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SDN Photos/Maria Zorola Gordon Taylor (right), of Abilene, visited with Leon Rausch and his wife, Vonda, at the book and CD signing Thursday. Taylor has been a fan of Rausch’s music since the late 1970s.
Longtime western swing musician Leon Rausch has performed at the West Texas Western Swing Festival off and on for the past 20 years.
The Fort Worth resident has been playing western swing music since the late 1950s, but his musical career began in 1931 when he was three years old.
“My dad was a musician and forced me to enter a contest,” said Rausch laughing. “The winner would get a loaf of bread and I didn’t win.”
He said he never stopped performing because he enjoyed it.
“When you get used to doing something, it becomes part of your livelihood,” Rausch said. “You’d do it for nothing, but if your can get paid, it’s even better.”
Rausch, who received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Academy of Western Artist last year, said he would like to see Western Swing music last.
“I wish it would stay popular,” Rausch said. “It’s fading fast.
He said the music, which is comparable to Mexican conjunto type music, is not a polka style, but a danceable two-step style with fiddles and still guitars.
He began seeing a decline in interest in western swing with the popularity of The Beatles. He said he enjoyed meeting Paul McCartney and many other famous people when he had radio and television shows.
“I enjoyed meeting all the great people in the business, Grand Ole Opry stars and country western singers and movie stars in California,” he said.
Rausch said he likes the family aspect of western swing music, as well as the get-togethers, and remembers when women used to knit at dance halls and girls would ask their parents for permission to dance.
During his career, Rausch admitted he got involved with the partying crowd and mentioned it during his performances.
“I quit messing with that 35 years ago and am glad I did because it was too much, not my lifestyle,” Rausch said. “I grew up a good kid and didn’t have any business getting out with these club people. My folks were Christian people and my daddy was very disappointed in me.
“Most of these guys who do this kind of music have had bad things happen to them.” said Rausch in a serious voice. “Either with alcohol or drugs and that’s not anything to brag about.”
He added he simply likes to be able to play without those types of pressures.
Rausch, who is 88, used to perform approximately 200 shows a year, both nationally and internationally. He said he now performs 25 to 50 times a year at various shows. He said the decline is due to dance hall closings and health reasons.
He said Bob Wills’ family allowed him to continue playing with Bob Wills’ Texas Playboys Band when Wills passed away.
He is scheduled to perform with his band in Wichita Falls next week and said he is looking forward to it.