Fiddler Hoyle Nix; Leader of The West Texas Cowboys

Hoyle Nix, a fiddler for 40 years who led The West Texas Cowboys and also appeared with some of the biggest names in country and Western music, has died at 67.

Nix, who was influenced by the music of Bob Wills, died Wednesday after what was described as a brief illness.

He and The West Texas Cowboys were familiar faces at annual Bob Wills Day celebrations in Texas.

He had appeared often with Wills, Ernest Tubb, Merle Haggard and Marty Robbins, and in 1975 received the Wrangler Award from the National Cowboy Hall of Fame. In 1984, he was inducted into the Nebraska Cowboy Hall of Fame in Hastings, Neb., and in 1985 was inducted into the Colorado Country Music Hall of Fame.