Tex Williams promo photo w Joaquin Murphey

[Chris Clem]

Nice shot of the Tex Williams (his biggest?) BIG Band. Joaquin is top row left side. What year?

[Landon Jarrel]

Hi Chris, WOW, what a find! This photo with great certainty is from 1949 and is from the time when the group was playing at the Riverside Rancho, recording the amazing Capitol transcriptions, and performing on AFRS.

Tex Williams signed this example of a photo most likely from the same session/day as "49" and this is as close an answer as we could hope to come by unless Merge studio kept an archival log of their negatives or similar.


Here's an alternate shot of the above, note Joaquin a little more enthusiastic:


Thanks for the amazing quality of such a rare shot which I've never seen.

[Chris Clem]

Yes 1949 it is, can't ask for a better proof then that. Looks like they just got back from Nudie's with those new swing outfits.