Legislature Makes Western Swing Official Texas Music

Ed. Note: When we checked again at 7:40 p.m. Monday, the mistakes in the AP/Chron article had been corrected.

News Flash: Hank Williams still not a Texan

nodepression.com

Bob "Willis" & His Texas Playboys

Despite presenting what we thought was a fairly persuasive San Jacinto Day argument to the contrary, earlier today the Texas Legislature passed a ceremonial resolution declaring Western Swing the state's official music.

According to the Associated Press, the resolution's passage was greeted by the following display on the floor of the House of Representatives.

Rep. Doug Miller donned a cowboy hat and crooned, "I saw miles and miles of Texas," while Reps. Sid Miller and Charles 'Doc' Anderson stomped their feet to the beat.

Wow. That takes care of our nightmares for a while. Surprisingly, the legislature waited until after they figured out the budget - albeit to the dismay of parents, teachers and other educators from El Paso to El Campo - to tackle such official state bidness.

Rocks Off the teachers' lobby hire on Asleep at the Wheel's Ray Benson as their chief lobbyist for the next session. Dude knows how to get things done, apparently. Or maybe not (see comments).

The uncredited AP article, as posted by the Houston Chronicle earlier Monday afternoon, goes on to say "lawmakers gave the nod to such Western swing pioneers as Bob Willis over a parade of other homegrown hitmakers, including everyone from Hank Williams to the Dixie Chicks."

We're going to let the "Willis" thing slide by as a typo. But Rocks Off would like to point out to the AP, as well as whatever Chronicle editors happen to be reading this (shhh... we won't tell anyone, promise) that Hank Williams was a proud son of Alabama - however much we Texans may want to claim him, we just cain't.

Besides, we've got Willie and Waylon. Like they used to say in those Pace Picante Sauce commericals, get a rope.