East Texas Serenaders

Combining elements from ragtime and waltz, the East Texas Serenaders, all hailing from Mineola or Lindale, were the forerunners of western swing, a uniquely Texas music genre popularized by Bob Wills. The group, consisting of left-handed fiddle player Daniel Huggins Williams, tenor banjo John Munnerlyn, guitarist Cloet Hamman and manager and cellist Patrick Henry Bogan Sr., began recording in the 1920s. All held traditional jobs in addition to music, and never traveled far to play. The group’s progressive arrangements sometimes consisted of jazz or Cajun influences from listening to radio stations from Louisiana. Songs were recorded for Columbia, Brunswick and Decca before disbanding in 1938. (2022)