Biography
Emerging amid the western swing scene that followed in the path of Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys and the Light Crust Doughboys, the Crystal Springs Ramblers formed one such ensemble. Limited to a total of four Vocalion sides, the group left behind "Fort Worth Stomp" as its most lasting recording. Its roster around 1938 featured Link Davis on vocals and fiddle, Earl Driver on tenor sax, Joe Holley on fiddle, J.B. Brinkley on guitar, Morris Deason on banjo, Lauren Mitchell on piano, Jimmy Makado on bass, and Homer Kinnaird on drums. The name originated at the Crystal Springs Ballroom northwest of Fort Worth, where the band held the house slot. Numerous players began their careers at the venue before advancing to larger ensembles, and the ballroom’s most satisfied clientele—presumably shared by the band—included the bank robbers Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow. J. B. Brinkley would later join the Light Crust Doughboys and become a leading Fort Worth-based session guitarist.