Customer Reviews

FIDDLIN' MAN: The Life and Times of BOB WILLS

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3 star:		(1)
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Bob Wills etched his way into America's heart with his whoops and hollers, his dancing fiddle and the inimitable sound of his band, the Texas Playboys. This original documentary by director Gary Don Rhodes takes a nostalgic look back at the heyday of Wills and his Playboys, from their early days at KVOO radio -- "The Voice of Oklahoma" -- to the packed dance floor at the legendary Cain's Ballroom in Tulsa, and on to national fame from Las Vegas to Hollywood's silver screen.

#1354 (61 min, B&W, Hi-Fi)

I have spent an inordinate amount of time in this space reviewing the work of that quintessential product of the hills of Oklahoma, Woody Guthrie. And that has been appropriate in my long time search for the roots of American music, if for no other reason than, his decisive influence on such later folk revivalists as Pete Seeger and Bob Dylan (to speak nothing of son, Arlo Guthrie). But those Oklahoma hills (and Texas) also produced in an almost contemporary time frame a very different kind of roots music, western swing, that will always be associated with the name Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys. I may, personally be more at home with the 1930s city-driven swing music of Mr. Benny Goodman but only a complete fool would deny Bob Wills his place as a seminal influence in American roots music. This hour long musical documentary gives a rough biographic sketch of that career, and along the way some toe-tapping footage of Bob Wills and his various Texas Playboy configurations doing their swing music.

To set the tone for the DVD I post a paragraph from an entry that reviewed one of Bob Wills CD compilations:

"Every once in a while I like a little change of pace from my main folk/rock/mountain music interest. Usually, that entails getting out the old jazz classics like Duke Ellington or Benny Goodman. However, every so often it also includes getting up a little dust with old Bob Wills. His countrified swing from the heyday of that genre is a pleasant surprise taken in small doses. Remember not everyone who needed to swing in order to drive away those Great Depression and World War II blues was in the city. Wills played around with and adapted the swing idea to that rural Saturday night barn dance milieu. From ballads like "Right or Wrong" to stompers like "Sugar Blues" to the haunting "Lone Star Rag" you get a good beginner mix with this album. That is as far as I am willing to take you. If you need more then you are on your own."

Bob Wills was, like Woody, a product of the dirt poor Greta Depression-era who latched onto the idea of mixing up a whole bunch of genres of music including what today is called Tex-Mex (or Tejan) , a whole bunch of instruments, and an uncanny sense of which way the rhythm trends were heading. Some country, some jazz, some city swing, a little mountain and, as always in early American recorded music, some kind of blues those are the influences heard in this film from cowboys movie songs to square dance type tunes to love ballads. And all, as the interviewees here, including various ex-band members, make clear led by the charismatic and demanding Wills.


If you are not interested in the Wills story though you must watch this film for the vintage footage of Wills and the boys (women are, as far as I could tell, used only for backup singing) on locale in Hollywood as background to the ubiquitous cowboy movies that many of us older devotees cut our teeth on watching (or watching the television re-runs). As well, here you will see and hear the Western swing treatment of the classic "San Antone Rose", "Sitting On Top Of The World" , "Milk Cow Blues", and the signature "Take Me Back To Tulsa". See, even I know it was not only about Woody back in the days.

Note: I would point out that while Bob Wills, over a long career spanning almost half a century, is truly identified as the originator of western swing he was not the only "hot" swing man of the period. An argument can be made and has, by folk singer Geoff Muldaur, that the work of Wills contemporary Milton Brown whose career was cut short by his death in an automobile accident, was perhaps better than Wills' during that period. I have heard some of Brown's work. I would say the jury is still out on this question.

Great DVD bringing past performances of Bob Wills and His Texas
Playboys to life, and interviews which give a good insight into the era
and devolepment of this musical style.

Although the content of this DVD is quite interesting, be forwarned that the quality of production is quite amatuerish. The lighting, framing and achival sources are all incredibly low quality. Also, the copy which was used to transfer to DVD has many video problems.

That said, it has some rare interviews with Eldon Shamblin, Johnny Gimble and other Playboys. Most everyone from this legendary band is mentioned . . . . . . . with the BLARING OMISSION of Tiny Moore? Possibly the greatest soloist to perform with the Playboys. Odd. Some great clips, but most can be found on other compilations in higher quality.

Bob Wills had such a huge impact on both popular and country music that his story needed to be told and this video does a great job of telling that story.

I remember seeing Bob Wills "soundies" in movie theaters and I wish a couple of these could have been included...shown in their entirety.