Western Swing, that exciting music of the western dance hall, is a subtle and compelling mixture of square dance, big band swing, blues, Mexican mariachi, country and hot jazz played mostly on string instruments. Western Swing is back. It is being rediscovered by a whole new generation, and when Waylon Jennings sings "Bob Wills is still the King," he and thousands of others are paying tribute to the man whose personality and musicianship forged this musical form from its disparate elements.

Bob Wills formed his legendary Texas Playboys in 1933, and with him, they became one of the most innovative and popular bands of the next several decades with probably a greater impact and influence on music in general than any other single group from that era. Although he died in 1975, Wills was able to see the beginnings of the Western Swing revival with artists like Merle Haggard and Asleep At The Wheel paying tribute while they adopted both his material and his sound.

Among new Western Swing bands formed was an old one - The Texas Playboys themselves. After superb and exciting informal get-togethers at Bob Wills festivals, The Texas Playboys began performing concerts and making television appearances. The band is a collection of Texas Playboys from the various eras of the group's career. They play smoothly and spiritedly with the assurance that comes from knowing one another for a number of years. As Country Music Magazine recently said, "They'd have made ole Jim Robb (Wills) proud."