My mother would grin and say, “Who’ll go into San Antonio with old Ben Milam?” Mom never got very far away from the history of Texas.
This weekend I want to see some Spring wildflowers, visit some of the old sights, and just get the feel of San Antonio and Texas under my toes once again. See the Alamo. Hear some music.
Maybe somebody will perform my favorite Western Swing tune, “San Antonio Rose.” Everybody knows that one, Bob Wills’ million-seller record. Recorded by – oh, by Bing Crosby and by Arthur Fiedler and the Boston Pops. Lots of people.
It started as a fiddle tune. During a 1938 recording session, their agent asked for one more fiddle tune. Wills had tinkered with an earlier composition and threw bits of it into the mix. The agent suggested calling the song “San Antonio Rose.” It was an immediate winner.
Where did the words come from? Not exactly clear; maybe several people added parts. Wills and his trumpeter Everett Stover collaborated on the final version. It was recorded as “New San Antonio Rose.” Bob Wills was in his big-band phase. The Playboys had grown into a full-blown swing band with eighteen musicians in the recording session at Burrus Mill Studio, April 16, 1940.
I kinda prefer the fiddle duet in the original version, but I’ll sing it any time.
Dac Crossley
March 23, 2016
“The music is all. People should die for it. People are dying for everything else, so why not music?” – Lou Reed.
Thought a little more about Marge and decided she's probably watching over Lubbock right this minute, or maybe she's spreading roses over San Antonio. I wrote about her in my blog about shopping. I really miss her.
Posted by: Chris | March 24, 2016 at 05:03 PM
How about Yellow Rose? I'm partial because all my friend Marge had to do was wear a yellow dress one night to a dance and she was forever Yellow Rose. Good dancing music, too.
Posted by: Chris | March 24, 2016 at 04:54 PM
The bluebonnets are beautiful this year!
Enjoy!
Posted by: Luella B. Wheeler-Bell | March 23, 2016 at 04:32 PM