Weldon E. "Big Bill" Lister, age 86, was born in Kenedy, Texas. Lister grew up listening to his idol Jimmie Rodgers. Lister began his musical career in 1938 on KNEL radio in Brady, Texas playing a Sears Roebuck $3.98 guitar. Later during the '40s, he worked in and around San Antonio where he did numerous live radio and stage shows, including the very first San Antonio Livestock Show & Rodeo.Lister made some transcriptions for XEG, in Mexico, before moving to WOAI and then KMAC in San Antonio. After World War II, Lister moved to KTSA and hired Tommy Hill to accompany him on guitar. With Tommy and Kenny Hill, Lister formed Bill Lister and the Texas Hillbillies.
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Lister was hosting two shows each day on the powerful 50,000 watt station and sponsored by Luck Optical. At 6 foot 7 1/2 inches, Lister was tagged with “Radio’s Tallest Singing Cowboy” during this time.
Lister was hosting two shows each day on the powerful 50,000 watt station and sponsored by Luck Optical. At 6 foot 7 1/2 inches, Lister was tagged with “Radio’s Tallest Singing Cowboy” during this time.Lister made his first recording for the Everstate Label based in San Antonio. His release of “This Time Sweetheart” and “Local Yokel” became regional hits in Texas. Lister moved to Nashville in January of 1951 where Tex Ritter told Capitol A & R leader Dee Kilpatrick to sign Lister to a recording contract. With a contract in his hand, Lister went to the Grand Ole Opry and approached Jim Denny about appearing on the historic show. Denny teamed Lister with Hank Williams as a front man. He joined the Drifting Cowboys organization in February of 1951.
As a regular performer on the Grand Ole Opry, Lister worked with most of the stars of the day, including Little Jimmy Dickens, String Bean, Minnie Pearl, Del Wood, The Carter Family, and others. He was also a recording artist for both Everstate and Capitol Records.
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| Hank Williams, Minnie Pearl & Big Bill |
Never far from music, his career was revived in the late 1980's when his wife discovered the only known copy of Hank Williams "There's A Tear in My Beer," stored in his attic. Lister recorded the song in the 1950s, after Williams gave him a demo recording.
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Lister gave the demo recording to Williams' son, Hank Williams, Jr. Junior went on to record an overdubbed version of the song in 1988, in which (late) father and son sang together, some 40 years apart. That recording won a Grammy Award and a Country Music Association (CMA) Award in 1989. This brought a substantial amount of publicity for Lister. He appeared on radio stations throughout the country and even was given a gold record on Nashville Now with Ralph Emery.
Big Bill Lister's return to commercial recording came in 1983 with the album "Sho''Nuff Country Stuff! (The Second Time Around)," produced for Slim Richey's Tex-Grass label by D. Lee Thomas and Michael H. Price, with accompaniment by the Salt Lick Foundation, a Texas string band that includes Lister's nephew, Harris Kirby. Lister also performed with Price and Richey's jazz ensemble, Diddy Wah Diddy.
His last performance was shared with hundreds of traditional country music fans on a Carnival Caribbean cruise during October 2008. Big Bill entertained 310 people on a seven day cruise out of Galveston, Texas, for Country Cruisin’ 2009,” “He received a standing ovation every night. He became ill after the cruise and remained in ICU for thirty days with a severe lung infection.
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During his 86th birthday party, Lister performed with his son and grandson and, most recently, had come to enjoy playing at the Rainbow Senior Centre. When people would clap, Lister would say, "Thank you, lovers of the fine arts," his son said. Big Bill Lister died December 1st, 2009, in San Antonio, (age 86.)
(Edited mainly from Wikipedia & ahankwilliamsjournal blog)
Here's Big Bill and his guitar in his home outside San Antonio, Texas 1975.
Here's Big Bill and his guitar in his home outside San Antonio, Texas 1975.