Texas band biography outline

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    • Chronological Outline

    Bob Wills’ Life

    By

    Dwight Adair

    (NOTE: This chronology was created for the purpose of providing an outline for a narrative based on Bob Wills’ life and, though it was compiled from the biography San Antonio Rose written by Dr. Charles Townsend, it does not approach the depth of the scholarly research of Dr. Townsend’s definitive work and should not be construed as an exhaustive, completely comprehensive accounting of all the significant events in Bob Wills personal and professional life. It is intended to provide a “thumbnail” summary of Bob Wills’ life for entertainment purposes only and I greatly encourage the truly interested devotee to information about Bob Wills to read Dr. Townsend excellent work.)

    March 6, 1905 Bob Wills born first child of ten children to John and Emma

    1915 First public performance with fiddle at ranch dance

    1922 Jumps freight train and leaves farm; has religious experience

    1923 Radio debut in Amarillo; first marriage, to Edna

    1927 Bob Wills barbers in New Mexico

    1929 Bob Wills and Edna move to Ft. Worth, have first child.

    Bob Wills works in “blackface” medicine show with guitarist.

    First recording, Brunswick, Bessie Smith tune

    1930 “Bob Wills Fiddle Band” formed and performs on Bob Wills’ first real radio show (KBAP); Milton Brown joins band as singer; Audition with KFJZ, Al Stricklin, manager; “Bob Wills Fiddle Band” wins fiddler’s contest in front of seven thousand on radio broadcast, Ft. Worth; Bob Wills’ band hired as “Alladin Laddies” company band and popularity spreads beyond Texas to Southwest; Bob Wills begins playing dances at “Crystal Springs” Swimming Pool and Dancehall

    1931 “Lightcrust Doughboys” formed at Burris Mill; touring with W. Lee O’Daniel, President of Burris Mill

    1932 “Lightcrust Doughboys” record for O’Daniel; Milton Brown quits Tommy Duncan auditions for Bob Wills in Ft. Worth

    1933 Battle of bands between Bob Wills’ “Playboys” and Brown’s “Brownies”; O’Da

  • Taylor Ely, originally from

    • How to March: Secrets of the Longhorn Band

    Editors note: This article was originally published in October 2014, and some information has been updated.

     

    Austin Wheless, ’14, music business, made this video to show fans what it’s like to be on the field with the Longhorn Band. 

    Longhorn Band members take on this challenge each week during football season. They’ve got to know not only the music in every halftime program but precisely where they need to march, turn and stand to form a giant TEXAS or Longhorn silhouette or even an airplane all without missing a note.

    The key to knowing your location in a formation, as it turns out, is seeing the field as a grid and knowing how to march in specific “step sizes” while playing music. These fundamental skills are imparted to band members before they even arrive on the Forty Acres.

    “They’re trained when they’re in high school to know all of these varying step sizes,” says Robert Carnochan, former director of the Longhorn Band, which is based in the Butler School of Music. “This gets drilled into them for four years straight.”

    Carnochan says Texas high schools have the best bands in the country, giving students a strong knowledge foundation when they arrive here. Even some complicated aspects, like using the “eight-to-five” stride taking eight marching steps for every five yards are second nature to the band members.

    Instead of seeing the field with changing yard lines, the students divide it into a grid by different step sizes and can seamlessly shift between eight-to-five, the 30-inch stride of six-to-five and other step sizes. Photo by Jerry Hayes Photography

    Point to any spot on the field even places between hash marks and yard lines and the student performers can say how many steps that spot is from the closest markings.

    Each member of the marching band has a dot sheet to help them know where they’re supposed to b

    Formerly known as Fat Daddy who were signed to the Bootleg label and released two singles in 1976. The first single ''Roll Daddy Roll'' was a no-nonsense-straight-ahead boogie piece followed by the rockin' ''Fat Funky Rock n Roll''. The band later merged with Ken Murdoch (ex-Taste) and became Texas. Texas was pretty big on the live scene from 1976-79 and released a few singles and an album in a rockin’ bluesy ZZ Top style. They also appeared on

    Members

    Max Vella (guitar/vocals/harp), Mick Stillo (bass), Carl Stanley (drums), Tony Catz (guitar/vocals), Ken Murdoch (guitar, keyboards)

    SINGLES
    ''Good Morning / Ain't No Place Like Home'' 1978 Infinity
    ''I Won't Say No / Infatuation'' 1979 Infinity
    '' I Wanna Dance With You / Life Ain't Meant To Be Easy'' 1979 Infinity

    ALBUMS

    'Real To Reel' 1979 Infinity
  • Glen Hunt Jr. '61 established two
  • Texas was pretty big on

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