James Robert Wills (March 6, 1905 – May 13, 1975) was an
American Western swing musician, songwriter, and bandleader. Considered by
music authorities as the founder of Western swing, he was known widely as the
King of Western Swing (although Spade Cooley self-promoted the moniker
"King of Western Swing" from 1942 to 1969).
Wills formed several bands and played radio stations around the South and West
until he formed the Texas Playboys in 1934. In 1940, Wills, along with the
Texas Playboys, co-starred with Tex Ritter in Take Me Back to Oklahoma.
Altogether, Wills appeared in nineteen films, including The Lone Prairie
(1942), Riders of the Northwest Mounted (1943), Saddles and Sagebrush (1943),
The Vigilantes Ride (1943), The Last Horseman (1944), Rhythm Round-Up (1945),
Blazing the Western Trail (1945), and Lawless Empire (1945).
| Condition | |
M | Mint | Unplayed Record or sealed |
NM | Near Mint | Near perfect, probably played only a few times. |
VG+ | Very Good Plus | Vinyl in a really good shape with only superficial signs of use |
VG | Very Good | A used, reasonable copy. There will be obvious signs of wear |
G+ | Good Plus | In the record world, 'Good' is not good! From here on down |