August 16 @ 2:00 pm
Bob Wills’ Texas Playboys, the torchbearers of Western Swing, are alive and well. The band continues two-steppin’ their way across the country under the spirited leadership of Jason Roberts. A two-time Grammy winner and former member of Asleep at the Wheel, Roberts was handpicked by the Wills estate and the late Leon Rausch to carry on the legacy of the King of Western Swing.
This modern incarnation of the Texas Playboys features a stellar lineup of musicians from both sides of the Red River. Many of these musicians have deep roots in the Western Swing tradition. They have performed with previous iterations of the band and other notable acts. Jason Roberts leads on fiddle and vocals, Shawn Howe on fiddle, Wayne Glasson plays piano, Rick McRae on guitar, Dave Biller on steel guitar, as well as Mike Bennett (trumpet), Steve “Hambone” Ham (trombone), Tony Ramsey (drums), Larry R. Reed (saxophone) and Albert Quaid (bass).
Bob Wills’ Texas Playboys plays songs that are the very DNA of Western Swing. These tunes are dance-ready, fiddle-fueled, and brimming with that Texas-Oklahoma swagger. Band members keep the favorites in rotation to evoke the glory of Bob Wills’ heyday. But they mix in lesser-known gems and pop covers to keep things fresh.
You can expect to hear: “Texas Playboys Theme” (usually the show opener), “New San Antonio Rose” (one of Wills’ signature tunes), “I’ll Have Somebody Else (As Soon As You’re Gone)”, “Take Me Back to Tulsa,” “Cherokee Maiden,”
“You’re From Texas” and “Steel Guitar Rag,” which honors Leon McAuliffe.