Take Me Back To Tulsa - Tex Williams & Spade Cooley

[@MonteD1]

Met Tex in the early 80s when my Dad played guitar in his backing band for a short tour. What a great gentleman.

[@blossomrusso6457]

If you wanna learn all the details of Spade's life, there's an episode of the podcast Cocaine and Rhinestones about him that's fantastic.

[@Houndini]

And its not very pleasant. Honest True Story. You will see the real evil Spade way he really was. IF any you think he some type of A Hero. NOT!!. Not that big smiling back slapping on TV & On Stage acting Bum. Unless beating killing Mother of your children stomping her to death is OK with your type. Oh I got nothing say bad 1 bit about his co-stars just Spade . Send him glass cold water. he sure could use it.

[@Houndini]

No joke this dude left huge trail destruction everywhere he went. Now you know why he played all them Police Benefits for free. Over his destruction of other peoples lives. like get out jail free card type.

[@StephaneVorstellung]

@jack bobrick Well shucks: In that case, I won't ask you to help me abuse his corpse.

[@lawrencelewis8105]

@@StephaneVorstellung so you think we should dig him up and slap his corpse around? Too much work which would tire us out. So let's just go to the bar- beers on me!

[@matthewreeves8408]

Great podcast. Nasty man.

[@blucoyote3765]

My dad and I used to watch Spade Cooley and his Aces on Friday nights when I was a little girl. We watched it until the 'unfortunate incident" when he just disappeared from TV. We both really enjoyed it.

[@boblstclair4023]

Johnny Weis was and is one of the best guitar players ever. He plays a killer solo at 2:00 into this. Very similar to Charlie Christian.

[@panzade]

Bob L StClair thanks for the Weis info

[@teetosh]

Too bad they cut to the lady bass wrangler and didn’t have front shot of him playing his solo. Show biz.

[@chipdumo]

Whit Smith (Hot Club of Cowtown) sounds a lot like him today too. He must have listened to him also.

[@boblstclair4023]

@@chipdumo the one-two punch of Johnny Weis on guitar and Joaquin Murphy on both lap and pedal steel was humbling. Johnny’s son Danny, my lifelong friend, is a scary good player. He worked with the Rascals, Lou Reed, Burton Cummings, Everly Bros..Danny was the featured guitarist and music director in the movie “The Rose”. Saying all that to say this: Danny is an incredible funk player and a serious jazz player. Hundreds of sessions with so many artists+tv and movies. From the age of 10 years old I got to jam in my living room with Johnny, Danny and my dad. This continued once a month until 1964 when Johnny suffered a fatal heart attack.

[@beaverlodge9941]

Johnny Weis’s son Danny is the one who would play guitar in Iron Butterfly, isnt he, goes to show that Western Swing could’ve also been an influence on early Heavy Metal, I mean Hendrix was a fan of Bob Wills n Ritchie Blackmore was influenced by Jimmy Bryant

[@agathoklisagathokleous1264]

Πόσο με ενθουσιάζουν αυτές οι μουσικές! Υπέροχος ο Speedy Coolley και Μπάντα του. Πόσο νοσταλγώ εκείνες τις εποχές! Μακάρι να μην έφευγαν ποτέ. Μα έμεινε για πάντα αφήνοντας μας αυτά τα υπέροχα κομμάτια.

[@lawrencelewis8105]

I've gotta find more of this music! I've loved Bob wills and Asleep at the Wheel for over 40 years but it's only in the last few months that I've even heard of Spade Cooley.

[@NinaDTrio]

Try Pee Wee King, Luke Wills, Tex Williams, Leon McAuliffe, Paul Howard and Ole Rasmussen.

[@lawrencelewis8105]

Thanks for that, I've heard of Leon and Tex, but not those other guys.

[@MrPatdeeee]

Yes, in truth Spade Cooley was the "KING" of western swing. Many believe that was Bob Wills. Not so, he copied Spade and singers and band. Of course Bob had a myriad of fans, but Spade was the top. Oh indeed yes.

[@swingrfd]

Can't leave Hank Penny off that list.

