On This Day in 2019, We Said Goodbye to the Voice of the Preeminent Western Swing Band of the 20th Century

Seven years ago today (May 14), we said goodbye to Leon Rausch, legendary vocalist for Bob Wills and his Texas Playboys in the 1950s and 1960s.

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Rausch died on May 14, 2019, in Fort Worth, Texas. He was 91 years old.

“When an entertainer of Leon’s stature and caliber pass away we are fortunate because they leave a body of work that we can enjoy for generations to come,” Texas Playboys fiddler Jason Roberts wrote on Facebook after Rausch’s death. “A lot of us will be enjoying Leon’s body of work today and for years to come as we reflect on his life and legacy. Godspeed and well done sir.”

Leon Rausch Became the Voice of Western Swing

Born October 2, 1927, in Billings, Missouri, Edgar Leon Rausch began playing guitar with his father at local dances as a child, continuing through high school.

After a stint in the U.S. Army, Rausch moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma, where he worked in a glass factory and sang on the weekends with Johnnie Lee Wills, the younger brother of Bob.

Rausch’s breakthrough came in 1958 when the elder Wills invited him to lead his band, the Texas Playboys.

[RELATED: On This Day in 1944, Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys Made Grand Ole Opry History by Breaking Multiple Major Rules in One Set]

“Singing for Bob Wills meant you had really arrived,” Rausch recalled in a later interview. “That was the top job in the whole country.”

Rausch played in the Texas Playboys throughout the 1960s before forming his own group, the New Texas Playboys. He reunited with Wills in 1973, when the ailing “King of Western Swing” reached out about recording his final album, For the Last Time.

“Bob sat in his wheelchair at the studio, and we formed a semi-circle around him,” Rausch recalled. “He smiled and nodded to one Playboy and then another to take the lead.”

When Bob Wills died in 1975, Leon Rausch assumed the role of leader in the Texas Playboys. He remained a key figure in Western swing until his death, working with Asleep at the Wheel, Ray Benson, and Amanda Shires.

At 15 years old, Shires got her start playing fiddle for the Texas Playboys. The first time she sang onstage, Rausch had to hold her hand.

Featured image courtesy of Tom Dunning Photos via Facebook