Renowned by music fans the world over as the “King of Western Swing,” Bob Wills is finally finding his way to SF State—over three decades after his death.

Just in time to commemorate his 100th birthday, SF State’s Jack Adams Hall will be the site of a tribute to the music and legacy of Bob Wills over three Tuesdays in March.

March 1 saw the presentation a selection of rare Western swing film clips by “Stompin’” Steve Hathaway, music historian and DJ for Cupertino-based KKPU. On March 8 Dr. Charles Townsend, a Grammy-winning music writer and co-author of Wills' autobiography, as well as SF State’s very own Jose Cuellar (otherwise known as Dr. Loco), will discuss Wills’ life and work, as well as playing a few tunes. March 15 will feature a performance by Lost Weekend, a major fixture in the West Coast swing music scene.

Not a bad tribute for a poor boy from Turkey, Texas. Born a sharecropper’s son, Wills spent his youth picking cotton in the delta.

Synonymous with the Western swing style, the career of Bob Wills and his band, the Texas Playboys, spanned four decades and countless musical genres. Wills rocketed to fame with a sound influenced by a variety of sources, from blues and jazz to Tejano music.

“Wills was pretty much the first consummate artist who pretty much encompassed all American Roots Music had to offer,” said Muata Kenyatta, director of the Associated Students Performing Arts & Lectures Department and organizer of the event. “Bob was color blind when it came to music. He didn’t care what kind of music it was as long as it was good."

Legendary blues singer Bessie Smith was also an unexpected influence on the Wills sound.

“There’s a famous story,” Kenyatta said. “(Wills) took a ride on a mule 50 miles at night to go see Bessie Smith. And it pretty much changed his life."

Cuellar also sees diversity in Wills’ music. For his contribution to the March 8 lecture, Cuellar and his band will be demonstrating the Latino influences in Wills’ work. Wills spent years in San Antonio, Texas, and many say the results are evident in his music.

“I think his music incorporates a lot of elements and has Mexican elements to it,” Cuellar said.
Cuellar will also be discussing the lasting impact of Wills’ music today.

“In today’s border community, Bob Wills' style (and) his songs are still resonating in interesting kinds of ways," said Cuellar.

Cuellar stills remembers the first time he heard the music of Wills, in the early 1950s, after returning home from a dance.

“I was walking home from what in those days were called sock hops,” Cuellar said. “I’m in San Antonio, Texas, walking past the Sunce Hall.

“As I passed from there, they had this wonderful music coming out. Jazz-swing, like jazzy-country. And I looked up to the marquee and it said, ‘Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys.’ And from then on I was a fan.”

The Western swing scene is still alive and kicking on the West Coast, partly due to the efforts of Groveland-based Lost Weekend.

"It’s a western swing and a sort of conglomeration of old traditional swing," said Bobby Black, a member of Lost Weekend and a member of the Steel Guitar Hall of Fame. "(It's also a) little bit of jazz, a little bit of swing, a little bit of jazz, (and) a little bit of Spanish or Mexican music. It’s kind of a hybrid of many styles that came together.”

“Of course we’re going to feature the music of Bob Wills,” said Don Burnham, a member of Lost Weekend. “It is a huge palette to work with, because the band recorded hundreds of tunes over many decades. We’ll also have songs by people like Duke Ellington, who Bob Wills would cover.”

The band’s March 15 concert in Jack Adams Hall will feature their 11-piece band, which has performed several times at the San Francisco Jazz Festival and backed musicians such as Merle Haggard.

Kenyatta said he is looking forward to the chance to highlight Bob Wills’ music, his legacy, and the cultural diversity inherent in his music.

“Bob Wills represents the best of American music,” he said. “It’s like a gumbo. American music is not black or white. American music is a marriage of different culture and different styles. And we all learn from each other."

» E-mail Giselle Velazquez @ gisellev@sfsu.edu