[@cynthiakeller5954]

@@MrPatdeeee From Snake 1994: These are all the injuries that Cooley inflicted on Ella Mae the day he murdered her (not including the physical/emotional abuse he’s already inflicted on her before): Stomping on her, kicking her, slamming her head on the floor, sexually defiling her. Her lips were split open; the skin of her chin was cracked and bleeding; her neck, nose, shoulder, chest, hip, arms, wrist and legs all suffered deep bruising and/or broken bones or cartilage; the nipple of her left breast was burnt black and partially separated from the breast; she was missing a clump of hair from her head and wounds found in her vaginal and rectal tissues were consistent with a bloody, mucous deposit that extended five or six inches down the end of a broom handle. MASSIVE internal injuries and hemorrhaging. I don’t know about you but to me that kind of torture is very unforgivable and not what I would consider a hero, let alone a “good man”. He was a king of torturing his wife. I don't give a dam about what his wife did, she didn't deserve what he did to her.

[@robertzellman1032]

I believe the woman playing the bass is Carolina Cotton

[@1Hummerchick]

wikipedia doesn't say anything about her playing bass.

[@stevecarlson6462]

Did Spade kill her?

[@mightyturkeyneck1349]

Love the tone on that lap steel... there's a beautiful lap steel settin inna window of my local guitar shop that I covet like my neighbor's wife. Alas, too broke. But learning to play steel is still on my bucket list...

[@robbiearroyo2292]

Thou shalt not covet thy local guitar shop's lap steel! Kidding, hope you were able to procure one since then.

[@darrellwheeler2625]

After hearing about his full life how the badly mistreatment of his 1st and 2nd wife who had later brutally viciously murdered her infront of their daughter is absolutely. Spade Cooley was a very cold heartless narcissistic psychotic psychopath Absolutely I have no respect for anybody who loves enjoying beating torturing and killing women who they claimed to loves his actions is very appalling. Yes he was a talented performer but that spoiled it with what he had done He was a terrible person iam so glad he didn't lived to see himself being paroled out of prison

[@gertchacowsongertcha]

The gal on the double bass is lovely

[@johnstewart9166]

She went by the name of Carolina Cotton.

[@carllafong4791]

This is probably the first filmed performance of Joaquin Murphey (looking lean at age 20), with a 1944 copyright date when he was still playing the Dickerson steel. Within months of this, he would have Bigsby steel number 1 and use it with Spade in "Rockin' In The Rockies" on "Miss Molly", which is also here on KZbin. Joaquin also did "Ida Red" with this same Dickerson guitar and the same lineup---twin bass guitars. I saw this film at the Pacific Film Archive in Berkeley about 40 years ago and had not seen it since. We aren't going to see the likes of Joaquino again.

[@Amoeba744]

Couldn't have said it any better.

[@colinbryan8265]

W C Field mentioned Carl Lafong. Maybe your related.

[@glennchamberlain3115]

Just watched a documentary on Soundies. This was one of the featured tracks. Incredible

[@swingrfd]

Listen to Murphey with Andy Parker and the Plainsmen doing "Honeysuckle Rose". Absolutely the best.

[@johnstephen7610]

I know I'm seven years late, but what an interesting video this is. It's very, very rare for any group to have two bass players. They sound like they're very much in synch with each other. I imagine the sound on this video "soundie" is prerecorded, not recorded live as they performed. Nonetheless, the two basses in perfect synch is noteworthy.

[@Pkatherstudio]

This is The Good Stuff!!

[@ElNinoDeLaFrontera]

Just found out Spade was buried in my hometown. Obviously his actions are nothing to be celebrated, but being such a huge fan of Western music, I'm obliged to pay a visit soon

[@cynthiakeller5954]

He was the devil incarnate. I would go to only spit on his grave. Would you like some details on what he did to his wife during her final hours?

[@robbiearroyo2292]

Just looked it up seeing this comment... funny enough I passed through Hayward earlier. Too bad I didn't see this yesterday!

[@jinglebells223]

Piss on his grave

[@johnmcgraw1765]

Real American music 🎵❤️

[@manoelteixeira4936]

Bom demais. maneco - Brasil.

