Description
Scarce vintage photographic print of Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys posed onstage with their instruments in Tulsa, Oklahoma. This historic publicity image was created in 1937 by Tulsa photographer Walter T. J. Madison, whose distinctive credit appears in the lower-right corner.
The identical photograph is documented by the Country Music Hall of Fame as showing Bob Wills-fourth from the left-and His Texas Playboys in 1937. Wills stands near the front holding his fiddle and bow beneath the prominent “Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys” stage sign.
This exceptional group portrait displays the orchestra’s remarkable assortment of fiddles, guitars, steel guitar, piano, accordion, upright bass, drums, trumpet and saxophones. That combination of traditional country instrumentation with jazz and big-band elements helped Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys pioneer the influential sound now known as Western swing.
Highlights include:
* Approximately 10 × 8 inches
* Vintage black-and-white photographic print
* Documented 1937 Walter T. J. Madison publicity image
* Photographed in Tulsa, Oklahoma
* Bob Wills pictured fourth from the left with his fiddle and bow
* Large early Texas Playboys ensemble posed with its instruments
* Excellent visual representation of the development of Western swing
* Desirable country music, Western swing, radio and Oklahoma history
* Identical image held and documented by the Country Music Hall of Fame
* Bob Wills was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1968
* Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as an Early Influence in 1999
The photograph displays natural age-related curling along with light handling and surface wear. The reverse is blank. Its precise printing date is unknown, but its physical appearance is consistent with an older photographic print rather than a modern decorative reproduction.
This is a scarce opportunity to acquire an early photographic image of one of the most innovative and influential ensembles in American country-music history. Please view all the photos for its complete appearance and condition.
