Spade Cooley & Tex Williams

Jim Cohen · Post by **Jim Cohen** » 14 Jun 2000 6:34 am

From www.tipworld.com

SPADE COOLEY SUPPLIES ALL THE MEMBERS OF TEX WILLIAMS' BAND

In the early '40s, fiddler Spade Cooley led the most sophisticated band in western swing. Along with standard fiddles and steel guitars, Cooley used such unorthodox instruments as the pedal harp. His lush orchestral sound was extremely popular with his Southern California audiences, and his weekly concerts at the Venice Pier Ballroom routinely drew thousands of dancers. Cooley's music may have been smooth, but he had a famously nasty temper. In 1946, Cooley got into an argument with his singer Tex Williams and fired him. Capitol Records promptly signed Williams, who had just recorded the vocals on Cooley's biggest hit, "Shame on You." Williams also took most of Cooley's band with him, including the pedal harp, and renamed them the Western Caravan. Their first song, "California Polka," did only moderately well. For the Western Caravan's second record, Williams
turned to his friend Merle Travis, who wrote "Smoke! Smoke! Smoke! (That Cigarette)" for him. The record was a huge hit for Williams and became his signature song.

(Actually, Tex got off pretty easy, just being fired, given Cooley's "notorious" temper!)

Jason Odd · Post by **Jason Odd** » 14 Jun 2000 7:59 am

I think Tex would have been in more danger if he was married to Spade.
OK, now that's my cheap shot for the year.

Spade had a truly sensational group, and when Tex led the Western Caravan they were better in a lot of ways.
"Smoke! Smoke! Smoke! (That Cigarette)" is a true classic, but gives little indication of what Smokey Rogers, Cactus Soldi, Joaquin and the others could do.
And yes Spike Featherstone on harp!

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The future ain't what it used to be

Smiley Roberts · Post by **Smiley Roberts** » 14 Jun 2000 8:48 am

Another one of Spade's harp players,Lloyd Lindroth,lived & worked,right here in Nashville,at Opryland Hotel,for a while. Unfortunately,he passed away several years ago,from a heart attack. He had open heart surgery shortly before that.I happen to see the contract,between him & Spade,on his office wall,one day.He was making...(are you ready)...$75 a WEEK. Boy,you just can't make that kind of money,anymore. At least not in Nashville.

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Earl Erb · Post by **Earl Erb** » 14 Jun 2000 1:04 pm

I worked for Lloyd Lindroth at the Opryland Hotel from June 1985 to July 1987.Those happened to be my last 2 yrs in the music business.He showed me an old album cover with the Spade Cooly Band picture on the front and he was in it.Lloyd was a lot older than he wanted people to believe.He told me he was in his early 20s when he worked for Spade.
Death by heart attack? Knowing his life style... I'll say there was more to the story than that.Lloyd didn't have any health problems when I worked for him and didn't have his bypass operation until after I left his employment.

Janice Brooks · Post by **Janice Brooks** » 14 Jun 2000 3:02 pm

On my one trip to Nashville I did get to see Lloyd in Oct 1990.

As for Spade Cooly material I'm wondering the date and the vocalest on "You Clabberd Me

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Janice "Busgal" Brooks
ICQ 44729047

Herb Steiner · Post by **Herb Steiner** » 14 Jun 2000 3:04 pm

$75 a week? Wow!! Great bucks!! Joaquin told me he made $52.50 a week with Tex Williams, and that included club gigs and a radio show.

Record sessions were extra, of course. Probably like $15 or $20, something like that.

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Herb's Steel Guitar Homesite

Jim Cohen · Post by **Jim Cohen** » 14 Jun 2000 4:58 pm

Ah, yes, the "golden era" of steel guitar...