[@agathoklisagathokleous1264]

ΠΡΑΓΜΑΤΙ ΒΑΣΙΛΕΙΑΣ ΣΤΟ ΕΙΔΟΣ ΤΗΣ ΜΟΥΣΙΚΗΣ ΤΟΥ. ΥΠΕΡΟΧΟΣ!!!

[@flatcat47]

Ka-Ripes wht a tight band!

[@williammiller1732]

Tex Williams from beautiful Pana I'll

[@Johnny35130]

Poor Ol' Spade, he was in his element when performing.His personal life just came all to pieces,aided by alcohol,drugs and jealousy. Still this line-up shown here is my favorite. I wonder where Melody is now.

[@nioalexander9000]

I disagree. While I agree that he was at home performing I think what he did to his wife demonstrates that he should have never attained any level of celebrity. This was a truly disturbed and vile human being who was capable of great evil for absolutely selfish reasons.

[@pwea1anda294]

@@nioalexander9000 Spade was the best. Try having a whore for a wife with a bitter tongue and come home after she told him she just slept with a famous rival western entertainer and told him to clean out her privates ... Ya .... you know it all dont you ? Ask Hank Pennys family for the better details.

[@Bigbadwhitecracker]

I dont feel sorry for hin

[@maryleecaesarscowboys]

This is fantastic.. Anyone knows the name of the fiddle player sitting down playing the awesome fiddle solo?

[@thomastarwater2989]

His name is Tiny Hunt.

[@maryleecaesarscowboys]

Thank you so much!

[@Lwyse96]

Despite his popularity in the 1940s, Cooley's career declined sharply by the mid 1950s, and as a result, he started drinking heavily, which severely affected his physical and mental health. Suspecting his wife, Ella Mae Evans, of having various affairs with other men, he beat, stomped, and killed her at their home in Willow Springs, California on April 3rd 1961. He was sentenced to life imprisonment, but because of a serious heart condition was sent to Vacavile Prison instead of San Quentin. By 1969, Cooley was scheduled to be paroled due to his declining health, and on November 23rd that year he performed at a benefit concert in Oakland, California. After finishing the first set of the evening, Cooley went backstage and suddenly suffered a massive heart attack, dying at the age of 58.

[@TheShizue777]

In Wikipedia they have some of the details as related by his daughter of how Spade abused his wife before slamming her face into the bathroom floor. He claimed that she slipped in the bathroom. Life is strange, is it not? And bathroom floors are slippery.

[@olddave4833]

play a benefit for the sheriffs dept, no less.

[@Houndini]

Try very sick in screwed up head. Should been locked up in 40th's Spade, Yes he had Rape trial in 45. Weasel his little but out of that big mess too. That dude was like Charlie Manson before they invented Charlie Manson. But in them times most people was trusting people, left doors unlocked, Feed & let total strangers sleep overnight out of weather, Never seen people like Spade with song & dance with big smile. Now days we run Oh its a Con Man. Hey Both very short Could Spade be Charlie's Dad? They do kind look like??

[@writerrad]

Musicians who played with hi,m didnt like Cooley much and thought of him as a dictator who wanted to moderate their music to be more pop and found him fairly disrespectful. They contrasted him to Wills who didnt now much about music but always looked to the more advanced band members lile Eldon, Leon, and later Johnny Gimble and more advanced musicians to do what they wanted and who really personally admired any musician who could play no matter how bluesy, jazz, or far out the music was. Cooley fired every musician in this video a year or two later, and kept firing bands until he had a really crummy mushy band.

[@samuelworthan5426]

No matter what anyone thinks or says, Bob Wills was and still is The King of Western Swing, Spade Cooley was just one of several second fiddles. 👨🏻‍🦳👍

[@personaking7844]

Spade was nutz ...

[@AndrewMoore-ww3mr]

Anyone know who the bass player is in this clip? It looks a lot like Ella Mae Evans, but I'm unsure.

[@hi-countrymedia3641]

Carolina Cotton

[@gordonsmyth2704]

Her real name was Helen Hagstrom, and her stage name was Carolina Cotton.

