Poems From A Fan
HOT DANG!
They’re coming back to Morrilton,
So get your tickets now boys.
‘Cause folks will come from out of state,
To hear those Texas Playboys.
Awww, tickle all the ivories,
Beat upon those skins.
Blow the notes out of that brass
And give them strings a bend.
Your toes begin a-tappin’
In rhythm with the beat.
And it ain’t long before you start
A-dancin’ in your seat.
The picker on that steel guitar
Can make it cry and scream.
Twin fiddles cut loose with their bows,
Hot dang that’s Western Swing!
Listen close and you may hear
An old familiar song.
Red Skin Gal, Faded Love,
Or even Right or Wrong.
Tell me ‘bout the Alamo
That pinto hoss and Navajo.
Or ‘bout the moonlit path beside
That only she would know.
I love a black-haired woman
That’ll make a train jump off the tracks.
And the blues I’ve got since my Milk Cow left,
Can be sopped up with a Rag.
Basie, Miller, Dorsey too
Had Big Bands full of brass.
But nothin’ like Bob Wills Playboys,
Hot fiddle licks with class.
Two-step, waltz or shuffle ‘round
That old wood Ball Room floor.
You know what made Bob holler,
Like us, he wanted more!
Rosin dust and cat-gut bow,
A Stetson hat of white.
House lights on, Thank You All,
For comin’ out tonight!
Seats will go for Tewnty-five bucks,
Down at the RIALTO.
PO Box 1 – 7 – 6
Zip: 7 – 2 – 1 – 1 – 0
© Ken B. Harper
30 January 2007
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Bob Wills Day
April Fool Saturday arrived warm and bright,
For Bob Wills Day in Morrilton, from mornin’ till night.
The cowboy parade lasted till about ten-thirty,
The cowboys were handsome, the cowgirls were purty.
The chili cook-off was along side the street,
Kettles and cookers full of beef, beans and heat!
The rodeo arena hosted barrels and bulls
Equines and bovines flashin’ their hooves.
Then along about 3:30 Bob Wills could be seen
With the Playboys at the Rialto up there on the screen.
Savin’ the day, makin’ things right.
Of course they’re the good guys, their hats were all white.
Then Classic Country Connection took over the stage,
And for almost an hour they strummed and they played.
Leona Williams came out and sang some of hers,
Including a couple made famous by Merle.
At 7 PM, Bob Wills’ Playboys came on,
And played up a storm, then something went wrong.
Just when the trombone soloed his part,
Out went the lights, we were there in the dark.
The trombone, the trumpet and man on the drums
Just kept right on playin’, “We’re here to have fun!”
They weren’t ‘lectrified like the rest of the band,
So when Corrina was finished we gave ‘em a hand.
With candles and flashlights we sat in our seats
Or wandered outside to stand by the street.
When power returned, it didn’t take long,
We got to hear Allsup’s son sing Right or Wrong.
After playin’ and singin’ they took a short break
To go to the lobby to “smile, sign and shake”.
Tommy and Leon were signing CD’s
Posing for pictures and shootin’ the breeze.
The power line people reported bad news
To fix the transformer meant killin’ the juice.
So off went the lights on the north side of town
Some folks went home, the rest sat back down.
The lights came back on and “It’s on with the show”
Fiddles, horns, guitars, drums and piano.
Our feet were all tappin’, the words we did sing,
There ain’t nothin’ like that good Western Swing!
The Playboys then bid us goodbye and good night
And we heard ol’ Bob whisper, “Come back Saturday night”
So off to our hotels or home to our beds
With sweet music echoing inside our heads.
Thanks to Bill Stacks, Morrilton’s MainStreet and Chamber
For giving us something to always remember.
Texas Swing music, not just loud thumpin’ noise,
Made famous by Bob Wills and his Texas Playboys.
© Ken B. Harper
4 April 2006