BOB WILLS
The King of Western Swing
by Dr. Charles R. Townsend. This page wouldn't be possible without his thorough study of Bob Wills. All Bob Wills fans are greatly indebtted to him.
James Robert Wills was born March 6, 1905, on a farm near Kosse in Limestone County, Texas, the first of ten children born to John Tompkins Wills and Emmaline Foley Wills. Bob was of the third generation of Willses born in Texas. His family originally came from England and were some of the first settlers in Tennessee. Bob's great-grandfather moved to Texas in 1845.
Bob was named after his great-uncle, James Robert Wills. His great-ucle was a fiddler and they expected Bob to in his footsteps. Bob came from a very musical family which contained many fiddlers. Tom Wills, John Wills, James Robert Wills, Amos Foley, and all Amos's sons - Tom, Jame, Felix, and George - were good fiddlers. Many people believed that the two families included some of the best fiddlers in Limestone County, if not in all the Brazos River country.
Fiddle music was extremely popular on the American frontier. Fiddles, and other small stringed instruments, were very popular due to their portability. You could haul them in your wagon, tote them on your horse, or carry them. They weren't heavy, bulky, or expensive. They were the perfect form of entertainment for settlers.
Jim Rob grew up around several music styles. First, thanks to his family, he grew up around frontier fiddle music. Second, he grew up around blues music that was sung by the black field workers that picked cotton in Texas. Bob's father raised cotton, but it is important to note that he was never a share-cropper. Finally, in his early teens Jazz emerged.
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