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San Antonio Rose/New San Antonio Rose
Old-Time Western Swing standard by Bob Wills
ARTIST: Ethel Waters 1925
CATEGORY: Fiddle and Instrumental Tunes
EARLIEST DATE: 1938 Recording San Antonio Rose (Instrumental); New San Antonio Rose (lyrics) 1940
RECORDING INFO: San Antonio Rose - Wills, Bob
Banjo Newsletter, BNL, Ser (1973-), 1977/11,p26
Boarman, Andrew F. Mountain State Music, June Appal JA 025, LP (1978), trk# 18
Boxcar Willie. King of the Road, Warwick WW 5084, LP (1980), trk# B.10
Camp Creek Boys. Original Camp Creek Boys Through the Years, Mountain 312, LP (197?), trk# 2 (Sanantone Rose)
Carter, Maybelle (Mother Maybelle). Living Legend, Columbia CS 9275, LP (1966), trk# A.04
Central Park Sheiks. Honeysuckle Rose, Flying Fish FF 026, LP (1976), trk# 7
Davis, Janet. Banjo Newsletter, BNL, Ser (1973-), 1982/03,p24
Geritol Gang. American Hammered Dulcimer, Vol. 2. 25 Years with the O.D.P.C., L-Three 8x510, LP (1988), trk# 12
Gold Rush. First Strike, Gold Rush GRR 1000, LP (1981), trk# A.05
Jackson, Tommy. Let's Dance to Country Pops, Somerset SF-21800, LP (196?), trk# 5
Kottke, Leo. Dreams and All That Stuff, Capitol ST-11335, LP (1974), trk# B.01a
Miller, Dale. Wild Over Me, Rio Vista RV 101, LP (1982), trk# B.05
Mitchum, Johnny. Johnny Mitchum, Mitchum M 740-12, LP (197?), trk# B.04
Reno, Don. Banjo Newsletter, BNL, Ser (1973-), 1982/05,p20
Sinclair, Cloise and Harley. American Hammer Dulcimer, Troubadour TR-6, LP (1978), trk# 9
Sundowners. Tenino Old Time Music Festival. 1975 - 1976 - 1977, Voyager VRLP 321-S, LP (1978), trk# B.10
Texas Playboys. Texas Music, Heritage (Galax) 066, LP (1986), trk# A.01b
Trio from Reach. Memory Lane, Voyager VRLP 311-S, LP (1974), trk# 6
Wild Family Orchestra. Wild Family Orchestra, Yolo 001, LP (1979), trk# B.02
Wills, Bob. Fiddle, Country Music Foundation CMF 010-L, LP (1987), trk# 10 [1938/11/28]
Wills, Bob; and the Texas Playboys. Tiffany Transcriptions, Vol. 4. You're From Texas, Edsel ED 324, LP (1984), trk# A.04 (Lum and Abner Special)
Wills, Bob; and the Texas Playboys. Tiffany Transcriptions, Vol. 2. Best of the Tiffanys., Edsel ED 322, LP (1984), trk# B.07
Wills, Bob; and the Texas Playboys. For the Last Time, United Artists UA-LA 216-J2, LP (1974), trk# 3.01
SOURCES: Rec.music
NOTES: The "San Antonio Rose"/"New San Antonio Rose" was the signature song of Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys. "San Antonio Rose" was an instrumental song written by Bob Wills, who first recorded it with the Playboys in 1938.
"The Colonel [Art Sutherland] went back in the control room and the boys asked Bob what they were going to do. Bob [Wills] said, "I don't have any idea. I'm going to play the bridge of 'The Spanish Two-Step' backwards, and Leon [McAuliffe], when I get through, you do anything you want to do and let's get out of here'. The played it through for a time and the Colonel came running out of there with his eyes wide open, said, 'Bob, what do you call that tune?' Bob said, 'You know, we haven't named it. We were going to let you name it. This tune's especially for you and you can name it anything you want to.' He said, 'I'm going to call it 'San Antonio Rose'.' "
McWhorter, Cowboy Fiddler, p. 60
Band members added lyrics and it was retitled "New San Antonio Rose". The song opens with the refrain:
Deep within my heart, lies a melody,
A song of old San Antone.
The song is written in the first person with the Rose of San Antone being the gentleman's lost love.
