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Western swing drummer, bass player, singer and band leader, perhaps most famous for writing the lyrics to the song Faded Love. Youngest brother of Bob Wills and Johnnie Lee Wills. Started out in Johnnie Lee Wills’ band in Tulsa, Oklahoma in the early 1940s before joining Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys for six years, and then leading his own Billy Jack Wills And His Western Swing Band from 1949 or 50 to 1954, when it was folded into The Texas Playboys.

Born 26 Feb 1926 Memphis, Hall County, Texas, died 2 Mar 1991 (aged 65) Oklahoma, USA.

ALBUMS


Billy Jack Wills
Cadillac In Model 'A'
2022, CD, Comp, Bear Family Records, ,
Western Swing
Tommy Duncan Featuring Bob Wills & Billy Jack Wills
Dog House Blues
2008, CD, Comp, Mono, Jasmine Records
Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys
Let's Play, Boys!
2015
Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys
Seven Miles Out Of Town
2007, CD, Album, RE, Varèse Sarabande,
Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys
Harmony Park Airshots January 1953
1999, CD, Comp, Country Routes
Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys
Anthology (1935-1973)
1991
Billy Jack Wills And His Western Swing Band
Crazy Man Crazy
1982
Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys
Western Swing Along
1965
Billy Jack Wills And His Western Swing Band
Out Of Gas / I Don't Want To Live Alone
1954, 7", Promo, MGM Records, ,
Western Swing/Country
Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys
Cadillac In Model "A" / Waltzing In Old San Antone
1954
Billy Jack Wills And His Western Swing Band
Cattle Call / Now That We Have Said Goodbye
1952, Shellac, 10", 4 Star Records
Billy Jack Wills And His Western Swing Band
Lilly Dale / Down In Old Mexico
1951, Shellac, 10", 4 Star Records
Billy Jack Wills And His Western Swing Band
Roped And Tied / Water Baby Boogie
1951, Shellac, 10", 4 Star Records, ,
Western Swing
Billy Jack Wills And His Western Swing Band
Lily Dale / Tobacco Chewing Boogie
1951, Shellac, 10", 4 Star Records, ,
Western Swing
Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys
Ida Red Likes The Boogie / A King Without A Queen
1949, 10", MGM Records
Billy Jack Wills And His Western Swing Band
For The Children's Sake / Teardrops On A Diary
Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys
A Tribute To Bob Wills

