Iconic Western Swing group marks their 90^th Anniversary tour with a local stop.

Credited for creating and popularizing Western Swing in the 1930s, Bob Wills was a Texas fiddler with a big personality and incomparable stage presence – a man who led a group of lively musicians known as the Texas Playboys to the national spotlight. Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys first wowed audiences across Texas and Oklahoma, and by the big-band era of the 1940s, reigned as the top live attraction in the nation. Wills, known as the “King of Western Swing,” captivated audiences with his fast fiddling and trademark “AH-ha” calls in fan-favorite tunes like “Take Me Back to Tulsa” and “Stay a Little Longer.”

Wills’ legacy is still alive and well, now nearly 50 years after his passing, thanks to Brett Bingham, a producer and booking agent, and Jason Roberts, a fiddler and band frontman, formerly with Grammy-winning Texas band Asleep at The Wheel.

Postcards visited with Bingham and Roberts about the history of this legendary band, the reasons they are carrying the torch for Western Swing – and what fans can expect when Bob Wills’ Texas Playboys perform at Old Town Theatre in Huntsville on Friday, September 22.

Let’s start with the incredible history of this band. After Bob Wills’ death in 1975, the music did not stop. What kept the music alive?

Bingham: A group of ex-Playboys came together to keep the Bob Wills sound alive. Former steel guitarist Leon McAuliffe led the band, and he and Betty (Bob’s widow) hand-picked the other members. Those men made a promise to one another that when the first of the new band died, they would disband – and, true to their word, the group dissolved in 1986, following the death of piano player “Brother” Al Stricklin.

Post 1986, the torch was passed again – this time to two men who previously worked with Wills on stage or in the studio. What can you tell us about the 1986-2017 era of Bob Wills’ Texas Playboys?

Bingham:  Eventually, with the blessing of the Bob Wills estate, guitarist-producer Tommy Allsup (a longtime Wills collaborator) and Leon Rausch (the Playboys’ last great vocalist) took over Bob Wills’ Texas Playboys. Allsup knew Bob Wills and produced his final album, For The Last Time. The two led the guys and carried on the Wills style and traditions – on stage and in the studio – for 30 years, until 2018, following the death of Allsup.

After Allsup passed away, it was time to pass the torch again. This time, you and vocalist Jason Roberts grabbed the torch. Why did you want to be a part of this?

Bingham: I had a deep connection to Bob Wills and Western Swing music from birth, essentially, but an even deeper connection to the first incarnation of the band that formed right after Mr. Wills passed away. My dad and uncle both had a relationship with Leon McAuliffe and many of the other Western Swing legends that were still alive at the time. My dad and Tommy Allsup were classmates in Claremore, Oklahoma, and hitchhiked to Tulsa quite often to see Bob’s brother Johnnie Lee Wills at Cain’s Ballroom. I ended up starting a fan club for the “Original Texas Playboys” and even sold merch for them when I could get to the gig. They were already heroes to me, and they became friends. Growing up, I was able to be around the musicians who created this music, so I feel connected to it in a way that is hard to explain. I feel the same passion for keeping this music alive and introducing it to a newer audience as do the ones who do it with an instrument in their hands.

Jason and I started as acquaintances, seeing him at Asleep at the Wheel shows or other Western Swing related events – and that developed into a strong friendship as we realized we had the same vision for preserving this music we loved so much. That of course has grown into a great business partnership, and we’re both grateful to the Wills family for their confidence in us.

You are the tour manager and content creator, and Jason leads the band. Why is Jason the right person for that job?

Bingham:  Jason was the perfect choice from a bandleader standpoint. Much is made of the fact he resembles Bob Wills, plays fiddle, and played the part of Bob Wills in the stage performance A Ride With Bob. But it’s important to note that we’re not trying to imitate Bob Wills. Our band salutes not only Bob Wills, but all the Texas Playboys who shared the stage with him. We don’t imitate as much as we present our version and interpretation of the music they created.

To expand, Jason was related through marriage to Johnny Gimble, who played with Bob Wills from 1949-1951 then went on to a Country Music Hall of Fame career as a studio musician in Nashville and is a true Texas and music legend. He had the unique opportunity to “study at the feet of the master,” if you will. Additionally, he began playing in bands at a very young age and had parents that supported his “habit” by getting him to gigs all over Texas until he could get himself there. He got the Asleep at the Wheel job as soon as he was old enough to play in all the venues they traveled to all over the country.

Roberts: Even before we started that play, I’d been studying Bob Wills, his persona, and who he was – and how he interacted with his players. I’d been soaking it in since I was a kid. A Ride with Bob definitely gave me the chance to present it to audiences like I saw it in my head. But even before that play came along, I was deep into the weeds when it came to learning about Bob Wills and his music.

Bingham:  I also want to mention that the other members of the band have similar experiences and are among the best players available at their respective instruments. Many of them worked with the group led by Rausch and Allsup, and all have similar backgrounds as Jason.

Looking back to when you were a kid and just starting to appreciate Western Swing, did you ever think you would be a part of the Bob Wills legacy in this way?

Bingham:  It was certainly not on my radar. Life takes strange turns, but somehow one of the turns led me here. I think Mark Twain is credited with saying, “The two most important days in your life are the day you were born and the day you find out why.” While that is a pretty strong statement to make, it sums up how importantly we are taking this responsibility.

Roberts: We both want to do it in such a way that it’s authentic, the way we think it ought to be done. Of course, I never knew Bob Wills, but we’re hoping we’re approaching it in a way that would make Bob holler, you know? Just a little “AH-ha,” because he believes we’re doing it the right way.

What can people expect if they attend the show at Old Town Theatre in Huntsville?

Bingham:  We are really excited about this show because it will be 90 years, almost to the day, when Bob Wills performed his first show in Waco, Texas, after leaving the Light Crust Doughboys in Fort Worth, and he called the band “the Playboys.” People will learn a bit about Bob Wills’ life and career, not only through the music that will be quite familiar to most, but also through the words of Bob Wills himself, as well as a few others that will be recognizable. It’s theatrical, but not in a dramatic way, if that makes sense. It’s very much a concert, but we want people to leave knowing more about the man, the music, and the Texas Playboys that came before us.

What is the future of Bob Wills’ Texas Playboys?

Bingham:  In many ways, I think we’re just getting started. We have a live recording that will be released later this year, and we plan to record in the studio soon. We also plan to take this band to other parts of the country, and hopefully Europe, in the next five years. There is a high level of commitment to everyone in the band to do whatever we can do to get this music and the story of Bob Wills in front of as many people as we can.

Don’t miss your chance to see Bob Wills’ Texas Playboys featuring Jason Roberts at Old Town Theatre in Huntsville on Friday, September 22. Visit oldtowntheatre-huntsville.org for more information.