Tex Williams
Encyclopedia
Sollie Paul Williams known professionally as Tex Williams, was an American Western swing
musician from Ramsey, Illinois
.
He is best known for his talking blues
style; his biggest hit was the novelty song
, "Smoke! Smoke! Smoke! (That Cigarette)
", which held the number one position on the Billboard charts for six weeks in 1947. "Smoke" was the No. 5 song on Billboard's Top 100 list for 1947, and was No. 1 on the country chart that year. It can be heard during the opening scenes of the 2006 movie, Thank You for Smoking
.
Williams' backing band, the Western Caravan, numbered about a dozen members. They attained an enviable level of fluid interplay between electric and steel guitars, fiddles, bass, accordion, trumpet, and other instruments (even an occasional harp). At first they recorded polkas for Capitol Records
with limited success. That was changed by the success of "Smoke, Smoke, Smoke" written in large part by Merle Travis
.
In April 1956 Williams appeared on the Chrysler sponsored CBS TV broadcast "Shower of Stars".
His very last radio show was a lengthy conversation taped by Bill Aken's radio program The Country Call Line while Tex was in the Newhall, California hospital. Tex's wife Dallas had asked Bill to call Tex in the hospital and try to cheer him up a bit. He died two days later. Aken ran the entire hour and a half tape without commercial interruption as a tribute to his long-time friend and former employer.
Williams died of pancreatic cancer
on October 11, 1985.
Western swing
Western swing music is a subgenre of American country music that originated in the late 1920s in the West and South among the region's Western string bands...
musician from Ramsey, Illinois
Ramsey, Illinois
Ramsey is a village in Fayette County, Illinois, United States. The population was 1,056 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Ramsey is located at...
.
He is best known for his talking blues
Talking blues
Talking blues is a form of country music. It is characterized by rhythmic speech or near-speech where the melody is free, but the rhythm is strict....
style; his biggest hit was the novelty song
Novelty song
A novelty song is a comical or nonsensical song, performed principally for its comical effect. Humorous songs, or those containing humorous elements, are not necessarily novelty songs. The term arose in Tin Pan Alley to describe one of the major divisions of popular music. The other two divisions...
, "Smoke! Smoke! Smoke! (That Cigarette)
Smoke! Smoke! Smoke! (That Cigarette)
Smoke! Smoke! Smoke! is a Western swing novelty song written by Merle Travis and Tex Williams for Tex Williams and his talking blues style of singing. Merle Travis wrote the bulk of the song....
", which held the number one position on the Billboard charts for six weeks in 1947. "Smoke" was the No. 5 song on Billboard's Top 100 list for 1947, and was No. 1 on the country chart that year. It can be heard during the opening scenes of the 2006 movie, Thank You for Smoking
Thank You for Smoking
Thank You for Smoking is a 2005 black comedy film written and directed by Jason Reitman and starring Aaron Eckhart, based on the 1994 satirical novel of the same name by Christopher Buckley...
.
Williams' backing band, the Western Caravan, numbered about a dozen members. They attained an enviable level of fluid interplay between electric and steel guitars, fiddles, bass, accordion, trumpet, and other instruments (even an occasional harp). At first they recorded polkas for Capitol Records
Capitol Records
Capitol Records is a major United States based record label, formerly located in Los Angeles, but operating in New York City as part of Capitol Music Group. Its former headquarters building, the Capitol Tower, is a major landmark near the corner of Hollywood and Vine...
with limited success. That was changed by the success of "Smoke, Smoke, Smoke" written in large part by Merle Travis
Merle Travis
Merle Robert Travis was an American country and western singer, songwriter, and musician born in Rosewood, Kentucky. His lyrics often discussed the life and exploitation of coal miners. Among his many well-known songs are "Sixteen Tons", "Re-Enlistment Blues" and "Dark as a Dungeon"...
.
In April 1956 Williams appeared on the Chrysler sponsored CBS TV broadcast "Shower of Stars".
His very last radio show was a lengthy conversation taped by Bill Aken's radio program The Country Call Line while Tex was in the Newhall, California hospital. Tex's wife Dallas had asked Bill to call Tex in the hospital and try to cheer him up a bit. He died two days later. Aken ran the entire hour and a half tape without commercial interruption as a tribute to his long-time friend and former employer.
