Hurshul Clothier (November 18, 1921 – April 2, 2006) was one of the pioneers of the big band sound of western swing. In 1953 he organized a western swing band, The Oklahoma Travelers, at the time referred to as the youngest band in the West. Hurshul Clothier and The Oklahoma Travelers traveled the country delighting fans with their unique western swing style and were considered the leading dance band in the southwest. They provided back up for such country greats as

Bob Wills James Robert "Bob" Wills (March 6, 1905 – May 13, 1975) was an American musician, songwriter, and bandleader. Considered by music authorities as the founder of Western swing, he was known widely as the King of Western Swing (although Spade C ...

Glen Campbell Glen Travis Campbell (April 22, 1936 – August 8, 2017) was an American country musician and actor. He was best known for a series of hit songs in the 1960s and 1970s, and for hosting ''The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour'' on CBS television from ...

and touring with the late

Lefty Frizzell William Orville "Lefty" Frizzell (March 31, 1928 – July 19, 1975) was an American country and honky-tonk singer-songwriter. Frizell is known as one of the most influential country music vocal stylists of all time. He has been cited as in ...

. In 1972, Hurshul Clothier built the Belle Starr Theater in

Eufaula, Oklahoma Eufaula is a city in and the county seat of McIntosh County, Oklahoma, McIntosh County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 2,813 at the 2010 census, an increase of 6.6 percent from 2,639 in 2000. Eufaula is in the southern part of the co ...

where he hosted many live country music events over the years, including the Bob Wills Weekend, an annual event held in the last weekend of September until 2004. Clothier reorganized his band in 1982 using the former Texas Playboys and recorded an album
Jam Session
The album was highlighted in the 1984 edition of Country Music magazine. In 1996, Clothier was inducted into th
Oklahoma Country and Western Music Hall of Fame
His classic western swing style continues to be a favorite for many country western music fans of all ages. In 2006, Clothier was inducted into the Western Swing Music Society of the Southwes

External links

Hurshul Clothier and the Oklahoma Travelers

References

EnidNews.com (Oklahoma), April 4, 2006. (accessed June 7, 2007) {{DEFAULTSORT:Clothier, Hurshul 1921 births 2006 deaths People from Major County, Oklahoma American male violinists Country musicians from Oklahoma Western swing performers 20th-century American violinists 20th-century American male musicians