Jerry Hayes · Post by **Jerry Hayes** » 14 Jun 2000 5:54 pm

Man I'm listening to a CD in my computer as I type this which is to good to be true! It's Vintage Collections by Tex Williams and his Western Caravan. This is on Capitol Nashville (Vintage). It has 20 songs of which about 5 or 6 are instrumental. Joaquin does a great version of Steel Guitar Rag on this one. On a couple of cuts I thought I was hearing a real hot lead guitar player when a couple of little slides gave it away as being a steel and it was the one and only Joaquin Murphy. Jimmy Bryant is also featured on the instrumental break to a song called Wild Card. Another great thing about this CD is it's got complete information about the session musicians and dates of the sessions. Considering this stuff was recorded in the 40's that's pretty cool. I guess I probably play this thing more than any CD I own!

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Have a good 'un! JH U-12

Billy Jones · Post by **Billy Jones** » 14 Jun 2000 9:42 pm

I played Murphy's guitar on the dance portion of Spades show in August of 1955. Their pay rate is a surprise to me. I just happened to down there at the time with King Ganam at Spade's request. In Toronto, I was doing 2 network radio shows and 2 dance gigs a week and I was making $300. I guess we were doing alright. Our material was very similar to Spade's. ...Billy

Al Marcus · Post by **Al Marcus** » 15 Jun 2000 7:19 pm

I remember when our band played at the Governor's Ball in Phoenix around 1972, Tex Williams was the guest artist . I had my push pull D10 Emmon then. He did his usual "Smoke, etc" then did a recitation of "Battle Hym of the Republic" . He did a beautiful job of it, and everyone paid attention. I was lucky to be able to play the solo behind him. A very moving experience.....I liked Spade Cooley, because he was modern and Jazzy. I got drafted for WWII just before I was going to audition. But they made out real good, got some hot picker named Murph..Hearing about the pay scale in country music, makes me remember why I didn't play with country bands. Playing POp in Hotels and plush supper clubs paid about 3 times more.Of course I had to double on guitar to do it. I liked to play Country and Western music but had to put food on the table.So you do what you have to do......al

Jason Odd · Post by **Jason Odd** » 16 Jun 2000 5:38 pm

Hey guys, do you think there was a hotter Californian swing band than this one, Tex and his 1940's band were hot!
sure there were a lot of groups around, Spade and Hank Penny had some killer pickers, but I'd have to say that this was 'the'Western Swing group to come out of the Ballrooms.

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The future ain't what it used to be

Bill Stafford · Post by **Bill Stafford** » 16 Jun 2000 5:50 pm

Did any of you old timers hear Lawrence Welk's Western Swing Band in that era? He put one together from the musicians in his orchestra just for kicks and knocked the sox off all the others just for fun.
Bill Stafford

Jim Cohen · Post by **Jim Cohen** » 16 Jun 2000 9:19 pm

No kidding!? Welk was a fan of western swing??? Who woulda thunk it? Did they ever record anything? If so, I'd love to hear it (I think)...

Tim Rowley · Post by **Tim Rowley** » 16 Jun 2000 9:42 pm

Back to Tex Williams for a moment. If memory serves me correctly, I believe Tex used "Pedro" DePaul on accordion. I read somewhere (maybe here) that Pedro had recently passed away. Chuckle if you want to about accordions, but they MAKE the western sound and Pedro knew how to do it. Tim R.

Herb Steiner · Post by **Herb Steiner** » 17 Jun 2000 7:23 am

Yes, Tex used Larry DePaul on accordion. He died July 28 of last year. There is an excellent article on "Pedro" in the Journal of American Country Music, a few issues back. Just a few thumbnail facts:

DePaul came from Ohio, and knew Smokey Rogers and Cactus Soldi in Chicago. Smokey and Cactus got him to move to California when they got their jobs with Spade's group in 1942. Larry was a very schooled musician who played all the instruments but primarily was a violinist. He wrote all the charts/arrangements for both Spade's and Tex's bands, and was sort of stifled by the fact that "Spade really could only play in First Position."

When he went into the Army for a couple of years, George Bamby took the accordion chair and contributed to writing "3-Way Boogie" and other Spade classics. When Pedro returned, George went with the Plainsmen. George died in 1995.

After the Western Caravan went away, DePaul moved to San Diego and taught a variety of musical instruments there. He later moved to the Northwest.

