The Texas Tophands

Members: Fiddle, Vocals: Robert "Buck" Buchanan Electric Guitar: O. B. "Easy" Adams Steel Guitar: W. W. "Rusty" Locke Management, Piano, Accordion: Walter Kleypas Guitar: Leon Merritt Bass: George "Knee-Hi" Holley Drums, Trumpet: Leonard Brown A long-lived, underrated San Antonio dance band, the Texas Top Hands have existed continuously since 1941, when the Texas Tumbleweeds changed their name to The Texas Tophands in 1945. The Texas Tumbleweeds evolved out of the WOAI (San Antonio Radio Station) trio Bill, Ted and Bob. (Bob being Guitarist/Steel Guitarist Bob Symons, who had recorded extensively with The Nite Owls and Al Dexter from 1936-1938.) Early members of the band included Pianist Smitty Highsmith, Fiddler/Guitarist O. B. "Easy" Adams and Guitarist/Vocalist Phil Marx. Despite continuous turnover, the band survived the WWII years and, by the time of their name change in late 1945, included Fiddler Sleepy Short, Steel Guitarist W. W. "Rusty" Locke, Pianist/Accordionist Walter Kleypas, Guitarist Curly Williams and Bassist George "Knee-Hi" Holley. This lineup traveled to New York in the spring of 1946 to record for Savoy and to back fellow WOAI artist Red River Dave McEnery on his Continental sessions. They returned to New York the following year, by which time O. B. "Easy" Adams had returned to replace Sleepy Short and Leonard Brown had joined on tenor banjo (as well as drums, fiddle and trumpet.) The Texas Tophands made several film shorts with McEnery in 1947 and left WOAI for KABC that year.In 1949, they began recording for the new local label Everstate, originally spearheaded by songwriter John Currie, but so-owned by, among others, The Texas Tophands themselves (and eventually taken over entirely by The Texas Tophands.) The Texas Tophands were Everstate's most prolific act, though others on the label included Adolph Hofner, Jimmie Revard, Smiley Whitely, The Lone Star Playboys and even the Mexican bandleader and jazz violinist Emilio Caceres. The band's first release was a regional smash, Adams' Texas dance hall classic "Bandera Waltz." The Everstate years were also The Texas Tophands' most stable in terms of personnel. By this time, the excellent and well-travelled fiddler Buck Buchanan had joined and Curly Williams' guitar and vocal spot had been filled by Leon Merritt. "12th Street Rag," written by Fort Worth pianist/junk man Euday Bowman 30-odd years before, was a well-worn chestnut, but Pee Wee Hunt had recently had a pop hit with a revival of it and the Texas Tophands effortlessly breathed new life into it. It is a feature for Walter Kleypas and boasts solos from "Easy" Adams (on guitar), Rusty Locke and, briefly, Knee-Hi Holley, but the highlight is unquestionably Buck Buchanan's extended, exciting break. Buck Buchanan was an underappreciated musician who had recorded with Derwood Brown, Ocie Stockard, The Lightcrust Doughboys, The Sons Of The West, San Antonio's Texan's and would later work with Adolph Hofner, Jerry Elliott in Fort Worth and Bobby Williamson in California, as well and lead Ray Price's pop string section during the 1960's before dying in the early 1970's. He was revered for his harmony fiddle work and sophisticated arranging skills, but he was also an outstanding soloist, swinging and inventive. Walter Kleypas left to form his own band in 1952 and Rusty Locke took over the band until he too formed his own band in 1955. Easy Adams succeeded Rusty Locke as leader and fronted The Texas Tophands until 1979, when a heart attack sidelined him. Since then, Ray Sczepanik (who replaced Knee-Hi Holley in 1967) has led the band. The Texas Tophands had at least three releases on the TNT label in the mid-1950's and several for the Melco label in the early 1960's.