I’m happy to announce that this Saturday on SWING ON THIS, I’ll have the broadcast premiere of a new Western swing number from Becky Hobbs, one of the most talented of our Oklahoma artists.
Becky’s unique music first came to my attention when I went to work as a deejay at Claremore, Oklahoma’s now-defunct KWPR, “The Voice of the Will Rogers Metroplex,” in the very early 1980s. I continued to follow her and her career when I became country-music writer for the TULSA WORLD newspaper a couple of years later. For decades, her songwriting, singing, and playing have fascinated and inspired me; there’s really no one else like her. And while she’s charted any number of country hits over the years with songs recorded by others as well as herself, I’ve never really thought she’s gotten the notice she deserves.
That’s been changing a bit over the past few years, especially with the reception for the musical play NANYEHI; Becky and Nick Sweet wrote the book for that one, and she did all the music, which is uniformly excellent. And while I don’t know whether or not this new tune of hers, “Destination Catoosa,” will boost her career, I do know it’s a first-class job and I’m happy to be giving it its radio debut.
Also on the big show Saturday: Red Stegall’s biggest country hit ever — and it’s unabashed Western swing — plus a Top Five hit from Spade Cooley that’s NOT “Shame on You.”
Join me, won’t you? We’ll have some fun. That’s SWING ON THIS, Saturday at 7 p.m. on NPR affiliate KWGS, 89.5 FM, and live-streaming everywhere you can think of at publicradiotulsa.org.
1. “Whoa Babe,” Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys