This Band’s A Rockin’ – Johnnie Lee Wills

johnaalex
May 6
4 min read

Released April 2025 on Bear Family Records - https://www.bear-family.com/wills-johnnie-lee-the-band-s-a-rockin-gonna-shake-this-shack-tonight-cd.html

Johnnie was the younger brother of Bob Wills, for whom he played tenor banjo during the early years of Bob's success. In 1940 Bob Wills decided to split up the Texas Playboys to meet the ever-growing demand for live appearances nationwide.

To keep radio work and dances in their home base, Tulsa, steady, Bob entitled Johnnie Lee to remain in Oklahoma and form his own group - Johnnie Lee Wills and All the Boys.

This compilation offers many interesting sides issued on Decca, Bullet Records, and RCA Victor. The Decca and Bullet sides have long been unavailable on CD.

Johnnie Lee Wills did not record as much as his brother, but he had two major hits that helped define the genre and spur many cover versions: Rag Mop and Milk Cow Blues. Johnnie Lee Wills was quintessentially Western Swing and a great band leader, employing quality sidemen.

Reviewed April 2025

Review

This collection kicks off with the title track “The Band’s A Rockin'” that was released in 1951 on the Bullet label. Although this could be a bopper I think it is more Western Swing than “rockin’”, but it sets the scene nicely for the gems to come. “The Thingamajig” is another good uptempo danceable Western Swing number. Track three is track best known by Tennessee Ernie Ford. Johniee recorded his version of “Blackberry Boogie” in 1952 for RCA records. Some lovely steel guitar and a good boogie beat, a good alternative to Ol’ Ern’s version. Four track four, it’s back to 1950 for “Coyote Blues” which, despite the title is a happy up-tempo Western Swing tune. The next four tracks will appeal to all lovers of Western Swing, but less so to those looking for hillbilly boppers or rockabilly. Track nine “Boogie Woogie Highball” is an instrumental that has a good rockin’ beat and is typical of the country and hillbilly music that predated rockabilly. The same can said for “Hot Check Baby” which was released on RCA in 1952. “Levee Blues”, “A-L-B-U-Q-U-E-R-Q-U-E” and “Smoke On The Water” are straight Western Swing. Track 14 “Sold Out Doc” is a jaunty, novelty number that could appeal to the hillbilly boppers. “Four Or Five Times” dates back to 1927 and has been recorded by many artists including Johnnie’s brother, Bob. It’s great for a square dance! From 1949 we have the original version of “Rag Mop” at track sixteen, a definite toe tapper and Western Swing classic. Tracks seventeen and eighteen also follow the standard Western Swing pattern and you can almost hear Johnnie’s brother with his signature comments coming through. “In The Mood” is a Western Swing cover of the Glen Miller classic with emphasis on “swing”. From swing we switch to the classic blues track “Milk Cow Blues” which was released on Decca in the USA in 1941, thirteen years before Elvis, Scotty and Bill gave it the rockabilly treatment. There’s a bit more standard Western Swing with “There Are Just Two I's In Dixie” before a treat for lovers of country boogie at track twenty-two. “Tom Cat Boogie” released on the Bullet in 1950 will appeal to fans of the Delmore Brothers, Tennessee Ernie Ford and other of their ilk. Western Swing and good old honky tonk country cover tracks twenty-three to twenty-eight. At twenty-nine there’s another good country boogie track. “Square Dance Boogie” sounds a transcription recording as there is quite a bit of background noise but don’t let that put you off. “Devil’s Blues” from 1941 is another track that doesn’t have the greatest sound quality, but I am sure that it’s as good as gets. “I'm Leaving (Yes Indeedy)” is an aptly name track for the final song of this compilation. The song itself is bit more hillbilly/honky tonk than Western Swing and it could easily be done in a rockabilly style.

Summary and Recommendation

I have to admit that until this release I was unaware that Bob Wills had a brother with his own band. This CD will definitely appeal to all fans of Bob and the Western Swing genre. The comments about the sound quality are not a criticism, I just want to manage expectations. These will be the best sounding versions of these recordings. Bear Family do these things so well and I recommend buying this excellent compilation

You Tube

https://youtu.be/UQun-hYyfiE

Reviewed by Jailhouse John Alexander

Track List

1, The Band’s A Rockin'

2, The Thingamajig

3, Blackberry Boogie

4, Coyote Blues

5, A Bad Deal All Around

6, She Took!

7, I Like You Best Of All

8, Let Me Be