A few weeks ago, we shared the news about the new Crystal Springs Hideaway taking shape in the River District and started to dig into the history of the area, the former Crystal Springs Dance Pavilion, and the 1930s western sing band, the Light Crust Doughboys, who popularized the dance hall.
The Light Crust Doughboys ushered in an era of western swing — a combination of jazz and country music.
Photo courtesy of TSHA
Bit of backstory
Formed in 1931, the Light Crust Doughboys had “the greatest and longest success” of all the western swing bands in the area. The group consisted of fiddle player Bob Wills who teamed up with guitarist Herman Arnspiger and vocalist Milton Brown. They were sponsored by Burrus Mill and Elevator Company to advertise the mill’s light crust flour. Their “hillbilly music” was broadcast across the state by the Texas Quality Group Network, which included Fort Worth’s WBAP and Dallas’ WFAA radio stations.
Fun fact: The musician and radio host who helped elevate the band to fame was W. Lee “Pappy” O’Daniel, who went on to become the 34th governor of Texas and inspired the Pappy O’Daniel character in “O’ Brother Where Art Thou.”
Over the years, new bandmates joined the group as the original members broke off to pursue solo careers, but the Light Crust Doughboys lived on. They were inducted to the Texas Western Swing Hall of Fame in the late 1980s + became the official music ambassadors of the Lone Star State in 1995. The band earned eight Grammy nominations and won Best Southern, Country, or Bluegrass Gospel Album in 2003.
Current day questions
Turns out Fort Worth really is a small town disguised as a big city, because we connected with Grammy Award winner Art Greenhaw, who currently leads the “world’s longest continually performing and recording country band” nearly 100 years after its founding.
Keep reading to learn more about the Light Crust Doughboys, their legacy, and when you can see them soon.
The interview has been edited for length and clarity.
What does it mean for you to continue a musical legacy that dates back nearly 100 years?
I’d heard the Light Crust Doughboys all my life, and they were always bigger than life and magical. I grew up in Mesquite, Texas, and there was a famous local announcer named Walter Hailey. The Light Crust Doughboys were super, super, super successful, so I always equated them with success — the ultimate Texas band.
It was just a dream to make music with them. I love Texas-style, country, folk and gospel music.
How did you become involved with the group?
I was the music director of the Mesquite Opry, and started booking the Light Crust Doughboys in my 20s. I started the Mesquite Folk Festival at Dallas College Eastfield, and naturally, I wanted to feature the Light Crust Doughboys, so I brought them in every chance I could. As a musician and as a producer, I continued to lift up the famous Light Crust Doughboys.
I started working with them informally around 1983, and by then many of the original members were the age of my grandfather, so they started going on to glory, shall we say. The bass player, the great Jim Boyd, became ill and passed away pretty quickly in 1993, so there was an opening. I hadn’t played a lot of bass — I played guitar and piano for years — but for a chance to be a part of the Light Crust Doughboys, I got real good, real fast.
How would you describe the music to someone who’s never heard it before?
It’s the ultimate Texas-style country music, which means it’s real happy and upbeat music with beautiful, fast playing. It’s a combination of folk, cowboy, old time fiddle music, and country blues put together.
The Light Crust Doughboys actually have never been an exclusive dance band — they’re a show band and have always done variety music. Back in the 1930s, the senior Doughboys — my mentors — would call the music string or fiddle band music, but it’s a little easier to describe it to people as classic Texas-style, country music that’s really uplifting and positive.
What are your favorite Light Crust Doughboys songs?
- “Radio Theme” that brought the band on and off the air
- “Tiger Rag,” which was featured in a major Hollywood movie called “Oh Susanna”
- “Beautiful Texas,” a love song to the state of Texas that the band immortalized
It really warms my heart when the Light Crust Doughboys step on stage, and older people in the audience will tear up and start crying when they hear things like “Beautiful Texas” and the “Radio Theme.” It brings so many precious memories to them.
Gospel music happens to be my very favorite of all the Light Crust Doughboys music. I prefer our Grammy-winning and nominated gospel records to anything.
What is your favorite memory with the band?
We collaborated with the Lone Star Ballet in Amarillo with one of the greatest musical directors in Texas, Neil Hess. He and I — and Smokey Montgomery, a long-time Light Crust Doughboy from the 1930s until his passing in 2001 — put together two fabulous theme shows. One was a complete Texas style country theme show with Light Crust Doughboy music and ballet, and he second was a Texas-style gospel theme show with ballet. It had everything — sight, sound, visual performances.
What is the band working on these days?
The Light Crust Doughboys are closely associated with the Deep Ellum blues tradition. There’s a new 78 RPM 1930s recording studio with all authentic equipment that’s just opened. The Light Crust Doughboys were the original band. We’re doing a full album in that new studio — we did four songs back at the end of 2023 and hope to complete it by the end of 2024.
The upcoming concerts will bring together two historic Fort Worth entities: the Light Crust Doughboys and the Southside Preservation Hall.
Photo by Steven Martin/Flickr
Upcoming concerts
The Light Crust Doughboys are setting dates for an upcoming quarterly concert series at the historic Southside Preservation Hall. The first two dates are Saturday, Dec. 14 and Saturday, Feb. 8, 2025. Stay tuned for ticket links and more concerts.