[@writerrad]

LOL seeing him at this stage, you realize how Spade got work in the movies as a body double for Roy Rodgers. Unfortunately, he ended his life in prison for murdering his wife claiming she was having an affair with Roy. This is his first great band with Joacquim Murphy and Tex Williams and so many greats. Unfortunately,. Spade was like Woody Herman in that he fired successive entire bands. You can catch most of these band members in the band that Tex Williams set up right after they all got fired. Cooley tended to have a more conservative approach than Wills who would let a musician do anything as long as it sounded good. He needs not to be forgotten. The term Western Swing was first associated with Cooley, even though folks like Wills and Milton Brown had started the music a decade before Cooley launched his band.

[@cynthiakeller5954]

He was a horrible little man. Would you like some details on what he did to his wife? Unforgivable.

[@encouragerfulton]

Almost a MATCH to Bob Wills, isn't he? Glad to hear the Spade classics!

[@cynthiakeller5954]

From Snake 1994: These are all the injuries that Cooley inflicted on Ella Mae the day he murdered her (not including the physical/emotional abuse he’s already inflicted on her before): Stomping on her, kicking her, slamming her head on the floor, sexually defiling her. Her lips were split open; the skin of her chin was cracked and bleeding; her neck, nose, shoulder, chest, hip, arms, wrist and legs all suffered deep bruising and/or broken bones or cartilage; the nipple of her left breast was burnt black and partially separated from the breast; she was missing a clump of hair from her head and wounds found in her vaginal and rectal tissues were consistent with a bloody, mucous deposit that extended five or six inches down the end of a broom handle. MASSIVE internal injuries and hemorrhaging. I don’t know about you but to me that kind of torture is very unforgivable and not what I would consider a hero, let alone a “good man”.

[@DelilahDeWylde]

Who is the woman playing bass?

[@NinaDTrio]

I believe it is Carolina Cotton.

[@СергоОрджоникидзе-ы3ж]

Carolina Cotton.

[@heedlesselegance7131]

it a taskad

[@georgemanka]

How many basses?

[@thomastarwater2989]

Two basses.

[@edmondscott7444]

He had a marvellous western swing group. What a shame about his wife.

[@writerrad]

LOL as Bob Wills said when he covered Cooley's tune Shame on You, Spade Cooley shame on you. Musicians who worked with hi called him a dictator and bossy and not really knowing much about music, and trying to moderate their sound to have "the businessman's bounce." In the immediate postwar period he had some red hot musicians, and great singers but he kept firing them all and had schlockier and schlockier units getting closer to his big rival in Glendale Lawrence Welk h. You can find some air checks of Bob Wills playing on Welk's program in the late 50s because Welk was in competition with Cooley.

[@cynthiakeller5954]

WTH, a "shame"? How can you say that? From Snake 1994: These are all the injuries that Cooley inflicted on Ella Mae the day he murdered her (not including the physical/emotional abuse he’s already inflicted on her before): Stomping on her, kicking her, slamming her head on the floor, sexually defiling her. Her lips were split open; the skin of her chin was cracked and bleeding; her neck, nose, shoulder, chest, hip, arms, wrist and legs all suffered deep bruising and/or broken bones or cartilage; the nipple of her left breast was burnt black and partially separated from the breast; she was missing a clump of hair from her head and wounds found in her vaginal and rectal tissues were consistent with a bloody, mucous deposit that extended five or six inches down the end of a broom handle. MASSIVE internal injuries and hemorrhaging. I don’t know about you but to me that kind of torture is very unforgivable and not what I would consider a hero, let alone a “good man”.

[@generubinaudio]

Who is the woman playing bass? Is she Carolina Cotton?

[@boppinguitar8376]

generubinaudio Yes

[@Ekkie101]

Why would he use two bass players?

[@bbcmusicoffice]

I read that it was because of the size of the band and the basses weren't amped. In the Texas Playboys, guitarist Eldon Shamblin had a comping style that reinforced the bass player. The lady at stage right is Carolina Cotton, and I'm pretty sure the bassist at stage left is Deuce Spriggins. The two married in 1945

[@Ekkie101]

bbcmusicoffice Makes sense. Big swing bands were even bigger, 14 to 18 pieces including saxophones, trumpets and trombones and I don't know of any that used two basses. Those bass players must have been working awfully hard. Bass amps had not been invented yet.

