Autographs of Bob Wills
James Robert "Bob" Wills (March 6, 1905 – May 13, 1975) was an American musician, songwriter, and bandleader. Considered by music authorities as the founder of Western swing, he was known widely as the King of Western Swing (although Spade Cooley self-promoted the moniker "King of Western Swing" from 1942 to 1969). He was also noted for punctuating his music with his trademark "ah-haa" calls.
Wills formed several bands and played radio stations around the South and West until he formed the Texas Playboys in 1934 with Wills on fiddle, Tommy Duncan on piano and vocals, rhythm guitarist June Whalin, tenor banjoist Johnnie Lee Wills, and Kermit Whalin who played steel guitar and bass. Oklahoma guitar player Eldon Shamblin joined the band in 1937 bringing jazzy influence and arrangements. The band played regularly on Tulsa, Oklahoma, radio station KVOO and added Leon McAuliffe on steel guitar, pianist Al Stricklin, drummer Smokey Dacus, and a horn section that expanded the band's sound. Wills favored jazz-like arrangements and the band found national popularity into the 1940s with such hits as "Steel Guitar Rag", "San Antonio Rose", "Smoke on the Water", "Stars and Stripes on Iwo Jima", and "New Spanish Two Step".
Wills and the Texas Playboys recorded with several publishers and companies, including Vocalion, Okeh, Columbia, and MGM. In 1950, Wills had two top 10 hits, "Ida Red likes the Boogie" and "Faded Love", which were his last hits for a decade. Throughout the 1950s, he struggled with poor health and tenuous finances. He continued to perform frequently despite a decline in the popularity of his earlier hit songs, and the growing popularity of rock and roll. Wills had a heart attack in 1962, and a second one the next year, which forced him to disband the Texas Playboys. Wills continued to perform solo.
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Traded items with a signature of Bob Wills
The most expensive item with a signature of Bob Wills (SAN ANTONIO ROSE: Life and Music of Bob Wills SIGNED By 16 Entertainers RARE!!) was sold in October 2025 for £157.57 while the cheapest item (The King of Western Swing: Bob Wills Remembered by Rosetta Wills- SIGNED) found a new owner for £7.44 in February 2026. The month with the most items sold (14) was February 2026 with an average selling price of £44.84 for an autographed item of Bob Wills. Sold items reached their highest average selling price in December 2025 with £124.54 and the month that saw the lowest prices with £19.77 was May 2026. In average, an autographed item from Bob Wills is worth £44.84.
Most recently, these items with a signature of Bob Wills were sold on eBay - click here for more items.
