Andy Schroder and His Western Band, Odessa

ANDY SCHRODER AND HIS WESTERN BAND - Prairie Dog Ramble b/w Red River Shore (Ace 101)

Not too long after the close of WWII fiddler/violinist Cecil Brower brought his Cowboy Band to West Texas. Cecil's history is long and, well, historic, taking in names like Bob Dunn, the Light Crust Doughboys, and Bob Wills. Along for the ride much of the way was steel guitarist Andy Schroder. Andy had played alongside Cecil in a number of north Texas combos including Red Woodward's Red Hawks, Ocie Stockard and the Wanderers, and the mighty Hi-Flyers!

Upon arriving in the Odessa area the newly rechristened Kilocycle Cowboys took to the stage at a number of local honky tonks including the Ace of Clubs and the Oasis, as well as KECK radio. (A KECK broadcast can be heard HERE). The group, billed as Cecil Brower's Western Band, even won a Billboard "Local Program" contest in 1948.

By 1949 Cecil was off again and Andy Schroder was leading the Western Band, doing so for at least two releases on the Odessa-based Ace label.

The instrumental "Prairie Dog Ramble" references the famed critter of the Plains, at once both cute and cuddly and a pest... an animal that can at once draw "oohs" and "aahs" from the young and old and a blue streak of four-letter words from ranchers and farmers. Led by Andy's steel the number has a certain sorta lope to it, not unlike the waddle of a lazy cynomys.

On the flip Andy himself takes the vocal on a western number regarding a Red River area cowpoke who pines for a fair Indian maiden, a union frowned upon by her daddy. The song ends on a strange hitch... the little gal's daddy puts together an army of warriors to put a stop to the affair which results in a battle. The protagonists lives to tell of a single bullet fatally felling 6 his adversaries and the wounding of another 7 hired-ons. Though he continues to boast of his love and devotion, we still don't know if this particular couple will ride the trails happily ever after.

After a second release on Ace Andy Schroder and his steel guitar seem to have disappeared.

Jack Jordan traded in his upright for a smoker and started up Jack Jordan's Bar-B-Que in the early 50s. Many a family still breaks bread around a pile of J.J.'s brisket.*
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Picture Credits:
Cecil Brower band photo: Band Playing, Photograph, 1947; digital image, (http://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth50144 : accessed November 22, 2011), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, http://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Permian Basin Petroleum Museum, Library and Hall of Fame , Midland, Texas.

Andy Schroder photo: Man with Steel Guitar, Photograph, 1947; digital image, (http://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth50152 : accessed November 22, 2011), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, http://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Permian Basin Petroleum Museum, Library and Hall of Fame , Midland, Texas.

Prairie Dog Town Fork Red River photo from Wikipidea (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prairie_Dog_Town_Fork_Red_River)

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*Odessa, Texas is starved for the type of brisket made famous by the rest of Texas. In 14 years of living here I've yet to have really good brisket from a local restaurant. We can do an ok steak (the Barn Door) and amazing Mexico food (where do I even begin?), but bbq comes up short. Perhaps I got spoiled living in Abilene during the mid-90s when there were at least 4 restaurants in the area serving great brisket.