Billy Boy- Louise Massey (Texas) 1939
[Billy Boy was performed in 1939 by Louise Massey & The Westerners, who were long time favorites of the WLS Barn Dance. They also appeared on NBC's "Plantation Party". Group Members included Louise Massey Mabie, Milt Mabie, Curt Massey, Allen Massey, and Larry Wellington. See the biographical article below by Robin Dutton, "Mabie, Victoria Louise Massey," from Handbook of Texas Online.
R. Matteson 2011, 2014]
BILLY BOY- Louise Massey & The Westerners
Listen: Billy Boy- Louise Massey & The Westerners- 1939
Louise Massey: Oh where have you been, Billy Boy, Billy Boy?
Oh where have you been, charming Billy?
Male lead: I have been to see my girl and my head is in a whirl,
She's a young thing and cannot leave her mother.
Louise Massey: Did she ask you in, Billy Boy, Billy Boy?
Did she ask you in, charming Billy?
Male lead: Yes, she asked me in, with a dimple in her chin,
She's a young thing and cannot leave her mother!
Louise Massey: Can she play that old guitar, Billy Boy, Billy Boy?
Can she play that old guitar, charming Billy?
Male lead: Oh yes, she play that old guitar, *and with it she'll go far,
She's a young thing and cannot leave her mother!
[guitar solo]
Louise Massey: Did take her for a ride, Billy Boy, Billy Boy?
Did she ask you in, charming Billy?
Male lead: Yes, I took her for a ride, and stayed right by her side
She's a young thing and cannot leave her mother!
[guitar solo]
Louise Massey: Can she bake a cherry pie, Billy Boy, Billy Boy?
*Can she bake a cherry pie, charming Billy?
She can bake a cherry pie, quick as a cat can blink an eye,
She's be darlin' oh so darlin' charling Billy.
*unclear
_____________
"Mabie, Victoria Louise Massey," (1902–1983)
by Robin Dutton
Victoria Louise Massey Mabie, known as Louise Massey, country and western singer, was born Victoria Louise Massey in Midland, Texas, on August 10, 1902. She was the daughter of Henry Massey. Labeled the "original rhinestone cowgirl" by later generations, she was known for her spectacular costumes and ladylike style on stage and for recording in both English and Spanish. Her career, which lasted from 1918 to 1950, marked a time when women first became prominent in country music. She formed a band in 1918 with her father, husband Milt Mabie, and two brothers. The band, based in Roswell, New Mexico, was first called the Massey Family Band and then Louise Massey and the Westerners.
After playing local venues and touring the Texas area, the band auditioned for a music show, "The Red Path Chautauqua." The success of the audition led to a two-year tour of the United States and Canada. In 1930 the Westerners signed a five-year contract with CBS radio in Kansas City, Missouri. In 1934 their song "When the White Azaleas Start Blooming" was released; it sold three million copies. Other hit songs included "South of the Border (Down Mexico Way)" and "My Adobe Hacienda." The latter, cowritten by Massey and Lee Penny, had the distinction of being listed on both the hillbilly and the pop charts simultaneously, causing some to classify it as the first-ever crossover hit.
In 1938 Louise Massey began recording and singing for NBC programs in New York. She retired in 1950 to the Hondo Valley in Lincoln County, New Mexico. She and her husband had one daughter, Joy. Louise Massey was inducted into the National Cowgirl Hall of Fameqv in 1982. She died in San Angelo, Texas, on June 20, 1983.
BIBLIOGRAPHY:
Mary A. Bufwack and Robert K. Oermann, Finding Her Voice: The Saga of Women in Country Music (New York: Crown, 1993). The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Country Music (New York: Harmony Books, 1977). Vertical Files, Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, University of Texas at Austin.