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Tex Williams was an American Western swing musician, born on August 23, 1917, near Ramsey, IL. He was the youngest of eleven children and learned traditional folk songs from his father, a fiddler and blacksmith. Tex became a multi-instrumentalist, proficient in fiddle, bass fiddle, guitar, and banjo, and made his professional debut at the age of thirteen on station WJBL in Decatur, IL. After high school, he toured the country with his fiddle and married Dallas Orr in 1943, settling in California. In the early 1940s, he joined Spade Cooley's popular western swing band as a vocalist, competing with Tommy Duncan of Bob Wills' Texas Playboys. Tex pursued a solo career in the late 1940s, leading his own band, the Western Caravan. He appeared in films, on radio, and hosted his own TV show and radio program, the Tex Williams Show, which was filmed at Knott's Berry Farm. Tex Williams is best known for his talking blues style, with his most popular song being "Smoke! Smoke! Smoke! (That Cigarette)." He passed away on October 11, 1985, in Newhall, CA.

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