Светлые булочки: История техасской вестерн-свинг группы.

American band
The Light Crust Doughboys is an American Western swing band from Texas, United States, organized in 1931 by the Burrus Mill and Elevator Company in Saginaw, Texas. The band achieved its peak popularity in the few years leading up to World War II. In addition to launching Western swing pioneers Bob Wills and Milton Brown, it provided a platform for many of the best musicians of the genre, including Tommy Duncan, Cecil Brower, John Parker and Kenneth Pitts. The original group disbanded in 1942, although band member Marvin Montgomery led a new version organized in the 1960s. A contemporary incarnation beginning in the 1990s (including Montgomery until his death in 2001) bills itself as the longest running country music band in the world. The Light Crust Doughboys were charter inductees into the Texas Western Swing Hall of Fame in 1989, and were also inducted into the Rockabilly Hall of Fame. In December 2005, the Light Crust Doughboys Hall of Fame and Museum opened in Quitman, Texas. The Light Crust Doughboys Museum was later moved in 2015 to the Auvenshine Library at Hill College in Hillsboro, Texas.

In 1931, Burrus Mill's president, W. Lee "Pappy" O'Daniel, wanted to link radio and advertising to promote the company's Light Crust Flour. O'Daniel, who would later travel with the band and use its popularity as a springboard for his political ambitions, said the idea to start the band and link radio to advertising was pitched to him originally by Bob Wills, Herman Arnspiger and Milton Brown, who at the time were out of work musicians. There is disagreement about exactly when and on what radio station the Doughboys first broadcast, but it is generally accepted that by January 1931 the band had started playing on KFJZ AM in Fort Worth. Their first broadcasts on the station included a sad prison song, "Twenty One Years", and a popular fiddle song, "Chicken Reel". Their radio signature was their introduction by announcer engineer Truett Kimzey: "The Light Crust Doughboys are on the air." Though the Doughboys' early broadcasts were well received, the notion of using radio to advertise was still new, and O'Daniel was unconvinced. He also reportedly did not like the band's "hillbilly music," and canceled them at least once (though he almost immediately reinstated them). At first, he paid the band members $7.50 a week, but also required that they work a "regular" job at the mill: Wills drove a truck, Arnspiger worked on the dock loading flour, and Brown was a salesman. After a few weeks of brutally long days, the band members were allowed to stop working their "regular" jobs, but O'Daniel required them to be at the mill in their new practice room working on music eight hours each day. The band eventually won O'Daniel over by asking him to serve as their emcee during a broadcast. The Doughboys began to hit their stride in March 1931, when they chartered a bus to Galveston, Texas to perform at a bakers convention. The band had the bus wired for sound and they played impromptu gigs at stops along the way to large crowds. Impressed, O'Daniel purchased a seven seater Packard and rigged it with placards imploring people to eat more bread. In 1933, during a goodwill tour for the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce, Truett Kimzey, the radio station's sound engineer, who usually accompanied the band as its "master of ceremonies," could not get away from the station. O'Daniel replaced him, to great effect — O'Daniel was a natural at showmanship and promotion, and the crowds loved him. Wills and Tommy Duncan departed in 1933; and by 1935, O'Daniel had left Burrus Mill to start his own flour company with a new radio band, Pat O'Daniel and His Hillbilly Boys. He was elected Texas governor in 1939. Their popularity led to a short lived film career, when they appeared alongside Gene Autry in the 1936 film, Oh, Susanna!. The original Doughboys group disbanded in 1942 with U. S involvement in World War II, and its final recording was released in 1948.

During the following decades, leader Smokey Montgomery kept the band going in some form. In 1969, the Doughboys began recording again; and in 1973, the band took part in the last recording session for Wills in Dallas for the album, For the Last Time. Their 2005 album, 20th Century Gospel : From Hymns to Blackwood Brothers Tribute to Christian Country, included contributions from Greenhaw, the Jordanaires, and Nokie Edwards. AllMusic commented that it was "A pristinely recorded and expertly played slice of truly American music, 20th Century Gospel is an uplifting work that resonates with the participants' obvious love of making music." In 2006, in conjunction with the Diamond Anniversary of the Light Crust Doughboys, ASC (America Sejung Corporation) were commissioned to produce a limited edition series of seven fretted musical instruments. In collaboration with Art Greenhaw as technical advisor, these included a banjo, mandolin (with pickup), electric bass, and both hollow and solid body electric guitars. The models were produced in a customised "Biscuit Brown", with its burst edge fade resembling an oven baked biscuit in color. In 2014, the Doughboys collaborated with Grant Maloy Smith on an album called Roots Gospel Round the USA: From Texas to New York. Smith sang lead vocal on several songs, and also contributed a song of his own, "Where Main Street Ends." In October 2019, the Doughboys announced plans for a worldwide tour to celebrate their forthcoming milestone. The 90th Anniversary Light Crust Doughboys Big Show Band & Review was launched, in conjunction with a four set CD and double DVD issue.

Year Album title Artists Credit Grammy Award 1998 Keep Lookin' Up : The Texas Swing Sessions James Blackwood & The Light Crust Doughboys Performer 1999 They Gave The World A Smile : The Stamps Quartet Tribute Album James Blackwood Quartet & The Light Crust Doughboys Performer 2001 The Great Gospel Hit Parade : From Memphis To Nashville To Texas James Blackwood, The Jordanaires, & The Light Crust Doughboys Performer 2002 God is Love : The Gospel Sessions Ann Margret, The Jordanaires, The Light Crust Doughboys and James Blackwood Performer 2003 We Called Him Mr. Gospel Music : The James Blackwood Tribute Album The Jordanaires, Larry Ford and The Light Crust Doughboys Performer 2004 Always Hear The Harmony : The Gospel Sessions Engelbert Humperdinck, The Light Crust Doughboys, The Jordanaires, The Blackwood Brothers Quartet Performer 2005 20th Century Gospel : From Hymns to Blackwood Brothers Tribute to Christian Country The Jordanaires, Art Greenhaw & The Light Crust Doughboys, Nokie Edwards Performer 2006 Southern Meets Soul : An American Gospel Jubilee The Jordanaires, The Light Crust Doughboys, Nokie Edwards, & Larry "T Byrd" Gordon Performer