Western Swing Song, “San Antonio Rose,” Resurrected By Carrie Underwood
on Apr 12, 2017 • Updated Jan 29, 2023
In 2007, Carrie Underwood and Rascal Flatts teamed up to honor legendary swing musician Bob Wills and Eagles founder Don Henley at the 49th Annual GRAMMY Awards.
El disco "Still the King: Celebrating the Music of Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys" gana Mejor Empaque #GRAMMYs pic.twitter.com/KqAXYnFsdK
— Hector Palmar (@heyhec) February 15, 2016
Underwood began the medley with a riveting performance of “San Antonio Rose,” followed by the Eagles songs “Desperado.” Rascal Flatts joined her for the closing song, “Life In The Fast Lane.”
Bob Wills wrote “San Antonio Rose” as an instrumental song in the 1930s and gained significant attention once the band added lyrics to the song. He and his band, the Texas Playboys, were popular in the Southwest, but “San Antonio Rose” with lyrics, which was now referred to as “New San Antonio Rose” catapulted Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys to national fame.
Remembering Bob Wills, the "King of Western Swing."
Bornthis day, 1905 in Limestone County, Texas pic.twitter.com/uhiMjPATv8— 𝔹𝕒𝕣𝕠𝕟 𝕃𝕒𝕟𝕖 🌶🎶 (@TwangNation) March 7, 2016
Underwood did a fantastic job staying true to Wills’ classic swing sound with the help of Asleep At The Wheel’s lead singer Ray Benson, along with Johnny and Dick Gimble backing her. While we love Underwood’s original songs, we could listen to her sing swing music all day!
Watch her incredible performance below.