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Herb's Steel Guitar Homesite

Steve England · Post by **Steve England** » 20 Jun 2000 7:28 am

According to the sleeve notes on the CD "Spade Cooley's Big Band 1950-52"(I got to track twelve before I even heard a steel guitar or fiddle

), Lawrence Welk was a buddy of Spade Cooley and sometimes used to front Spade's band.

Herb Steiner · Post by **Herb Steiner** » 20 Jun 2000 7:40 am

Take it from a kid who grew up in Hollywood in the early 1950's.... Lawrence Welk was BIG!!! Television was very new and quite a novelty, and Lawrence had the foresight to get in early and had the top show in LA, broadcasting from the Aragon Ballroom and the Hollywood Palladium.

Spade obviously saw LW's success and wanted to emulate it. I used to watch Spade on TV both with the big band, and later with the all-girl orchestra he had in the mid-50's. I, as a kid, could not differentiate between the two, and my parents (big band fans but not western swing fans) couldn't tell the difference either.

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Herb's Steel Guitar Homesite

Smiley Roberts · Post by **Smiley Roberts** » 20 Jun 2000 11:03 am

Hey Herb,
I use to play a place called,"The Arrogant Ballroom". Ever hear of it?? I think it was in N.Y.C.

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Perry Hansen · Post by **Perry Hansen** » 22 Jun 2000 4:29 am

In the late 50s, Smokey Rodgers, Pedro DePaul, Cactis, and Tommy Termine(sp) were at the Bostonia Ball room in El Cajon Calif. In fact, that,s where I met Buddy Emmons for the first and last time. He was there with The Tater. I don't remember the rest of Smokeys group, but thay were great.
Perry

Jason Odd · Post by **Jason Odd** » 22 Jun 2000 6:52 am

Perry, that's where Sneaky Pete Kleinow joined them in 1958, replacing Joaquin.
He might have been in the group when you were there?

Perry Hansen · Post by **Perry Hansen** » 23 Jun 2000 3:57 am

Jason, Sneaky Pete was with Don And Roy Hogshead(Cocain Blues) when I was there. In fact I wound up with Sneaky Petes Four neck stringmaster with two Bigsby pedals.
Perry

Jason Odd · Post by **Jason Odd** » 23 Jun 2000 6:10 am

Perry, small world..

Early one morning while making my rounds, took a shot of cocaine and I shot my woman down

Bill Stafford mentioned to me just recently that Roy and Don had a band at the College Inn, in downtown San Diego, and he used to play steel with them at one stage..I suppose early 1960's.

Even weirder, the day I got the email I heard a smokin' bluesy version of the song 'Cocaine Blues'..Perry, have you still got the Stringmaster?

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The future ain't what it used to be

Janice Brooks · Post by **Janice Brooks** » 24 Jun 2000 5:28 pm

I use to play a place called,"The Arrogant Ballroom". Ever hear of it?? I think it was in N.Y.C.

Wa that the place in Ca where Lawrence Welk
filmed his shows ? Funny coinsidence i was rereading Rosetta Wills book this week and
Prior to being the Arrogant ballroom it was
Will's Point which was Bob Will's home base
around 1950.

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Janice "Busgal" Brooks
ICQ 44729047[This message was edited by Janice Brooks on 24 June 2000 at 06:29 PM.]

bill graham · Post by **bill graham** » 24 Jun 2000 10:44 pm

I was playing in Dean Beard's band in Odessa, Texas in 1960. We had just called a break and as I was taking my bass off with my back to the audience I heard this voice say, "You've got to be the best bass player in Texas..." Without turning around, I replied, "and you've got to be Tex Williams !!" It was. When I moved to L.A. I played on one of his sessions with Jaydee,Archie Francis and Al Bruno. I never saw the album, but as best I remember, one of the songs was titled "I'm So Close, I Can Taste It". He blushed everytime he sang it.He was a sweet guy..I think we'll see him again.

Jason Odd · Post by **Jason Odd** » 25 Jun 2000 8:01 am

Yeah, all right Bill.
Now all I need to do is find a copy, what a session group!