SPADE COOLEY SUPPLIES ALL THE MEMBERS OF TEX WILLIAMS' BAND


In the early '40s, fiddler Spade Cooley led the most sophisticated band in western swing. Along with standard fiddles and steel guitars, Cooley used such unorthodox instruments as the pedal harp. His lush orchestral sound was extremely popular with his Southern California audiences, and his weekly concerts at the Venice Pier Ballroom routinely drew thousands of dancers. Cooley's music may have been smooth, but he had a famously nasty temper. In 1946, Cooley got into an argument with his singer Tex Williams and fired him. Capitol Records promptly signed Williams, who had just recorded the vocals on Cooley's biggest hit, "Shame on You." Williams also took most of Cooley's band with him, including the pedal harp, and renamed them the Western Caravan. Their first song, "California Polka," did only moderately well. For the Western Caravan's second record, Williams
turned to his friend Merle Travis, who wrote "Smoke! Smoke! Smoke! (That Cigarette)" for him. The record was a huge hit for Williams and became his signature song.

(Actually, Tex got off pretty easy, just being fired, given Cooley's "notorious" temper!)

Spade had a truly sensational group, and when Tex led the Western Caravan they were better in a lot of ways.
"Smoke! Smoke! Smoke! (That Cigarette)" is a true classic, but gives little indication of what Smokey Rogers, Cactus Soldi, Joaquin and the others could do.
And yes Spike Featherstone on harp!

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As for Spade Cooly material I'm wondering the date and the vocalest on "You Clabberd Me

Record sessions were extra, of course. Probably like $15 or $20, something like that.

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Herb's Steel Guitar Homesite

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Have a good 'un! JH U-12

DePaul came from Ohio, and knew Smokey Rogers and Cactus Soldi in Chicago. Smokey and Cactus got him to move to California when they got their jobs with Spade's group in 1942. Larry was a very schooled musician who played all the instruments but primarily was a violinist. He wrote all the charts/arrangements for both Spade's and Tex's bands, and was sort of stifled by the fact that "Spade really could only play in First Position."

When he went into the Army for a couple of years, George Bamby took the accordion chair and contributed to writing "3-Way Boogie" and other Spade classics. When Pedro returned, George went with the Plainsmen. George died in 1995.

After the Western Caravan went away, DePaul moved to San Diego and taught a variety of musical instruments there. He later moved to the Northwest.

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Herb's Steel Guitar Homesite

Spade obviously saw LW's success and wanted to emulate it. I used to watch Spade on TV both with the big band, and later with the all-girl orchestra he had in the mid-50's. I, as a kid, could not differentiate between the two, and my parents (big band fans but not western swing fans) couldn't tell the difference either.

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Herb's Steel Guitar Homesite

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quote:

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Early one morning while making my rounds, took a shot of cocaine and I shot my woman down

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Even weirder, the day I got the email I heard a smokin' bluesy version of the song 'Cocaine Blues'..Perry, have you still got the Stringmaster?

quote:

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I use to play a place called,"The Arrogant Ballroom". Ever hear of it?? I think it was in N.Y.C.

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Wa that the place in Ca where Lawrence Welk
filmed his shows ? Funny coinsidence i was rereading Rosetta Wills book this week and
Prior to being the Arrogant ballroom it was
Will's Point which was Bob Will's home base
around 1950.

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Janice "Busgal" Brooks
ICQ 44729047

[This message was edited by Janice Brooks on 24 June 2000 at 06:29 PM.]

How about Muddy Berry who was the drummer who went from Cooley's band to The Western Caravan with Tex, which by the way was a profit sharing democratic group when they first formed. They were all sidemen who didn't want to be sidemen in their own group.
Muddy later became a real session drummer and even played on a Ventures LP, plus some Buck Owens sessions with Ralph Mooney, Jim Pierce, Bobby Austin, Don Rich and Buck of course.

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Herb's Steel Guitar Homesite