James Robert Wills (March 6, 1905 – May 13, 1975), better known as Bob Will… Read Full Bio ↴James Robert Wills (March 6, 1905 – May 13, 1975), better known as Bob Wills, was an American Western swing musician, songwriter, and bandleader of Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys. Considered by music authorities as the co-founder of Western swing, he was universally known as the King of Western Swing.
Wills formed several bands and played radio stations around the South and West until he formed the Texas Playboys in 1934 with Wills on fiddle, Tommy Duncan on piano and vocals, rhythm guitarist June Whalin, tenor banjoist Johnnie Lee Wills, and Kermit Whalin, who played steel guitar and bass. The band played regularly on a Tulsa, Oklahoma radio station, and added Leon McAuliffe on steel guitar, pianist Al Stricklin, drummer Smokey Dacus, and a horn section that expanded the band's sound. Wills favored jazz-like arrangements and the band found national popularity into the 1940s with such hits as "Steel Guitar Rag", "New San Antonio Rose", "Smoke on the Water", "Stars and Stripes on Iwo Jima", and "New Spanish Two Step".
Wills and the Texas Playboys recorded with several publishers and companies, including Vocalion, Okeh, Columbia, and MGM, frequently moving. In 1950, he had two top ten hits, "Ida Red Likes the Boogie" and "Faded Love", which were his last hits for a decade. Throughout the 1950s, he struggled with poor health and tenuous finances, but continued to perform frequently despite the decline in popularity of his earlier music as rock and roll took over. Wills had a heart attack in 1962 and a second one the next year, which forced him to disband the Playboys although Wills continued to perform solo.
The Country Music Hall of Fame inducted Wills in 1968 and the Texas State Legislature honored him for his contribution to American music.[4] In 1972, Wills accepted a citation from the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers in Nashville. He was recording an album with fan Merle Haggard in 1973 when a stroke left him comatose until his death in 1975. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inducted Wills and the Texas Playboys in 1999.

He was born near Kosse, Texas; his father was a fiddle player who along with his grandfather, taught the young Wills to play the fiddle and the mandolin. After several years of drifting, "Jim Rob," then in his 20s, attended barber school, got married, and moved first to Roy, New Mexico then to Turkey, Texas (now considered his home town) to be a barber. He alternated barbering and fiddling even when he moved to Fort Worth to pursue a career in music. It was there that while performing in a medicine show, where he learned comic timing and some of the famous "patter" he later delivered on his records, the show's owner gave him the nickname "Bob."
In Fort Worth, Wills met Herman Arnspinger and formed The Wills Fiddle Band. In 1930 Milton Brown joined the group as lead vocalist and brought a sense of innovation and experimentation to the band, now called the Light Crust Doughboys due to radio sponsorship by the makers of Light Crust Flour. Brown left the band in 1932 to form the Musical Brownies, the first true Western swing band. Brown added twin fiddles, tenor banjo and slap bass, pointing the music in the direction of swing, which they played on local radio and at dancehalls.
Wills remained with the Doughboys and replaced Brown with new singer Tommy Duncan in 1932. He found himself unnable to get along with future Texas Governor W. Lee "Pappy" O'Daniel, the authoritarian host of the Light Crust Doughboy radio show. O'Daniel had parlayed the show's popularity into growing power within Light Crust Flour's parent company, Burrus Mill and Elevator Company and wound up as General Manager, though he despised what he considered "hillbilly music." Wills and Duncan left the Doughboys in 1933 after Wills had missed one show too many due to his sporadic drinking.
After forming a new band, "The Playboys" and relocating to Waco, Wills found enough popularity there to decide on a bigger market. They left Waco in January of 1934 for Oklahoma City. Wills soon settled the renamed "Texas Playboys" in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and began broadcasting noontime shows over the 50,000 watt KVOO radio station. Their 12:30-1:15 Monday-Friday broadcasts became a veritable institution in the region. Nearly all of the daily (except Sunday) shows originated from the stage of Cain's Ballroom. In addition, they played dances in the evenings, including regular ones at the ballroom on Thursdays and Saturdays. By 1935 Wills had added horn, reed players and drums to the Playboys. The addition of steel guitar whiz Leon McAuliffe in March, 1935 added not only a formidable instrumentalist but a second engaging vocalist. Wills himself largely sang blues and sentimental ballads.

Miss Molly
Bob Wills Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Oh, have you seen Miss Molly
Her cheeks are rosy red
Her lips are soft as satin
And they taste like ginger bread

Oh, Oh, Oh, me, oh, my Miss Molly I'm in love with you
Oh, me, oh, my Miss Molly won't you say you love me too

Now when Miss Molly's smilin'
The sun is dim a spell
And when she laughs
Her voice is like a little silver bell

Oh, Oh, Oh, me, oh, my Miss Molly I'm in love with you
Oh, me, oh, my Miss Molly won't you say you love me too

I'll trade my horse and saddle
Cow drivin' I'll re-sign
If only Miss Molly
Will say that she'll be mine

Oh, Oh, Oh, me, oh, my Miss Molly I'm in love with you
Oh, me, oh, my Miss Molly won't you say you love me too

Now listen dear Miss Molly
I've told you this before
And even though' I told you so
I'll tell you just once more

Oh, Oh, Oh, me, oh, my Miss Molly I'm in love with you
Oh, me, oh, my Miss Molly won't you say you love me too

Overall Meaning

The song "Miss Molly," written by Bob Wills, is a classic Western swing tune that paints a vivid picture of a woman named Miss Molly who has caught the attention of the singer. He describes her physical appearance, stating that her cheeks are rosy red and her lips are soft as satin and taste like gingerbread. This suggests that the singer has had a physical encounter with Miss Molly before and enjoyed every moment of it. The lyrics also convey the idea that Miss Molly's presence brightens up the singer's day and her laughter is as beautiful as the sound of a silver bell. The singer is deeply in love with Miss Molly and asks her to reciprocate his feelings.

The lyrics also provide insight into the singer's intentions as he expresses a willingness to give up everything he owns, including his horse and saddle, to be with Miss Molly. This further emphasizes the intensity of his love for her, as he is willing to make sacrifices to be with her. The repetition of the chorus reinforces the singer's desire for Miss Molly to say that she loves him too.

In summary, "Miss Molly" is a playful and upbeat Western swing song that describes the singer's infatuation with a woman named Miss Molly. The lyrics are both descriptive and romantic, highlighting the singer's physical attraction and emotional connection to her.

Line by Line Meaning

Oh, have you seen Miss Molly
Have you had the pleasure of seeing Miss Molly?

Her cheeks are rosy red
Her cheeks are a vibrant red color.

Her lips are soft as satin
Her lips are incredibly smooth to the touch, much like satin fabric.

And they taste like ginger bread
When her lips touch mine, I am reminded of the sweet taste of gingerbread.

Oh, Oh, Oh, me, oh, my Miss Molly I'm in love with you
Oh my, Miss Molly, I have fallen deeply in love with you.

Oh, me, oh, my Miss Molly won't you say you love me too
Oh Miss Molly, won't you please tell me that you feel the same way?

Now when Miss Molly's smilin'
Whenever Miss Molly smiles,

The sun is dim a spell
It feels like the sun is less bright for a moment.

And when she laughs
Whenever she lets out a laugh,

Her voice is like a little silver bell
Her voice is as sweet and pleasing to hear as the sound of a small silver bell.

I'll trade my horse and saddle
I am willing to give up my beloved horse and saddle,