"San Antonio Rose" is a swing instrumental introduced in late 1938 by Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys. Quickly becoming the band's most popular number, Wills and band members devised lyrics, which were recorded on April 16, 1940. It quickly rose to the top in 1939, and again, in early 1941. It went on to become the band's theme song for the next forty years.
The song is written in the first person with the "Rose of San Antone" being the singer's lost love. In 2010, the Western Writers of America ranked it at number 49 on its list of the Top 100 Western songs of all time.
Patsy Cline recorded San Antonio Rose August 17, 1961, released on her 1961 "Patsy Cline Showcase" album produced by Owen Bradley, engineered by Selby Coffeen, with The Jordanaires on background vocals, Randy Hughes on guitar, Hank Garland electric guitar, Grady Martin electric guitar, and musical director, Walter Haynes and Ben Keith on pedal steel guitar, Floyd Cramer keyboards, Pig Robbins piano, Bob Moore bass, Harold Bradley electric six string bass, Buddy Harman and Doug Kirkham drums, Brenton Banks, George Binkley III, Lillian Hunt, Suzanne Parker violins, John Bright and Cecil Brower viola, and Byron Bach cello, with Bill McElhiney arranging.
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