APPEARANCES +


Various
So Tired Of Crying
2020, CD, Comp, Atomicat Records, ,
Country/Hillbilly/Honky Tonk/Rock & Roll/Rockabilly/Western Swing
Various
Hillbilly Deluxe
2020, CD, Comp, Atomicat Records
John Arthur Martinez
For The Love Of Western Swing (& Other Love Songs)
2019, CD, Jam Records (36)
Commander Cody And His Lost Planet Airmen
Live In San Francisco 1971
2015, ,
Country Rock
Cattle Call
Hillbilly Music
2014, CD, Album, Not On Label (Cattle Call Self-released), ,
Hillbilly
Various
Lifetime Of Country Romance: Sweet Dreams
2006, ,
Country
The Roy Kay Trio
Rock-A-Way Lonesome Moon
2005
Caitlin
Sleep My Baby
2004, CD, Album, Tulip Records (5)
Lefty Frizzell
Country Favorites / Saginaw, Michigan
2003, CD, Comp, Collectables, Sony Music Custom Marketing Group
Bob Wills
Rare California Airshots 1945-1946
2001, CD, Country Routes
Various
Mystery Train
1997, CD, Comp, Rounder Records, ,
Bluegrass/Country/Folk/Country Blues
Various
That'll Flat ... Git It! Vol. 7: Rockabilly From The Vaults Of M-G-M Records
1996, CD, Comp, Bear Family Records, ,
Rockabilly/Rock & Roll
Elvis*
A Hundred Years From Now
1996, ,
Country Rock/Rhythm & Blues/Ballad
Various
Heroes Of Country Music Vol. One (Legends Of Western Swing)
1996, ,
Country/Swing
Asleep At The Wheel
Still Swingin
1994, Box + 3xCD, Comp, Liberty, ,
Country/Swing
Bob Wills And His Texas Playboys*
Swing Hi! Swing Lo! The Best Of The Tiffany Transcriptions
1993, CD, Comp, Music Club, ,
Western Swing/Country/Swing
Bob Wills And His Texas Playboys*, McKinney Sisters
The Tiffany Transcriptions: The McKinney Sisters
1993
Asleep At The Wheel
Tribute To The Music Of Bob Wills And The Texas Playboys
1993, ,
Country/Swing
Bob Wills
The Essential Bob Wills (1935-1947)
1992, ,
Country/Western Swing
Bob Wills And The Texas Playboys*
Country Music Hall Of Fame Series
1992
Various
Guitar Player Presents Legends Of Guitar - Country, Vol. 2
1991, CD, Comp, Rhino Records (2), ,
Country/Country Blues
Bob Wills And His Texas Playboys*
The Tiffany Transcriptions Vol. 9: In The Mood
1990, ,
Country Blues/Country/Swing/Western Swing
Bob Wills And His Texas Playboys*
The Tiffany Transcriptions Vol. 8: More Of The Best
1988, ,
Country/Swing/Western Swing
Bob Wills And His Texas Playboys*
The Tiffany Transcriptions Vol. 3: Basin Street Blues
1988, ,
Country Blues/Country/Swing/Western Swing
Bob Wills And His Texas Playboys*
The Golden Era
1987, ,
Country Blues/Country/Swing
Bob Wills And His Texas Playboys*
The Tiffany Transcriptions Vol. 6: Sally Goodin
1987
Bob Wills And His Texas Playboys*
The Tiffany Transcriptions Vol. 7: Keep Knockin'
1987, ,
Country Blues/Country/Swing/Western Swing
Bob Wills And His Texas Playboys*
The Tiffany Transcriptions Vol. 5
1986, ,
Country Blues/Country/Swing/Western Swing
Bob Wills
Papa's Jumpin' - The MGM Years
1985, 5xLP, Comp, Mono + Box, Bear Family Records, ,
Country/Swing/Western Swing
Bob Wills & Tommy Duncan
Right Or Wrong
1985, LP, Delta Records (2)
Bob Wills & Tommy Duncan
Take Me Back To Tulsa
1985, LP, Delta Records (2), ,
Western Swing/Bakersfield Sound
Bob Wills
For Collectors Volume Two
1985, LP, Comp, Mono, Delta Records (2), ,
Country Blues/Country/Swing
Bob Wills And His Texas Playboys*
The Tiffany Transcriptions Vol. 4: You're From Texas
1985, ,
Country Blues/Country/Swing/Western Swing
Bob Wills And His Texas Playboys*
The Greatest Hits Of Texas
1984, 7", Shape, EP, Pic, Rhino Records (2), ,
Western Swing
Bob Wills
For Collectors Volume One
1984, LP, Comp, Mono, Delta Records (2), ,
Country Blues/Country/Swing
Red Knuckles & The Trailblazers
Honky Tonk Swing Music
1984
Bob Wills And His Texas Playboys*
The Tiffany Transcriptions Vol. 2: Best Of The Tiffanys
1984, ,
Country Blues/Country/Western Swing
Billy Jack Wills And His Western Swing Band Featuring Tiny Moore
Sacramento 1952-1954
1982
Lefty Frizzell
Lefty Frizzell
1982
Bob Wills And His Texas Playboys*
The Tiffany Transcriptions Vol. 1
1982, ,
Country Blues/Country
Bob Wills
More Rare Presto Transcriptions
