New biography traces Cleburne piano player Al Stricklin’s Western swing legacy

A new biography by historian David Stricklin documents the life of his father, Al Stricklin, the original piano player for Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys. Published Oct. 13 by TCU Press, “Brother Al Stricklin Now: Memories of a Texas Playboy” arrives as Fort Worth celebrates the genre during the Cowtown Birthplace of Western Swing Festival the week of Nov. 6.

Al Stricklin lived in Cleburne and died in 1986 at 78. His son assembled the account from hours of recordings his father made, along with recollections from siblings and friends. A history professor and former head of the Butler Center for Arkansas Studies at the University of Arkansas in Little Rock, David said an Arkansas newspaper columnist finally persuaded him to write the biography after many others had encouraged him.

The book opens with a trip to Austin in spring 1974, when David accompanied his 66-year-old father to the Ritz Theater. Al had received an invitation to hear a group whose name he could not remember. The band was Asleep at the Wheel. When lead singer Ray Benson introduced Stricklin from the stage, the enthusiastic response showed the older musician how much his work still mattered.

That reception was part of a revival for a musician whose path into Western swing had been far from straightforward. Born into a religiously fundamentalist, musical family in Grandview in Johnson County, Stricklin had no formal training. He earned extra money playing piano during college and, at Baylor, played in a dining area in exchange for meals.

Paid appearances at dances at Waco’s Knights of Columbus Hall led to his expulsion from Baylor. According to David, his father never knew whether the objection concerned dancing, drinking at the hall or performing for Catholics. Stricklin subsequently moved to Fort Worth to pursue music, a decision that brought him into contact with Wills.

The Texas Playboys helped popularize Western swing, which the Texas Legislature designated the State Music of Texas in 2011. Wills eventually moved the band to Tulsa, where its recordings included “Faded Love,” “New San Antonio Rose” and “Take Me Back to Tulsa.” Stricklin departed in 1942 to work for a defense contractor and raise a family, settling in Cleburne.

Wills drew Stricklin back into recording in 1973 for the album eventually called “For the Last Time.” Wills suffered a stroke during the sessions, but the record, released in 1974, helped renew interest in Western swing. Following the Austin visit, Stricklin and fellow band members spent a decade performing as Bob Wills Original Texas Playboys. He also published “My Years With Bob Wills” in 1976.

Festival founder Mike Markwardt described Stricklin’s playing as central to the genre, combining jazz elements with a steady swing. Markwardt launched the Fort Worth festival in 2021 to recognize the music’s local radio roots and said it has sold out each year.

For David, the appreciation his father received later in life remains an important part of the story. He hopes the biography will preserve the music’s origins for fans, including those following Western swing bands overseas. “It’s important to our cultural heritage,” he said.