[ Home | Contents | Search | Post | Reply | Next | Previous | Up ]
From: JP
Date: June 18, 2005
There are several on this board more knowledgeable about this that I am, but early in his career you'll see the influence of Jimmie Rodgers (Blue Yodel) and you'll hear the influence of African-Americans in the cotton fields and various dixie land beats from the Mississippi delta. Blues singers also influenced Wills, and I know of very few white artists like Wills who frequently enjoyed recording that style with his own flavor. "Cotton Patch Blues", "St. Louis Blues", "Milk Cow Blues", and "I'm Feeling Low" are some of his best.
When Swing Jazz began to really take off as a popular form of music in the 1930's, he obviously was heavily influenced by several artists. He has recorded songs by Bennie Goodman, Louis Armstrong, Woody Herman, Les Brown, Count Basie, and Duke Ellington. My personal feeling was that he was a better stylist of blues recordings than other big band orchestra composers. He definitely had his own style though, and his absolute best music in my opinion was his own (along with Cindy Walker's).