"Influenced by his early exposure to Mexican fiddle practices, Bob Wills introduced a mariachi chorus into his signature 'New San Antonio Rose' performing it and a few Spanish-language songs to spillover crowds while in Los Angeles." La Chapelle, Proud to Be an Okie, p. 94.
" 'I've [Leon McAuliffe] written some songs that are good, but not many. I can't manufacture 'em, they have to come to me. I wrote 'Steel Guitar Rag' and the bridge to 'San Antonio Rose'—the trumpeter wrote the words—but Bob has total credit.' " Stambler, Country Music, p. 289
"New San Antonio Rose" was the first national hit by Bob Wills and His Playboys, propelling them from their Southwestern fame to national notice.
"The popularity of the Texas Playboys only grew throughout the Tulsa years, culminating in their 1940 recording of the song, 'New San Antonio Rose.' The song was their first big hit, extending their appeal from the Southwest to fans nationwide and earning a gold record." Dorman, It Happened in Oklahoma, p. 84.
The song sold a million and a half record for Bing Crosby who coverd the song in Jan. 1941. "One of the key turning points was 'New San Antonio Rose,' the Playboys' first national hit. The record sold over a million and was a jukebox favorite." Charles Wolff, Country Music, "Big Balls in Cowtown: Western Swing From Fort Worth to Fresno", p. 94.
The song, both the music and lyrics, reflects the Mexican influence Bob Wills found growing up in the Southwest. Wills developed the melody of the original "San Antonio Rose" itself from a traditional tune, "Spanish Two Step", by the playing the bridge in reverse.
"New San Antonio Rose" ruffled the feathers of Southern country music moguls when Wills and the Playboys performed it with horns and a drum at the Grand Ole Opry on December 30, 1944. " 'He [Uncle Dave Macon] abut flipped his dipper,' Mountjoy explained. 'We were breaking' tradition and all that. He went by a couple of time mumblin' about 'God-damn young upstarts'; and 'What they doin' with those drums here?' ' " [Kienzle, Southwest Shuffle, p. 256]
"When Acuff finished the introduction, the Playboys snapped into 'New San Antonio Rose,' Montjoy's drums and Brashear's trumpet clearly visible to the audience. ... 'They couldn't get the people to quit applauding; they just kept on and on and on. They kept tryin' to quiet the crowd down, and they wouldn't quiet down.' That kind of response usually justifies an encore. But Wills had remorselessly flouted Opry tradition, first by the act of bringing a drummer, then by defying their request that Mountjoy stay concealed. ... There would be no encore. But no one forgot, either." [Kienzle, Southwest Shuffle,P. 257]
The song has been recorded by many artists in several genres. It lends its name to San Antonio Rose Palace in San Antonio, Texas
San Antonio Rose- Words & Music by Bob Wills
Recorded by Bob Wills, 1940
E7 E A D9 A A7 D Bm7 B7
Deep within my heart lies a mel - o - dy,
E7 D9 E7 Bm7-5 A Edim E7
A song of old San An - tone.
E7 E A D9 A A7 D Bm7 B7
Where in dreams I live with a mem - o - ry,
E7 Bm7-5 E7 Cdim A
Beneath the stars all alone.
E7 E A D9 A A7 D Bm7 B7
It was there I found beside the Al - a - mo
Cdim E7 Cdim E7 Bm7-5 A D9 A
En - chant - ment strange as the blue up above.
E A D9 A A7 D Bm7 B7
A moon - lit pass that only she would know,
E7 Cdim E7 Bm7-5 A
Still hears my broken song of love.
Bridge:
E B7 E B7(II) B7/9
Moon in all your splendor, know only my heart;
B7(II) B7/9 B7(II) E D9 E
Call back my Rose, Rose of San An - tone.
E B7 E B7(II) B7/9
Lips so sweet and tender, like petals falling apart,
B7(II) B7/9 B7(II) E Edim E7
Speak once a - gain of my love, my own.
E7 A D9 A A7 D Bm7 B7
A bro - ken song, empty words I know
E7 Cdim E7 Bm7-5 A
Still live in my heart all a - lone
E7 E A D9 A A7 D Bm7 B7
For that moon - lit pass by the Al - a - mo,
Cdim E7 Cdim E7 Bm7-5 A
And Rose, my Rose of San Antone.
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