[@IlovePhoenix1]

Willie Nelson used 2 bass players so a time: Bee Spears and Chris Ethridge.

[@Ekkie101]

On live shows Little Richard used two bass players. Bass guitars. I think he just wanted a lot of noise behind him.

[@dupreeblues4744]

Two bass players !

[@MrPatdeeee]

Concert orchestras often have 4!

[@dupreeblues4744]

@@MrPatdeeee yeah but this is a shitkicker string band--great great stuff tho---besides how ya gonna kick a babe like that out of a band ? ..shes a good player as well !

[@rudyqualls]

WAS THE GUITAR PLAYER Ted Gilmore?

[@Amoeba744]

It's Johnny Weiss.

[@flatcat47]

LOVED him in Tarzan defeats the Nazis...

[@birdwife589]

Tex Williams is my bro but Spade Cooley is a creep

[@jordashi]

Hello I'm going to tell you the real story of this man. Spade's first wife went through pure hell with that man and had it not been for him meeting Ella she probably would have been murdered herself. Ella Mae suffered some of the twisted and horrific abuse I've ever heard a woman to suffer. He sexually assaulted her multiple times including using prostitutes in one of those assaults. He physically assaulted her almost every chance he got to the point many around her knew he would one day kill her. She attempted to take her own life multiple times and ended up being instituted each time for it. That sick bastard made his own daughter watch as he killed her mother and then molested her. And the truly saddest part of all of this was the fact that he didn't murder his wife because of that ridiculous water park (which he was only building as a incentive to make his wife move out to the desert with him because the neighborhood knew what was going on in that house) but he killed her because for the first time in all of this hell she went through she was going to run away from him because she knew he was going to finally kill her. This whole story was a tragedy and this man should not be celebrated in any form.

[@pwea1anda294]

he was angered.... still a good man. case closed.... and you are a liar .

[@johnschick3365]

Like so many C&W stars they grew up in abstract poverty, and had no clue how to handle fame & fortune. Alcohol and/or drugs took their toll. Very sad.

[@jiveturkey9993]

Yeah I'm sure if he didn't have alcohol and drugs in his system that wouldn't have happened.

[@dawndawn45]

Look 👀 at the Devil 👿 singing…

[@Houndini]

Spade told Prison Psychologist, He thought he was a Closet Homosexual. Watch him I think he right. Kind of Like Ella Mae got last laugh he died right when he was going get a pardon from I do nothing wrong Ronnie Reagan. Anybody beats on women stomps them to death has no mercy from me. Be hot where he at.

[@ferndavis3286]

Pix

[@ScottElblein]

lol

[@ΒασίληςΚυριακίδης-ζ9β]

There are singing like robots-they smiling all the time.

[@JC-hh6il]

Fuck you your a robot and true humans will dismantle you

[@lawrencelewis8105]

we will destroy you with our singing, smiling and playing so excellently! You haven't got a chance!

[@MrPatdeeee]

Yes, and I abhor those fake "smiles" designed to amuse and entertain the fans. Oh well. Of course the fans don't know its fake, and they love it. Sad indeed.

[@MrPatdeeee]

@@JC-hh6il Why do you use obscenity to make your point? Huh?

[@ΒασίληςΚυριακίδης-ζ9β]

@@JC-hh6il Spade Cooley killed his wife, you think he's happy?

[@alexandrez7536]

assassino e louco.

[@jerospace]

This guy was a horrible man

[@MrPatdeeee]

@Old chunk of coal. Jesus said, "Why do you call me good? There is none good except the Father in Heaven".

[@williamgunter6801]

I lost all respect for Spade after reading of the aweful behavior toward his wife!😡😡😡

[@dannymeske3821]

Was Spade Cooley gay?

[@Flyingwithoutmings]

Supposedly

[@christaylor2070]

never heard this band before - they actually sound as good as Bob Wills band just not as famous

[@juleswins3]

Spade Cooley is often referred to as the Father of Western Swing and Bob Wills as the King of Western Swing. Spade is a native son of Oklahoma and the Cherokee Tribe but neither ever claim or mention him. He was as vile a human being as he was a great musician.

