‘Gentleman of Western Swing’ : Friends Eulogize Tex Williams

Cliffie Stone, once a well-known television host and now an impresario in the country-western world, said Tuesday that he had tried for most of the night before to write a eulogy for his friend Tex Williams.

“I’ve been introducing him for 40 years,” Stone told hundreds who gathered Tuesday for the funeral of the country-western star. “By 2 a.m., I realized it was impossible to sum Tex up. People called him a ‘gentleman of Western swing,’ and they were right about that. . . .”

With words such as those, Stone and several hundred friends paid their last respects to Williams at his funeral at Eternal Valley Mortuary in Newhall.

Los Angeles Role

Born Sol Williams in Ramsey, Ill., the singer was among the most familiar of the country stars who helped make Los Angeles a center for his trade in the 1940s and 1950s. When he died from complications of cancer on Friday at age 68, he left behind a legacy as a singer, composer, movie star and television host.

From a start as a stand-up bass player for home-front crowds during World War II, Williams evolved into a fixture in movies of the 1930s and ‘40s, appearing with the likes of Tex Ritter and Buster Crabbe. Before long he was on the country-western variety circuit, appearing with his bands on “The Grand Ole Opry,” “Gene Autry’s Melody Ranch” and his own “Riverside Rancho” TV show.

Memorable Songs

He sang “California Polka,” “Rose of the Alamo” and, most notably, the 1946 recording of “Smoke, Smoke, Smoke (That Cigarette),” which was Capitol Records’ first million-selling single.

Like most of his songs, William’s funeral was brief and sweet. Standing in and around the chapel near the cemetery’s entrance, friends and neighbors heard a tribute, prayers and words from a spokesman for the local Masonic chapter. A country group called the Reinsmen then serenaded them with lonely sounding cowboy tunes.

Afterward were a graveside service and a reception at the Newhall American Legion Hall.