Liles: Western Swing roots run deep in Texas

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  • Western Swing Monthly representatives Barbara Terry (left) and Joe Liles set up a booth at the West Texas Western Swing Festival at The Coliseum this week.
    Western Swing Monthly representatives Barbara Terry (left) and Joe Liles set up a booth at the West Texas Western Swing Festival at The Coliseum this week.
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According to Western Swing Monthly writer Joe Liles, western swing roots run deep in Texas.
“It’s called country classic western swing music,” Liles said. “It started with (musician) Bob Wills from Turkey, Texas. He took old German songs and turned them into American swing music.”
From swing music, the genre progressed into country swing, where artists, including Johnny Cash, George Jones and Hank Williams, were featured on the Louisiana Hayride broadcast.
From the Louisiana Hayride, country music transitioned to the Grand Ole Opry.
A retired judge from Louisiana, Liles travels around the country to different western swing events, writing about them for the monthly online western swing magazine. He said that probably 65 percent of the people who attend the events subscribe to the magazine.
While traveling, Liles also promotes upcoming western swing festivals.
“If you look around at the audience, all of the people that you see here will be at these festivals and their pictures will be in this magazine,” Liles said. “If you look in the parking lot where all of the RVs are parked, probably two-thirds of the people out there came from a long way off.” 
Liles said that the western swing festivals have a significant economical impact on the communities that host them. 
“These festivals do great things for the economy,” he said. “They are huge. Every person here probably spends between $300 and $400.” 
A first-time attendee to Snyder’s West Texas Western Swing Festival, Liles said he is impressed with the event.
“It’s fantastic,” he said. “These people are having a ball.” 
One of the reasons why Snyder’s festival is successful is because of its location, Liles said.
“When you look at Snyder on the map, all you’ve got around it is small towns, so that draws people in like a magnet,” he said. “They don’t go to anywhere like Dallas or San Antonio; it’s all right here. And most of the people here are cattle farmers and have grown up with this kind of music. They don’t get that kind of music from the radio or the TV; they get it from this. That’s a huge draw.”
Unlike structured music, western swing performers often play by ear.
“Half of the people on that stage probably can’t even read music,” Liles said. “They grew up with instruments in their hands and can play.” 
Though computer-generated music is topping the charts these days, Liles said that country music is surviving.
“Western swing music is declining a little bit, but country classic is picking up,” he said. “Bluegrass is about all the way out, though.”