Yesterday was inauguration day
Yes, it was the day Texas Governor Rick Perry was sworn into office for the 3rd time. It was not a flashy event this year due to austerity measures both in Texas and nationwide. But, even though this year’s inauguration is a low key 
affair doesn’t mean it has always been that way. The flashy inaugurations added to the image Texas projected to the world.
One of the biggest and grandest inaugural events had to be in1939 when W. Lee “Pappy” O’Daniel was sworn into office. The bandleader/Governor/flour salesman who was famous for his band The Lightcrust Doughboys, (later the Hillbilly Boys) had his swearing in ceremonies held in Austin’s Memorial Stadium which seated 60,000 at that time. O’Daniel was also known as “Please Pass the Biscuits Pappy” to a generation of Texans. He was also a popular radio personality in the days when radio was the only live media game in town.
The ceremony had an entire squadron of warplanes fly overhead, and as many as 37 marching bands in attendance. There was also a choir of 10,000 schoolchildren present who sang the iconic Texas song, Beautiful, Beautiful, Texas…..which was written by….W.Lee O’Daniel himself.
Of course there was a huge parade down Congress Avenue with the marching bands and as many as 6 receptions around Austin which would have put any of George W’s Boots and Black Tie presidential receptions to shame. There was also a street dance featuring his band The Hillbilly Boys and other Western Swing genre bands in a roped off area on Congress in front of the Texas Capitol.
A little more history….O’Daniel started off his career in a job with a flour-millling company where he became a top 
salesman, moving around the country to work for various flour milling companies. In 1925, he moved to Fort Worth to become sales manager for Burrus Mills. He took over the company’s radio advertising in 1928, and began writing songs, speaking on religious and inspirational topics, and performed with a Western swing band he called the Light Crust Doughboys. Light Crust Doughboys was his original band and musicians including Bob Wills got their start with O’Daniel. After the Doughboys split up, O’Daniel formed the Western Swing band Pat O’Daniel and his Hillbilly Boys. The new group was named after O’Daniel’s Hillbilly Flour Company. The show promoted the values of Hillbilly Brand flour, the Ten Commandments and the Bible.
He had organized his own flour company in 1935. Radio fans urged O’Daniel to run for governor, and he won a smashing victory. Turns out he wasn’t as successful as a politician as he was a flour salesman and band leader, although he did defeat LBJ in a general election. And he was elected a U.S. Senator from Texas. Some of you younger readers of Real Texas blog might recall that the movie Oh Bother Where Art Thou had a politician loosely based on Governor O’Daniel. He had a real knack for self-promotion and I’ll bet some old timers in your town remember him campaigning there.
Now here is my favorite part of the story. O’Daniel was re-elected in 1940 and had another big event with a free inaugural barbecue where barbecue buffalo was served….along with plenty of Texas beef. The good part was that O’Daniel, ever the showman, didn’t miss an opportunity to push Texas produced products. He wore a Texas made suit to the festivities. By the way, the barbecue was cooked in pits dug in the yard of the Governor’s Mansion just like we still do it out here in Real Texas.
I guess that makes us only about 70 years behind the times. And there are some readers in Austin who would say a big ‘Amen’ to that statement.
Even though this year’s particular inauguration was sedate, the Austin folks still do know how to party. I survived 6th Street on New Year’s Eve at the millennium celebration when the calendar change from 1999 to 2000.
It’s going to be a tough year financially in Texas and the USA. After we get through all this, let’s plan another party in Austin ‘a la W. Lee “Pappy” O’Daniel’. And at that party, let’s all wear Texas made boots and black ties. Remember my virtual secession ideas? Let’s try to do business with more Texas based companies this year….and china is not in Texas.
Gov. O'Daniel and his band were very good musicians, but does this photo remind you of a scene in the movie "Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?"
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David, this is one of your best ones yet. I was reared in rural Altoga, Tx. — NE of McKinney & I remember a couple of the widow women who thot Pappy hung the moon. They received appx. $30 monthly “old age pension” check from State of Tx.—something Pappy promoted. Billy Joe Shaver mentions his “8th grade education & my grandmas old age pension” in Fast Train to Georgia. Pappy was the ONLY one to ever beat LBJ in an election….LBJ probably didn’t have time to steal it!! Pappy appointed Sam Houston’s son to fill the Senate vacancy (he didn’t want to appoint anyone who might run against him for the seat—-Houston was near 90).
One other thing: my Dad was a Sr. in high school in McKinney in 1938 when Pappy brot his campaign there, band and all.
Dad said after a few songs O’Daniel said “Pass the biscuits, Pappy”….they passed cardboard buckets for donations. Dad said every bucket was overflowing w/ dollar bills…he’d never seen so much $$ in his life. I think he was a pretty good governor, and a real gentleman. He ran again in 1956 losing to Price Daniel (& Ralph Yarborough who ran 2nd). He would have been better for TX than either one of those two……in my humble opinion!