A fine, engaging, and valuable biography of a man who merged the spontaneity of country fiddling with the Big Band Sound, giving birth to Western Swing. A landmark in country music!

Written by the artist's daughter, the book reveals for the first time the inside story of Wills's offstage life, together with a chronicle of his extraordinarily eclectic and influential career. 60 illustrations.

A collection of Courtney's columns from the Texas Monthly, curing the curious, exorcizing bedevilment, and orienting the disoriented, advising "on such things as: Is it wrong to wear your football team's jersey to church? When out at a dancehall, do you need to stick with the one that brung ya? Is it real Tex-Mex if it's served with a side of black beans? Can one have too many Texas-themed tattoos?"--Amazon.com.

"If you are interested in cowboying as it really was with all its heat, dust, blood, and boredom, this remarkable book is for you."--Books of the Southwest "If you like cowboys, or if you like country fiddling, you'll enjoy Frankie McWhorter's story. . .If you like both, you're doubly in luck. If you like Bob Wills music--and who doesn't?--you'll find his recollections of Wills compelling, often funny, occasionally sad."--Elmer Kelton In this lively memoir McWhorter recalls how he manages life as a working cowboy and a professional musician. He's a member of the Western Swing Society Hall of Fame and foreman of a large ranch in the Texas panhandle. He toured with Bob Wills from 1960 to 1962 and is a frequent guest at Bob Wills Day in Turkey, Texas.

Frankie McWhorter grew up in Bob Wills Country and bought his first fiddle with his cowboy wages in 1950. He played with Clyde Chesser and the Texas Village Boys and the Miller Brothers Band before being asked to join Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys. McWhorter tells stories of touring with these bands and of his hours spent listening to Wills tell his stories. He also reveals his adventures and misadventures as a working cowboy.

(Creative Concepts Publishing). A classic souvenir collection of 46 hits from those Kings of Western Swing, complete with an introduction and an extensive photo section of the band through the years. Songs include: Across the Alley from the Alamo * All Night Long * A Big Ball in Cowtown (We'll Dance Around) * Blue Bonnet Lane * Eight'r from Decatur * Heart to Heart Talk * Honeysuckle Rose * I Needed You * Ida Red * Miss Molly * Oklahoma Hills (Guthrie/Guthrie) * Silver Bells (That Ring in the Night) * St. Louis Blues * Who's Sorry Now * and more!