Hello and WElcome!
Welcome to a July full of Western Swing! I am thrilled to teach this course - thank you for joining me!
This music has been a part of my life since I was a young girl. It inspired, delighted, and fascinated me. Growing up, I studied Classical Music, but when I first heard the sounds of Western Swing, I knew I found my home. And lo and behold, my hometown - our lovely Fort Worth - is the birthplace of this wonderful music!
Whether you are a fan, an expert, a newbie, a musician or non-musician, I hope everyone (including me!) can walk away from this shared experience with newfound knowledge and appreciation for Western Swing.
Here is our course landing page. I will keep links to any course materials, as well as any other fun and fascinating Western Swing stuff.
Please feel free to email me at any time if there is something you would like to see on here. Thank you!
Course Materials - 19MM40
July 30, 2019
Power Point:
Tunes we heard:
Ida Red (Live) - Hot Club of Cowtown
Stay All Night - Asleep At The Wheel
Please Don't Talk About Me When I'm Gone - Shoot Low Sheriff
Darling You And I Are Through - Hot Club of Cowtown
Mighty Like A Rose - Emily Gimble
It's A Sin To Tell A Lie - The Quebe Sisters
Kid Sister - The Time Jumpers
We're The Time Jumpers - The Time Jumpers
Glenn McLaughlin, Nathan Phelps and I played live for you: "San Antonio Rose", "Baby You'll Think of Me", "Right or Wrong," and "Crazy Cause I Love You"
**Prep for July 30...**
Our course is coming to a close! For the last session, I thought we would have a class discussion. Western Swing music is a wonderful part of Fort Worth's and America's history, but the audiences are getting older and dying off. Festival attendance is dwindling. Dance halls are closing. So I ask you, what should be done moving forward to preserve this music? What should be the main goals and focus? And since Fort Worth is the birthplace of Western Swing, what could our city do to specifically claim, preserve, and promote that fact? Discuss!
July 23, 2019
Power Point:
Tunes we heard:
Columbus Stockade Blues - Willie Nelson
"Texas Playboys Theme" and "Ida Red" - Merle Haggard w/ The Texas Playboys (Live in 1976)
"Roly Poly" - Asleep At The Wheel feat. Dixie Chicks
"I'll Be Lucky Someday" - Glen Campbell
"Thank Heavens for Dale Evans" - Dixie Chicks
"Deep Elm Blues" - Lone Star Cowboys
Our special guest on guitar, Glenn McLaughlin, and I played "Faded Love", "Trouble in Mind", and "I Didn't Realize" live for y'all!
Special thanks to classmate William L. Williams and Trinity River Music for making those wonderful historical photos available for our viewing. What a treat. Find out more about them here: Trinity River Music
Classmate Bill Hunt brought this film to my attention recently, and it's of particular interest to our class. It explores the decreasing number of dance halls in Texas. Here is a link to the trailer: Dance Hall Days
And our own classmate, Mike Markwardt, was interviewed this past week on "Good Morning Texas" about The Birthplace of Western Swing festival next year. Check it out!
July 16, 2019
Power Point:
Tunes we heard:
"Ring That Banjo" - Light Crust Doughboys
"The Entertainer" - Marvin "Smokey" Montgomery
Bud n' Gin - Ginny Mac/Buddy Brady
"Marie" - The Original Texas Playboys feat. Joe Frank Ferguson
"San Antonio Rose" (1938) - Bob Wills & The Texas Playboys (Al Stricklin on piano)
"What Makes Bob Holler" (1974) - Bob Wills & The Texas Playboys (Al Stricklin on piano)
"Crocodile Tears" - Bob Wills & The Texas Playboys feat. Louise Rowe
"Maggie" - Bob Boatright
"River Road Two Step" - Tom Morrell & The Timewarp Tophands
"Some Like It Hot" - Tom Morrell & The Timewarp Tophands
Our special guest, J.D. Barham, and I played "Joe Turner Blues" live for y'all!
July 9, 2019
Power Point:
Tunes we heard:
"Take Me Back to Tulsa" - Bob Wills & The Texas Playboys
"Somebody's Been Usin' That Thing" - Milton Brown & The Musical Brownies
"Shame On You" - Spade Cooley
"Beer Drinkin Mama" - Light Crust Doughboys
"South Texas Swing" - Adolph Hofner
"Walkin' the Floor Over You" - Ernest Tubb (example of early honky tonk)
Also, here is a link to an article in the Denton Record-Chronicle about our course!!
From polka to the podium: Ginny Mac waltzes her way into academia