Williams died of pancreatic cancer
Pancreatic cancer
Pancreatic cancer refers to a malignant neoplasm of the pancreas. The most common type of pancreatic cancer, accounting for 95% of these tumors is adenocarcinoma, which arises within the exocrine component of the pancreas. A minority arises from the islet cells and is classified as a...
on October 11, 1985.
Filmography
Williams and the Western Caravan appeared in the following films:- Tex Williams and His Western Caravan (1947)
- Tex Williams & Orchestra in Western Whoopee (1948)
- Tex Williams' Western Varieties (1951)
Albums
| Year | Album | US Country | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1955 | Country and Western Dance-O-Rama 5 | Decca | |
| 1960 | Smoke! Smoke! Smoke! | Capitol | |
| 1962 | Country Music Time | Decca | |
| 1963 | Live in Las Vegas | Liberty | |
| 1966 | A Voice of Authority | Imperial | |
| 1966 | Two Sides of Tex Williams | 26 | Boone |
| 1971 | A Man Called Tex | 38 | Monument |
| 1974 | Those Lazy, Hazy Days | Granite |
Singles
| Year | Single | Chart Positions | Album | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country Hot Country Songs Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales... |
US Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
|||
| 1946 | "The California Polka" | 4 | singles only | |
| 1947 | "Smoke! Smoke! Smoke! (That Cigarette) Smoke! Smoke! Smoke! (That Cigarette) Smoke! Smoke! Smoke! is a Western swing novelty song written by Merle Travis and Tex Williams for Tex Williams and his talking blues style of singing. Merle Travis wrote the bulk of the song.... " |
1 | 1 | |
| "That's What I Like About the West" | 4 | |||
| "Never Trust a Woman" | 8 | |||
| 1948 | "Don't Telephone - Don't Telegraph (Tell a Woman)" | 2 | ||
| "Suspicion" | 4 | |||
| "Banjo Polka" | 5 | |||
| "Who? Me?" | 6 | |||
| "Foolish Tears" | 15 | |||
| "Talking Boogie" | 6 | |||
| "Just a Pair of Blue Eyes" | 13 | |||
| "Life Gits Tee-Jus, Don't It?" | 5 | 27 | ||
| 1949 | "(There's a) Bluebird On Your Windowsill" | 11 | ||
| 1965 | "Too Many Tigers" | 26 | Two Sides of Tex Williams | |
| "Big Tennessee" | 30 | |||
| 1966 | "Bottom of a Mountain" | 18 | ||
| "First Step Down" | singles only | |||
| "Another Day, Another Dollar in the Hole" | 44 | |||
| 1967 | "Crazy Life" | |||
| "Black Jack County" | 57 | |||
| "She's Somebody Else's Heartache Now" | ||||
| 1968 | "Smoke, Smoke, Smoke - '68" | 32 | ||
| "Here's to You and Me" | 45 | |||
| "Tail's Been Waggin' the Dog" | ||||
| 1970 | "Big Oscar" | A Man Called Tex | ||
| "It Ain't No Big Thing" | 50 | |||
| 1971 | "The Night Miss Nancy Ann's Hotel for Single Girls Burned Down"A |
29 | ||
| 1972 | "Everywhere I Go (He's Already Been There)" | 67 | ||
| "Glamour of the Night Life (Is Calling Me Again)" | singles only | |||
| "Tennessee Travelin'" | ||||
| "Cynthia Ann" | ||||
| 1974 | "Is This All You Hear (When a Heart Breaks)" | Those Lazy, Hazy Days | ||
| "Those Lazy, Hazy, Crazy Days of Summer" | 70 | |||
| "Bum Bum Bum" | ||||
| 1978 | "Make It Pretty for Me Baby" | single only |
- A"The Night Miss Nancy Ann's Hotel for Single Girls Burned Down" peaked at No. 27 on the RPMRPM (magazine)RPM was a Canadian music industry publication that featured song and album charts for Canada. The publication was founded by Walt Grealis in February 1964, supported through its existence by record label owner Stan Klees. RPM ceased publication in November 2000.RPM stood for "Records, Promotion,...
Country Tracks chart in Canada.
External links
- [ Tex Williams at Allmusic]