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Donald's Encyclopedia of Popular MusicA B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y ZO'DANIEL, Pappy(b Wilbert Lee O'Daniel, 11 March 1890, Malta OH; d 11 May 1969, Dallas TX) Peripheral western swing enterpreneur, governor of Texas and U.S. senator. He grew up in Kansas and moved to Texas to work for Burrus Mills, where he became sales director. Bob Wills worked there during the day and fiddled at night; he suggested a radio program to advertise the flour, and the Light Crust Doughboys with O'Daniel as MC began on KFJZ Fort Worth in 1931. O'Daniels hd no interest in country music until he found out how popular Wills' band was; then he bought them a car and began cutting in on their songwriting. Wills quit Burrus and formed his Texas Playboys; O'Daniel sued him and lost (see Wills' entry). O'Daniels then left Burrus and set up his own Hillbilly Flour in 1935; a new band, the Hillbilly Boys with vocalist Leon Huff, played a vital role in O'Daniel's successful campaign for governor in 1938, and disbanded in 1940. O'Daniels served in the U.S. Senate '41-8 (the only man who ever beat Lyndon Baines Johnson in a election), ran for governor '56 and '58 but lost, worked in insurance and real estate. He got co-writing credit on songs such as "Put Me In Your Pocket' and "Beautiful Texas'. |