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, 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 Shawnee ( sac, Shânîheki) is a city in Pottawatomie County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 29,857 in 2010, a 4.9 percent increase from the figure of 28,692 in 2000. The city is part of the Oklahoma City-Shawnee Combined Statistical ...

station KGFF 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, where they appeared on the Brush Creek Follies 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 opposing ...

separately, preventing them from continuing as a group until war's end, but in 1946 they reunited and played the '' Grand Ole Opry''. 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.

Later career

In 1949, the group left the Opry and toured nationally with

Eddy Arnold Richard Edward Arnold (May 15, 1918 – May 8, 2008) was an American country music singer who performed for six decades. He was a Nashville sound (country/popular music) innovator of the late 1950s, and scored 147 songs on the ''Billboard'' cou ...

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,

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, and Starday. 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)", 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 Me ...

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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