The city of Bakersfield claims two of country music’s, all-time biggest stars as its own: Buck Owens and Merle Haggard. But further up Highway 99, the City of Fresno has its own claim to country music royalty – bandleader and fiddle star Bob Wills. Today on KVPR Central Valley Roots, the story of the "King of Western Swing."
In the 1930s, there were few music stars bigger than Bob Wills. From his original homebase in Texas and later Oklahoma, he helped invent a new style, blending traditional western songs and instruments with the swing music of the big band era. They called the style western swing, and Bob Wills was it chief practitioner with his band the Texas Playboys.
With hits like New San Antonio Rose and Faded Love, Wills parlayed his fame into a movie career, appearing in 19 films with stars like Tex Ritter. Wills built a huge fan base in California, and many members of the Texas Playboys hailed from Fresno. In 1945, at the peak of his fame, Wills moved to the Central Valley.
His 80 acre Triple B Ranch was located on Clinton Avenue, east of today’s Fresno Yosemite International Airport, and was home to his prized quarter horses. Wills lived in Fresno until 1950. He died in 1975, but his legacy is strong.
Artists from Willie Nelson to the Rolling Stones have all paid tribute to him in song. Wills is a member of both the Country Music Hall of Fame and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and is one of only two Fresno residents to appear on a U.S. postage stamp, the other being William Saroyan.
