If you hear ghostly shouts of Bob Wills’ signature cry “Ah haaaa!” this weekend, don’t be surprised.
The fifth annual Cowtown Birthplace of Western Swing Festival will call downbeat at noon Nov. 6, drawing attendees from near (Fort Worth) and far (at least Italy) who remain aficionados of the music genre that traces its origins to the city.
Taking a little bit of string band music and throwing it into a blender with jazz, Western swing was first performed by Milton Brown & His Musical Brownies at the Crystal Springs Dance Pavilion located at 5653 White Settlement Road in 1929, according to most musical histories.
The music is characterized by a mix of country, string band, jazz, big band and swing elements.
Mike Markwardt, a businessman who has made his career by traveling the world and growing an import/export business, grew up here and started the festival in 2021.
The sound of Western swing was never far from his mind, so when he retired in 2015, he began to focus on the music he loved that was born in the city where he makes his home.
“Sometimes I thought my brother and I were the only ones who still loved the music, but I knew that was far from the case,” he said.
Western swing reached a pinnacle of popularity in the 1930s through the post-war years with Bob Wills leading the way with his recording of “New San Antonio Rose” in 1940.
Wills, who is often credited with being the King of Western Swing, moved to Hollywood. He and his band appeared in 19 films, including one titled “Take Me Back to Oklahoma.”
The music is highly improvisational with Wills’ cries of “ah haaaa!” during a particularly hot solo becoming a signature element of the band’s recordings.
The music remains popular with artists such as Asleep at the Wheel (with their motto, “Western swing ain’t dead, it’s Asleep at the Wheel”), Merle Haggard and George Strait using elements of the style in their recordings and performances.
Several Western swing songs remain popular, including “New San Antonio Rose,” “Take Me Back to Tulsa,” “Big Balls in Cowtown” and “Faded Love.” It also remains popular with both swing and square dancers who fill the dance floor at the festival, Markwardt said.
If you go
What: Cowtown Birthplace of Western Swing Festival
When: Thursday, Nov. 6 through Sunday, Nov. 9
Where: Most events are at National Hall, 3316 Roberts Cut Off Road. There are also events in the Stockyards.
Website: birthplaceofwesternswing.com
Tickets: Most events are sold out, but check the website.
Markwardt grew up in Andrews in far West Texas.
“Our parents would go to Big Spring in the late 1950s and 1960s to The Stampede dance hall to hear bands like Hoyle Nix and the West Texas Cowboys, who played Western swing,” he recalled.
Markwardt said upon his retirement, he fulfilled a promise to his father to take him to the Bob Wills Day weekend in Turkey, Texas (Wills’ birthplace). Meeting fans of the genre from around the world, Markwardt realized that the music needed a champion in the city where the fiddles first started adding a little jazz to their square dance tunes.
In 2019, Markwardt established a nonprofit to launch the Western swing festival, but the pandemic delayed its launch.
This year’s festival features nine live bands performing at the historic National Hall, 3316 Roberts Cut Off Road, a Texas dance hall at the border of Lake Worth that dates back to 1938.
The bands include Mary Lee and Ceasar’s Cowboys, a Western swing band from Italy whose first CD is titled, “See You Later, Gladiator;” Steve Markwardt (Mike’s brother) and his A-List Swing Band; Bob Wills’ Texas Playboys; and Billy Mata and Texas Tradition.
A documentary film directed by Mike Markwardt, “The Birth and History of Western Swing” is showing on Saturday morning.
“I’m not a film director, so I had to hire expertise to do it, but I’m proud of it,” he said. He recalled interviewing Asleep at the Wheel’s original pianist, Floyd Domino at The Continental Club in Austin.
“We’ve got Ray Benson, Junior Brown and Michael Martin Murphy who gives the whole cowboy song background on the music as well as all the ethnic roots of the music, showing how this music couldn’t happen anywhere else but Texas,” he said.
The film includes a great deal of the city’s history, Markwardt said.
“I would love to see Fort Worth embrace this part of their cultural heritage,” he said.
Markwardt said the festival received some initial support from Visit Fort Worth when it began, but has gotten its main support from the city of Lake Worth in recent years.
“They are supporting us with $15,000 this year because we fill up hotel rooms there with people from around the country, around the world, coming to the festival,” he said.
The festival will retain its international flavor next year, as Markwardt has booked The Country Side of Harmonica Sam, a Western swing band from Sweden. But despite the international appeal of the festival, Markwardt would ultimately love to see Western swing’s hometown pay a bit more attention to the genre with a museum and more acknowledgement.
“Much like New Orleans embraces jazz and Nashville is with country music, we should be celebrating this music,” he said. “It’s a part of our history and it lives on today.”
Do you have something for the Bob on Business column? Email Bob Francis, business editor for the Fort Worth Report, at bob.francis@fortworthreport.org.At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here.
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