Jim Boyd and His Men Of The West Born:  September 28, 1914 Died:  March 11, 1993 KRLD Dallas, TX WRR Dallas, TX WFAA Dallas, TX (1932) WFAA Dallas, TX (1932)

About The Artist Jim Boyd was born in Ladonia, Texas. His brother was the legendary Bill Boyd, who led a band called the Cowboy Ramblers. He recorded with is brother's band from 1934 5o 1951. The Cowboy Ramblers recorded over 300 tunes. Jim was a humble person, he gave his borther credit for any success he found in the music business. Jim Boyd's career led him to induction into the Texas Western Swing Hall of Fame on April 21, 1990. The Hall was formed to recognize, preserve and expand Western Swing music. THere were plans to build a museum in Austin to store the memorabilia. The members of the organization also hoped to establish a grant or scholarship fun dfor deserving students of music. The Texas Western Swing Hall of Fame honored those perofrmers who made significant contributions to Western Swing Music. Some of the early inductees included Bob WIlls, Laura Lee McBride, Marvin (Smokey) Montgomery, Cliff Bruner, Sons of the Pioneers, Milton Brown and his Musical Brownies and the Light Crust Doughboys. Around 1926, Jim and bhis brother Bill came to Dallas from their hometown of Ladonia. Their efforts paid off and they found work on radio station WFAA in 1932. Later, Jim would find work with Roy Newman and his boys on a noon hour variety show that aired over WRR. It was during his stint with Roy Newman that Jim recorded the first real example of an amplified guitar instrumental number Hot Dog Stomp in September 1935. Jim found work on many stations in the Dallas area during this era. His brother Bill went to Hollywood to appear in several B-western movies in the early 1940s. Jim also worked for a time with the legendary Light Crust Doughboys band, starting in 1938. He played with the group for a couple of years, then joined forces with W. Lee "Pappy" O'Daniel when he ran for governor and senator of Texas. His first stint with the group lasted until 1941. When he came back to Dallas, he formed his own group, the Men of the West. One of the early members of that group was fiddler Johnny Gimble. His group made appearances on the WFAA Saturday Night Shindig, The KRLD Big D Jamboree and WFAA's Early Birds show. The group also provided the background music for several shows on KRLD and other artists who appeared on that station including James Cagney, Bob Hope, Gary Cooper, BIll Elliott, Tex Ritter and Justin Wilson. Jim and his group also appeared on shows such as the Louisiana Hayride, The Grand Ole Opry. He also worked with the Sons of the Pioneers at the 1936 Texas Centennial in Dallas. Jim Boyd and the Sons of the West made recordings for the RCA label in Chicago and Dallas. Jim died of lung cancer at Presbyterian Hospital of Dallas in March of 1993. But let's take a step back and look at Jim's career from its beginning. Credits & Sources Hillbilly-Music.com wishes to express its appreciation to Jerry West for his patience and for providing us with various articles and recollections of his friend Jim Boyd. Country Song Roundup No. 22; February 1953; American Folk Publications, Inc.; Derby, CT The Dallas Morning News; March 13, 1993; Copy of article provided by Jerry West Get The Music British Archives of Country Music

Recordings (78rpm/45rpm)

RCA Victor
Rec. No.	Side	Song Title
20-4263	A	Texas Moon Waltz
20-4263	B	Boogie Woogie Square Dance
21-0055	A	One Heart, One Love, One Life
21-0055	B	Dear John (I Brought Your Saddle Home)
21-0094	A	Seave The Next Waltz For Me
21-0094	B	Dust On My Telephone
21-0152	A	Sweetheart Of Hawaii
21-0152	B	Truck Driver's Boogie
21-0301	A	We Were Married
21-0301	B	Mule Boogie
21-0353	A	The Girl In The Picture
21-0353	B	Bear Creek Boogie
21-0383	A	I Got Along Without You Before I Met You
21-0383	B	Dixieland Boogie
21-0418	A	The Big D Boogie
21-0418	B	From Here On
21-0443	A	Dear John (I Brought Your Saddle Home)
21-0443	B	Boogie Botom Boogie
21-0455	A	Waxahachie Dishwasher Boy
21-0455	B	When I'm Beside You
21-0475	A	Will You Be Mine?
21-0475	B	Take Time To Pray