Wills was quite possibly one of the most versatile recording artists of the 20’s and 30’s.  Western swing, the genre he helped define, combines big band, jazz and country. And here he is with his Texas Playboys and “Oozlin’ Daddy Blues,” recorded in 1935.

Wills was born on a cotton farm in Texas, and raised on traditional and country music. But he went to great lengths for blues music. Quite literally:  He once rode 50 miles, on horseback, to hear the legendary Bessie Smith perform.  Wills was elected to the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1968, and immortalized in song by Merle Haggard in his tribute “Bob Wills is Still The King”. Want to hear it? Click away!