Customer Reviews

The King of Western Swing: Bob Wills Remembered

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book comes much closer to being an autobiography than a biography. Only about half of the book is really about Bob Wills, and it's a poorly-written book to boot. It's similar to listening to someone just "ramble" all over the place, from one subject and time period to another, with little or no warning. It never flows and is hard to follow. The only reason I give it even 1 star is for a few bits of information about Bob Wills that I might not have read anywhere else and it does have some good pictures.

This book can't decide if it is a biography or an autobiography and doesn't succeed as either; it shifts between the author's feelings about her father, their relationship, and her personal growth, while simultaneously attempting to document Bob Will's life. The result is an awkwardly structured narrative, albeit with some interesting insights (but also some minor factual errors).

Bob Wills daughter, Rosetta, tells of a man who drew from his family's traditional musical roots in West Texas to develop a sound and a style that have influenced generations of musicians up to the present day.

Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard, Reba McIntire, George Strait, and others tell of debts owed to the influence of Bob Wills. The book reveals a humble, self-effacing personality secure in his musical talent and innovations. He brought diverse musicians together to produce a joyous sound, one that people flocked to dance halls to hear and to dance. He made them "feel good, feel happy" in spite of hard times.

Rosetta, through her dairy kept as a young girl, tells the touching story of tenuous ties with her famous father over the years. Bob Wills married five times, fathering six children. His schedule of daily radio broadcasts, club and dance hall performances, and eight movies may account for the nature of his relationships.

Fans from all walks of life have enc! ouraged Rosetta, telling in this book of their memories and devotion to her father and helping to keep his spirit close to her.

As one other reviewer states, this is unfocused and that is due largely to the face that she wrote this book with Charles Townsends' book open before her, I think. Not enough private or personal information that is really important.

I loved this book.

Can a daughter be too forgiving?

I would have appreciated a more autobiographical slant. I can't help but wonder what a wedding is like, what a marriage is like, when a girl can't put her famous father's name on the invitation.