The Willis Brothers were a country music

Country music

Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...

 ensemble from Oklahoma

Oklahoma

Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...

, consisting of several brothers.

Three of the Willis brothers (James, Charles, and Joe) played together as teenagers from the early 1930s under the name Oklahoma Wranglers. They were regulars on Shawnee, Oklahoma

Shawnee, Oklahoma

Shawnee is a city in Pottawatomie County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 29,857 at the 2010 census. The city is part of the Oklahoma City-Shawnee Combined Statistical Area; it is also the county seat of Pottawatomie County and the principal city of the Shawnee Micropolitan Statistical...

 station KGEF through the decade, but in 1939, Joe married and exited the group. John (Vic) joined, and soon after the group moved to Kansas City

Kansas City, Missouri

Kansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...

, where they appeared on the Brush Street Follies through 1942. All three members fought in World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

 separately, preventing them from continuing as a group until war's end, but in 1946 they reunited and played the Grand Ole Opry

Grand Ole Opry

The Grand Ole Opry is a weekly country music stage concert in Nashville, Tennessee, that has presented the biggest stars of that genre since 1925. It is also among the longest-running broadcasts in history since its beginnings as a one-hour radio "barn dance" on WSM-AM...

. Signing with Sterling Records, they began recording both as the Oklahoma Wranglers and as a backing band for Hank Williams.

In 1949 the group left the Opry and toured nationally with Eddy Arnold

Eddy Arnold

Richard Edward Arnold , known professionally as Eddy Arnold, was an American country music singer who performed for six decades. He was a so-called Nashville sound innovator of the late 1950s, and scored 147 songs on the Billboard country music charts, second only to George Jones. He sold more...

 through 1957. They also performed in the films Feuding Rhythm and Hoe Down. Following this they dropped the Wranglers name and became the Willis Brothers, and under this name recorded copiously for the labels Mercury

Mercury Records

Mercury Records is a record label operating as a standalone company in the UK and as part of the Island Def Jam Motown Music Group in the US; both are subsidiaries of Universal Music Group. There is also a Mercury Records in Australia, which is a local artist and repertoire division of Universal...

, Coral

Coral Records

Coral Records was a Decca Records subsidiary formed in 1949. It recorded pop artists McGuire Sisters and Teresa Brewer, as well as rock and roller Buddy Holly....

, RCA

RCA Records

RCA Records is one of the flagship labels of Sony Music Entertainment. The RCA initials stand for Radio Corporation of America , which was the parent corporation from 1929 to 1985 and a partner from 1985 to 1986.RCA's Canadian unit is Sony's oldest label...

, and Starday. In 1964 they released the single "Give Me Forty Acres (To Turn This Rig Around)

Give Me Forty Acres (To Turn This Rig Around)

"Give Me Forty Acres " is a single by American country music group The Willis Brothers. Released in 1964, it was the first single from their album Give Me Forty Acres. The song peaked at number 9 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart. It also reached number 1 on the RPM Country Tracks chart in...

", which became a Top Ten

Hit single

A hit single is a recorded song or instrumental released as a single that has become very popular. Although it is sometimes used to describe any widely-played or big-selling song, the term "hit" is usually reserved for a single that has appeared in an official music chart through repeated radio...

 country hit in the United States.

The group remained a fixture on the Opry until 1995, when Vic died in a car crash at age 73.

Members

• James "Guy" Willis - vocals, guitar
• Charles "Skeeter" Willis - fiddle, vocals
• John "Vic" Willis - accordion, piano, vocals
• Joe Willis - guitar

Albums

Year	Album	Label
1962	In Action	Starday
1963	Code of the West
1965	Give Me Forty Acres
	Road Stop
1966	Wild Side of Life
	Goin' to Town
1967	Bob
1968	Hey Mr. Truck Driver
1969	Bummin' Around
1970	The Best
1971	For the Good Times

Singles

Year	Single	Chart Positions		Album
		US Country Hot Country Songs Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales...	CAN Country
1964	"Give Me Forty Acres (To Turn This Rig Around) Give Me Forty Acres (To Turn This Rig Around) "Give Me Forty Acres " is a single by American country music group The Willis Brothers. Released in 1964, it was the first single from their album Give Me Forty Acres. The song peaked at number 9 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart. It also reached number 1 on the RPM Country Tracks chart in... "	9	1	Give Me Forty Acres
1965	"A Six Foot Two by Four"	41	—	Road Stop
1967	"Bob"	14	—	Bob
	"Somebody Knows My Dog"	62	—	single only