Western Swing Music

Western Swing music is understood to have originated in the west and south of America in and around the 1920’s. It is also believed to be a mixture of rural, cowboy, polka, folk, blues and Dixieland jazz all merged with a little bit of swing!

Western Swing (which later became the ‘western’ part of country & western) was up tempo dance music very popular in Texas, Oklahoma and California during the 1930’s and 1940’s, and although it became known as ‘Texas swing’, ‘Novelty Hot Dance’ and ‘Western Dance Music’, the term ‘Western Swing’ was adopted by most people.

The first professional band known to use Western Swing was Light Crust Doughboys, formed in the early 1930’s by Bob Wills and Milton Brown. Bob Dunn, then playing with Milton Brown’s ‘Musical Brownies’ electrified an acoustic guitar (the first known time this had been done) and by doing so gave the music a very distinctive sound.

A US government ‘Night Club Tax’, which imposed a tax of 30% on public dance halls (later reduced to 20%) was introduced in 1944 which all but banned public dancing, effectively sealing the fate of Western Swing music, and it gradually declined in popularity for a number of years.

Like a lot of early country genres, Western Swing was to have a profound influence in creating other styles too such as rockabilly and rock and roll. One of the most famous early rock and roll artists was Bill Haley and His Comets, but in 1948 his band was actually known as Bill Haley and The 4Aces of Western Swing.

Although not as popular following the Night Club Tax debacle, Western Swing was still played at many country events, and artists such as Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings and Asleep at the Wheel turned Austin, Texas into a major centre for Western Swing music in the 1970’s, which still continues.    

 To search out Western Swing music or any other style that you like just visit www.countrysongscountrysingers.com or click on the link to the right.