Bob Wills Is Still the King

About Bob Wills Is Still the King

"Bob Wills Is Still the King" is a song written and performed by American country music artist Waylon Jennings, as a tribute of sorts to the Western swing icon Bob Wills. It is known in two forms. A live recording of the song was released in June 1975 as the concluding track on the album Dreaming My Dreams, and then appeared in August 1975 as the B-side of "Are You Sure Hank Done It This Way", the second single from the album. By early November, the A-side had risen to number one on the country singles chart, but the B-side gained considerable airplay as well, enough so that Billboard listed it as a two-sided hit whereas Cashbox showed it with just the A-side listed. A studio version of the song was released in March 1976 on the Mackintosh & T. J. film soundtrack album. The exact meaning of the song, which also alludes to Jennings' fellow outlaw country star Willie Nelson, has been the subject of considerable commentary. Nonetheless "Bob Wills Is Still the King" continues to be a staple at classic country radio stations and the satellite radio channel Willie's Roadhouse, for example, plays both versions of the song. The live version is included in Classic Country Music: A Smithsonian Collection, a multi-volume set of recordings released by the Smithsonian Institution in 1990 that contains 100 tracks deemed to be significantly important to the history of country music. more »

Year:

1977

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Here's a song I wrote on a plane between Dallas and Austin
Goin' to El Paso
Whoops
Now this is what gave us the idea to come down here,
This is a song about a guy that probably did as much for
Our kind of music as anybody.

Well the Honky Tonks in Texas were my natural second home
The way you tip your hat to the ladies in the rose of San Antone

I grew up on music that we call western swing
It don't matter whose in Austin, Bob Wills is still the King

Lord, I can still remember the way things were back then
In spite of all the hard times I'd live it all again
To hear the Texas Playboys and Tommy Duncan sing
Makes me proud to be from Texas where Bob Wills is still the King

You can hear the Grand Ol' Opry in Nashville Tennessee
Its the home of country music on that we all agree
But when you cross that ol' Red River hoss,
That just don't mean a thing
Once you're down in Texas, Bob Wills is still the King

If you ain't never been there, then I guess you aint been told
That you just can't live in Texas unless you got alot of soul
Its the home of Willie Nelson, the home of western swing
He'll be the first to tell you, Bob Wills is still the King.

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Waylon Jennings

Waylon Arnold Jennings (pronounced /ˈweɪlən ˈdʒɪnɪnz/; June 15, 1937 – February 13, 2002) was an American country music singer, songwriter, and musician. Jennings began playing guitar at eight and began performing at twelve on KVOW radio. He formed a band, The Texas Longhorns. Jennings worked as a D.J. on KVOW, KDAV, KYTI and KLLL. In 1958, Buddy Holly arranged Jennings' first recording session, of "Jolie Blon" and "When Sin Stops (Love Begins)". Holly hired him to play bass. During the "Winter Dance Party Tour," in Clear Lake, Iowa, Holly chartered a plane to arrive at the next venue. Jennings gave up his seat in the plane to J. P. Richardson, who was suffering from a cold. The flight that carried Holly, Richardson and Ritchie Valens crashed, on the day late… more »

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