundred and seventy radio stations located in the southwest and the south, and were able to be heard by millions and millions of people. The Texas Playboys and Bob Wills played the western swing music nightly from ’34 to ’43 in Cain’s Ballroom which was located in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The crowds that gathered at Cain’s Ballroom reached nearly six thousand people. The daily shows broadcasted on KVOO radio, which had a very far reaching fifty thousand watt signal. Until ’58, the regular shows continued with Johnnie Less Wills as the leader of the band. |
