Bob Wills and My Grandfather

I admit that I have some hillbilly blood. It comes from my maternal grandfather. He was born in Missouri and raised in Kansas. He loved music, especially country music. I hated riding in the car with him as a child since country was always on the radio. But, as I grew older, I discovered some of the singers that my grandfather probably listened to as a young man. It wasn't until a few months ago that I discovered Bob Wills in his stack of cds.  I decided to give it a chance. What I heard I liked. So, I uploaded some songs on to my MP3 player, and over the coming weeks, decided that I really really liked it. 

For those who don't know, Bob Wills is considered the king of western swing. The music mixes the elements of country with the elements of jazz. It is an upbeat music that is great for dancing. Bob Wills formed the Texas Playboys in 1934 and continued until his poor health in the early 60s. 

I often find myself listening to his songs more frequently than others. It was to my surprised when I was told that my grandfather had a run-in with Mr. Wills. The story is Bob Wills "stole" the girl that my grandfather was interested in. Apparently, he got over it though, because he still listened to him later in life. 

Not all music our grandparents and parents listen to is our style, but sometimes there are gems to be found that they knew about long before we did.