[@writerrad]

@@juleswins3 You have exactly oipposite. Wills and Milton Brown but really Jimmie Rodgers started Western Swing. Bob Wills was doing this starting around 1931`. Cooley wasnt a good musician either, he hired good ones. The musicians did not like working for him because he had really conservative taste in music and fired them Every single musician in this video was fired by Cooley just a year or two later even though they were big stars. Musicians who worked for him talked about how ignorant Cooley was.

[@writerrad]

@@juleswins3 Wills was the opposite. He knew he didnt know much about music beyond old tim,e fiddling and blues, he just knew what was good Instead of trying to boss the music, he let the most advanced musicians like Eldon Shamblin, Johnny Gimble, Jimmy Wyble etc Lester Barnard Junior, do whatever they wanted as long as it was good. Those who worked for both liked working for Wills and were usually glad to be gone from working for Cooley who was a rude bully and a drunk. Well Wills was an alcoholic too, but he wasnt a nasty alcoholic like Cooley who abused and eventually sadistically murdered his wife!

[@cynthiakeller5954]

Cooley was famous or better to say infamous. He is a disgrace, the devil incarnate. His crimes should never be forgotten and must shadow him. Ella Mae was his wife, the mother of his children. He "romantically forced himself" on his 14 yo daughter. The same daughter he forced her to watch all of the following. Probably forced himself on his son too. From Snake 1994: These are all the injuries that Cooley inflicted on Ella Mae the day he murdered her (not including the physical/emotional abuse he’s already inflicted on her before): Stomping on her, kicking her, slamming her head on the floor, sexually defiling her. Her lips were split open; the skin of her chin was cracked and bleeding; her neck, nose, shoulder, chest, hip, arms, wrist and legs all suffered deep bruising and/or broken bones or cartilage; the nipple of her left breast was burnt black and partially separated from the breast; she was missing a clump of hair from her head and wounds found in her vaginal and rectal tissues were consistent with a bloody, mucous deposit that extended five or six inches down the end of a broom handle. MASSIVE internal injuries and hemorrhaging. I don’t know about you but to me that kind of torture is very unforgivable and not what I would consider a hero, let alone a “good man”.

[@solominded]

Its good but just can't compare to Bob and the Playboys... Without Leon on that steel it just doesn't work.

[@idontknowmuch3441]

Ok so he was gay. Which is totally fine.

[@cynthiakeller5954]

Whether or not he was gay, he was not fine. From Snake 1994: These are all the injuries that Cooley inflicted on Ella Mae the day he murdered her (not including the physical/emotional abuse he’s already inflicted on her before): Stomping on her, kicking her, slamming her head on the floor, sexually defiling her. Her lips were split open; the skin of her chin was cracked and bleeding; her neck, nose, shoulder, chest, hip, arms, wrist and legs all suffered deep bruising and/or broken bones or cartilage; the nipple of her left breast was burnt black and partially separated from the breast; she was missing a clump of hair from her head and wounds found in her vaginal and rectal tissues were consistent with a bloody, mucous deposit that extended five or six inches down the end of a broom handle. MASSIVE internal injuries and hemorrhaging. I don’t know about you but to me that kind of torture is very unforgivable and not what I would consider a hero, let alone a “good man”.

[@jonwalts2763]

spade did nothing wrong

[@jordashi]

Spade's first wife went through pure hell with that man and had it not been for him meeting Ella she probably would have been murdered herself. Ella Mae suffered some of the twisted and horrific abuse I've ever heard a woman to suffer. He sexually assaulted her multiple times including using prostitutes in one of those assaults. He physically assaulted her almost every chance he got to the point many around her knew he would one day kill her. She attempted to take her own life multiple times and ended up being instituted each time for it. That sick bastard made his own daughter watch as he killed her mother and then molested her. And the truly saddest part of all of this was the fact that he didn't murder his wife because of that ridiculous water park (which he was only building as a incentive to make his wife move out to the desert with him because the neighborhood knew what was going on in that house) but he killed her because for the first time in all of this hell she went through she was going to run away from him because she knew he was going to finally kill her. This whole story was a tragedy and this man should not be celebrated in any form.