In 1948, Tommy Doss replaced Tommy Duncan as a vocalist with Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys. Later that year, he recorded with Bob and with Luke Wills and Ole Rasmussen, singing both Western and Western swing music. In mid-1949, when Bob Nolan was planning to leave the Sons of the Pioneers, Hugh Farr heard Tommy sing and realized that he had found the perfect replacement for Nolan. Tommy recorded a demo of “Blue Prairie” with Hi Busse & The Frontiersmen and that sealed the deal.
The importance of Hugh’s and Hi Busse’s discovery cannot be overstated. Up until that point, Nolan’s voice was thought to be unique. It also had a great deal to do with defining the “sound” of the Pioneers. But Tommy’s voice so closely resembled Bob Nolan’s that Nolan himself sometimes had difficulty distinguishing between the two voices on recordings. Tommy’s voice was the key to continuing the Sons of the Pioneers “sound” well into the 1960s.
RCA Victor, the group’s recording company, interrupted their contract briefly after Doss had made a number of recordings that have become classics. But RCA was so wedded to the Nolan “sound” and its perceived importance to selling records, their new contract stipulated that Nolan come out of retirement to record with the group from 1955 to 1957. When that contact expired RCA realized that Doss could meet their demands with ease. After all, Doss had been touring and making radio and TV appearances with the group since he joined in 1949 and was well-known to fans, especially listeners to the Lucky-U Ranch radio show.
For the next ten years, Tommy Doss recorded with the Sons of the Pioneers and his baritone and harmony are featured on some of the group’s most admired recordings. Their Cool Water LP, their first album recorded in stereo, remained in the RCA Victor catalog from the day it was released until the company stopped manufacturing LPs!
The trio of Lloyd Perryman, Dale Warren, and Tommy Doss remains the favorite Sons of the Pioneers trio of all times for many fans. Their smooth blend was unique but when listeners heard it, there was no doubt in anyone’s mind that they were listening to the Sons of the Pioneers. This was due, in large part, to Tommy Doss, and those recordings brought the music of the Pioneers to a whole new generation of fans.
O.J. Sikes
Awards:
- 2008 Hall of Fame Inductees