Pat O'Daniel and his Hillbilly Boys

1939 Western Music Show

"Hillbilly Flour is the uniform flour that's good flour." As Pat says, it's hard to bake good things if the flour is different in each sack you buy. That's why housewives who know about flour buy Hillbilly Flour.

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Pat O'Daniel and his Hillbilly Boys were sponsored by the O'Daniel Flour Company of Ft. Worth, Texas, maker of Hillbilly Products. This 15 minute daily program was a popular one during the depression era. An often colorful and laid-back program, listeners are apt to here joking and shouts of "WHOOOO-EEEEEE!" between these rare vintage Western recordings.

Pat O'Daniel is the son of W. Lee O'Daniel, who also headed the band under W. Lee O'Daniel and the Hillbilly Boys. Pat played in his father's band, and later led it on the show. W. Lee was also known as "Pappy." One can often hear "Pass the biscuits Pappy!" shouting several times during the 15 minute show, a tribute to their hit song of the same name. Word has it that this show helped elect W. Lee to Texas governorship and the win him successful election over Lyndon Johnson for a senate seat.

Text on OTRCAT.com ©2001-2024 OTRCAT INC All Rights Reserved. Reproduction is prohibited.

As the president of Burrus Mill and Elevator Company, W. Lee sponsored Bob Wills and the Light Crust Doughboys (who dressed up in baker costumes and incidentally got their name through this gig) for a 1931 radio program. Although he wasn't a musician, W. Lee played the announcer on the show. He did, however, write some of their early songs, including Beautiful Texas. Bob Wills was later fired, and in 1935 O'Daniel formed his own band and created his own flour company to promote on the show. O'Daniel's band played in the Western Swing style and were proud to present such notables as Kitty "Texas Rose" Williamson, the first woman to sing on a Western Swing recording.