Bob Wills Day – April 26, 2025

History of Bob Wills Day

Bob Wills was an American-Western musician and bandleader born on March 6, 1905, on a farm near Kosse, Texas. From a very young age, he developed an interest in music, learning the mandolin and fiddle in his childhood.

Wills performed live and played on air on South and West radio, until 1934 when he banded the Texas Playboys, featuring Tommy Duncan on vocals, banjoist Johnnie Lee Wills, guitarist June Whalin, guitarist and bassist Kermit Whalin, and Wills himself on the fiddle. The band’s music style was tweaked to a bit of Jazz when guitarist Eldon Shamblin became a part of the band in 1937. Over the years, the band’s music style expanded further with the additions of Leon McAuliffe, Smokey Dacus, and Al Stricklin to the band. The Texas Playboys performed regularly in Oklahoma, and radio station K.V.O.O.

The band had its breakthrough in the 1940s and rose to popularity with songs like ‘New San Antonio Rose,’ ‘Steel Guitar Rag,’ and ‘Stars and Stripes on Iwo Jima.’ Wills’ musical troupe signed deals with several labels including Columbia, Vocalion, and M.G.M. In the 1950s, his mega-hit songs ‘Ida Red Likes the Boogie’ and ‘Faded Love’ reigned on the charts, but Wills suffered from poor health and struggled with finances. As Rock and Roll emerged, the band declined in popularity. Still, he continued with his performances. In 1962, Wills had a heart attack which led to the Texas Playboys disbanding, but he continued to perform solo.