Often credited with the birth of Western swing, Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys redefined this now-bygone genre, updating it and making it more accessible to the mainstream. By adding a big band and altering the formula to include a jazz sensibility over the simple pop arrangements, Wills & His Texas Playboys got people out on the dancefloor in droves. The band's ambition to change what was once a strict structure in the face of purists is commendable enough - that they succeeded and developed bouncy twang-jazz songs that gave 1940s cowboys something to swing to is what made Wills & His Texas Playboys golden. They also helped to pave the way for what became the stripped-down, grittier, roadhouse honky-tonk sound.