1982
Various
Great Country Duets
1981, LP, Comp, Memory, Memory, Memory, ,
Country
Bob Wills
The Rare Presto Transcriptions
1981, ,
Country Blues/Country/Swing
Josh Graves
King Of The Dobro
1980,
The Late Bob Wills' Original Texas Playboys Under The Direction Of Leon McAuliffe*
Today
1977
Darrell McCall & Willie Nelson
Lily Dale
1977
Various
Rollin' Along: An Anthology of Western Swing
1976, LP, Comp, Tishomingo Records, ,
Country
Jack Stidham, Keith Coleman
Western Swing Okie Style
1976, LP, Album, Stidham Records
Merle Haggard And The Strangers
Presents His 30th Album
1974
Bob Wills And His Texas Playboys*
The Bob Wills Anthology
1973, ,
Country Blues/Country/Swing/Western Swing
Various
Blacks Whites And Blues
1970, LP, Comp, Mono, CBS, CBS, ,
Country Blues/Hillbilly/Western Swing
Bob Wills
Here's That Man Again
1968, ,
Country
Various
Fire On The Strings (Great Country & Western Instrumentals)
1967
Lefty Frizzell
Lefty Frizzell's Country Favorites
1966
Bob Wills And His Texas Playboys*
Bob Wills And His Texas Playboys
1958, ,
Country/Western Swing
Ray Price
Sings Heart Songs
1957, ,
Country
Bob Wills And His Texas Playboys*
Lilly Dale / It's the Bottle Talking
1956, 7", Single, Decca
Bob Wills And His Texas Playboys*
Fallen Angel / She's The Quarter Horse Type
1954, Shellac, 10", Promo, MGM Records, ,
Rockabilly
Bob Wills And His Texas Playboys*
I Hit The Jackpot (When I Won You) / Texas Blues
1954
Lefty Frizzell
A King Without A Queen / You Can Always Count On Me
1954
Bob Wills And His Texas Playboys*
Keeper Of My Heart / I'll Have Somebody Else
1948, Shellac, 10", MGM Records
Bob Wills And His Texas Playboys*
New Texas Playboy Rag / Texarkana Baby
1948
Bob Wills
In Memory Of The Daddy Of Western Swing
LP, Album, Comp, Hillbilly Heaven (2)
Bar J Wranglers*
Cowboy Elevator Music
CD, Album, Not On Label (The Bar-J Wranglers Self-released)
Lucille Starr & Grant Carson
Are You Teasin' Me
7", Single, Cheyenne
Bobby Hicks
Fiddle Patch
,
Bluegrass
Elvis Presley
"I'm 10,000 Years Old" - Elvis Country
Various
MGM Rockabilly Collection
2014, 2xCD, Comp, Jasmine Records, ,
Rock & Roll/Country Rock/Rockabilly
Various
Rock-A-Billy Cowboys
2012, 10xCD, Comp, Documents, ,
Rockabilly/Hillbilly
Various
MGM Rockabilly
2012, 2xCD, Comp, Pink 'N' Black Records (2)
Various
Essential Rockabilly - The MGM Story
2011, 2xCD, Comp, RM, One Day Music, ,
Rockabilly
Various
Western Swingin'
2011, 3xCD, Comp, Fantastic Voyage, ,
Western Swing
Various
Hot Rod Race - Hopped Up Hillbilly Songs 1946-59
2009, LP, Comp, Ltd, Num, CCR, ,
Rockabilly/Country/Swing
Various
Classic Country Music On MGM
2008, CD, Comp, B.A.C.M.
Various
Honky Tonkin' Rhythm: 1950s Country Boppers
2007, 2xCD, Comp, Great Voices Of The Century (2)
Various
Stompin' Singers & Western Swingers
2006, Box, Comp, RE, RM, Car + 4xCD, Comp, RE, RM, Proper Records (2), ,
Western Swing
Various
Trains & Cars
2005, 4xCD, Comp, Mono, Documents, Membran International GmbH, ,
Country/Electric Blues/Rhythm & Blues/Rock & Roll
Various
M-G-M Hillbilly
2003
Various
Rock 'n Roll 1950 Vol. 6
2001, 2xCD, Comp, Frémeaux & Associés, ,
Rock & Roll
Various
Ultra Rare Western Swing Volume 1
1995, CD, Comp, Chief Records (9), ,
Western Swing
Various
Rockabilly Boogie Rare Items Vol. 2
1987, LP, Comp, Revival Records (9)
Various
Rockabilly Boogie Rare Items Vol.3
1987, LP, Album, Comp, Revival Records (9)
Various
Rockin' Hillbilly Vol.8
CD, Comp, Cactus Records (24)
Various
M-G-M Hillbilly Vol. 3
CDr, Comp, Cactus Records (24), ,
Country/Hillbilly
Various
M-G-M Hillbilly Volume Four
CDr, Comp, Cactus Records (24), ,
Country/Hillbilly
Various
M-G-M Hillbilly Volume Five
CDr, Comp, Cactus Records (24), ,
Country/Hillbilly
Various
Cowboy Hit Parade Volume 1
CD, Comp, Doghouse Records (9)
Various
Hey Mama
CD, Comp, Pan-American Recordings
Various
She Got Eyes
CD, Comp, Pan-American Recordings
Various
Cowboy Hit Parade Volume II
CD, Comp, Doghouse Records (9)
Merle Haggard And The Strangers
Presents His 30th Album
1974