The Show
WVOF- FM Fairfield, CT. (88.5)
"Swingin' West"
Friday afternoons from 1:00 - 4:00 P.M.
A Little History...
It was the old 1930's and 1940's Singing Cowboy movies (Gene
Autry, Tex Ritter, Roy Rogers, Eddie Dean and the Sons of the
Pioneers), popular on television in the 1950's, that led Mike
Gross into Western Music and to start his Swingin' West radio
broadcast on WSHU-FM, Fairfield, CT on Sunday, February 17,
1980.
For many years, the program originated from
and was recorded while broadcasting live over WSHU. A DAT was
sent to KTPR in Ft. Dodge, Iowa, then daisy chained to High
Plains Public Radio, KANZ and eventually on to KABL-6 in Canadian,
Texas where it was used as background behind local cable TV
service in the Lone Star State. In addition, Mike has been a
guest on other radio shows and stations to do his "Swingin'
West" show.
The Sounds You'll Hear...
"Everything Western" is what Mike plays on
his show. It can begin with sets that include Spade Cooley and
Bob Wills (the Daddy of Western Swing) and move from there to
the Western-style tunes of the Glenn Miller Orchestra or Frank
Sinatra. The show places an emphasis on lots of fine contemporary
Western Swing, showcasing that Western Swing is alive and well.
Dave Alexander, Leon Rausch, Asleep At The Wheel, Tom Morrell
& The Time-Warp Tophands and the Original River Road Boys
are among many that are recording Western Swing today. Another
generation of Wills can also be heard with Bob, Johnnie Lee,
Luke and Billy Jack's talented niece, Dayna Wills and Johnnie
Lee's son, John T. Wills. Of course, the show also includes
the music of the great American West of both yesterday and today.
The Music
...
What is Western Swing?
The program showcases Western Swing music, an American
music form born in Texas and Oklahoma in the 1930's. It's an
amalgamation of Scotch/Irish fiddle music, New Orleans jazz
and Black blues, and it evolved in the 1940’s parallel
to Big Band Swing. It uses fiddles, mandolins, guitars and steel
guitars, in lieu of or along with trumpets, reeds and trombones.
The words and vocals tend toward the light, happy side.
Over the years, there have been many different
groups with varied and different styles playing what can be
considered Western Swing music. In addition, many artists in
other fields of music have recorded Western Swing songs and
used Western Swing style musicians and sounds.
Who is Western Swing?
In the 1930's Bob Wills, Milton Brown, Bill Boyd and other
Texas and Oklahoma bands were the nuclei of the music. In the
1940's and the effects of World War II on the American population,
Western Swing bands also began to become very popular in California.
Some of these bands were the same Texas bands transplanting.
Others, were new groups with fresh sounds all theirs. One of
these new bands belonged to Spade Cooley. Others also emanated
from Cooley alumnus such as Tex Williams and Smokey Rogers.
The 1950's added the Honky Tonk element to many of the Western
Swing bands such as that of Hank Thompson and his Brazos Valley
Boys. However, because of both television and the popularity
of Rock 'n Roll this music declined for almost two decades.
The birth of contemporary groups such as Asleep At The Wheel
and the emphasis on Western Swing by popular Country Music artists
such as Merle Haggard and later George Strait led to today’s
renaissance.
