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From: Duke Gilleland
Date: December 16, 2002
You could buy anything in the Southwest that you could buy in New York. But I think that Western Swing musicians have from the start been drawn to more blues and jazz than the eastern Appalachia fiddlers had in them. Bob & jazz trombonist Jack Teagarden were both drawn very strongly to the singing of Bessie Smith. Bob also like the works of Emmitt Miller of GA.. In his recordings, Miller used the likes of Jack Teagarden, the Dorsey Brothers, Eddie Lang and Gene Krupa on drums. This was in 1929! All these musicians were jazz greats. With hot fiddlers such as Jesse Ashlock, Cecil Brower, Joe Holley, & Louie Tierney, Western Swing fiddle ensembles were bound to "swing" from the start. They were way more at home playing "Shine" than with "Turkey in the Straw."