The Willis Brothers were an American
country music
Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...
ensemble from
Oklahoma
Oklahoma (; Choctaw language, Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the nor ...
, consisting of several brothers.
Group history
Early touring
Two of the Willis brothers (James, Charles) and Webb "Robber Baron" Cardwell, played together as teenagers from the early 1930s under the name Oklahoma Wranglers.
They were regulars on
Shawnee, Oklahoma station
KGFF
KGFF (1450 AM) is a radio station licensed to serve Shawnee, Oklahoma, and is owned by the Citizen Potawatomi Nation
Citizen Potawatomi Nation is a federally recognized tribe of Potawatomi people located in Oklahoma. The Potawatomi are traditi ...
through the decade,
but in 1939, Joe married and exited the group.
In 1958, Webb left the group and John (Vic) joined,
and soon after the group moved to
Kansas City
The Kansas City metropolitan area is a bi-state metropolitan area anchored by Kansas City, Missouri. Its 14 counties straddle the border between the U.S. states of Missouri (9 counties) and Kansas (5 counties). With and a population of more ...
, where they appeared on the
Brush Creek Follies
A brush is a common tool with bristles, wire or other filaments. It generally consists of a handle or block to which filaments are affixed in either a parallel or perpendicular orientation, depending on the way the brush is to be gripped durin ...
through 1942.
All three members fought in
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
separately, preventing them from continuing as a group until war's end, but in 1946 they reunited and played the ''
Grand Ole Opry
The ''Grand Ole Opry'' is a weekly American country music stage concert in Nashville, Tennessee, founded on November 28, 1925, by George D. Hay as a one-hour radio "barn dance" on WSM. Currently owned and operated by Opry Entertainment (a divis ...
''.
They became members of the ''Opry'' in the 1940s. Signing with
Sterling Records,
they began recording both as the Oklahoma Wranglers, and as a backing band for
Hank Williams
Hank Williams (born Hiram Williams; September 17, 1923 – January 1, 1953) was an American singer, songwriter, and musician. Regarded as one of the most significant and influential American singers and songwriters of the 20th century, he reco ...
.
Later career
In 1949, the group left the Opry and toured nationally with
Eddy Arnold through 1957.
They also performed in the films ''Feuding Rhythm'' and ''Hoe Down''.
Following this they dropped the Wranglers name and became the Willis Brothers, and under this name recorded copiously for the labels
Mercury
Mercury commonly refers to:
* Mercury (planet), the nearest planet to the Sun
* Mercury (element), a metallic chemical element with the symbol Hg
* Mercury (mythology), a Roman god
Mercury or The Mercury may also refer to:
Companies
* Merc ...
,
Coral
Corals are marine invertebrates within the class Anthozoa of the phylum Cnidaria. They typically form compact colonies of many identical individual polyps. Coral species include the important reef builders that inhabit tropical oceans and sec ...
,
RCA, and
Starday
Starday Records was an American record label producing traditional country music during the 1950s and 1960s.
History
The label began in 1952 in Beaumont, Texas, when local businessmen Jack Starnes (Lefty Frizzell's manager) and Houston record di ...
.
In the late 1950s, the Willis Brothers hosted a live noonday TV show on WRPG-TV, the NBC affiliate in Chattanooga,TN. Guy, Vic and Skeeter were accompanied by Chuck Wright, who played bass in full Indian headdress. Guy Willis also hosted an afternoon children’s program on the same station for several years. In 1964, they released the single "
Give Me Forty Acres (To Turn This Rig Around)
"Give Me Forty Acres (To Turn This Rig Around)" is a single by American country music group The Willis Brothers. Released in 1964, it was the first single from their album ''Give Me Forty Acres''. The song peaked at number 9 on the ''Billboard'' Ho ...
", which became a
Top Ten country hit in the United States.
They were the first country music ensemble to perform at the
Constitution Hall
DAR Constitution Hall is a concert hall located at 1776 D Street NW, near the White House in Washington, D.C. It was built in 1929 by the Daughters of the American Revolution to house its annual convention when membership delegations outgrew Memo ...
in
Washington, D.C.
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
End
After the deaths of two of the brothers, Skeeter and Guy, the Vic Willis Trio was formed with C.W. Mitchell and Curtis Young debuting on the ''Grand Ole Opry'' for the first time in November, 1980. The Vic Willis Trio remained a fixture on the Opry until 1995, when Vic died in a car crash near the Meriwether Lewis Park and Monument on the Natchez Trace, at age 73.
Members
*James "Guy" Willis – vocals, guitar (July 5, 1915 – April 13, 1981)
*Charles "Skeeter" Willis – fiddle, vocals (December 20, 1917 – March 1976)
*John Victor "Vic" Willis – accordion, piano, vocals (May 31, 1922
– January 15, 1995)
*Joe Willis – guitar
*Webb Cardwell "Robber Baron" – accordion, piano, vocals
Vic Willis
Vic Willis was known as a practical prankster and loved a good joke, and was well known for those attributes during his time at the ''Grand Ole Opry''. He served not only as accordionist for the Willis brothers' group, but also served as secretary-treasurer for the
Musicians' Union in Nashville for many years.
Vic Willis served an unusual role in the ''Grand Ole Opry'' cast during the period throughout the period from the early 1960s through the 1980s, producing and recording commercial jingles from his home recording studio, recording hundreds of commercials featuring country artists and others, for local Nashville and national sponsors, such as Big Star Stores, Kellogg's (for which they also performed live commercial jingles on the ''Grand Ole Opry'' when they were in town), Fender Musical Instruments, Acme Boots, Lava Soap, Luzianne Coffee, Levy's Men's Wear, and others.
Discography
Albums
Singles
References
Country music groups from Oklahoma
Grand Ole Opry members
Sibling musical groups
{{Oklahoma-stub