Western Swing:
Western swing originated in the dance halls of small towns throughout the Lower Great Plains in the 1920s and 1930's from the old house parties and ranch dances where fiddlers and guitarists entertained dancers. According to guitarist Merle Travis, "Western Swing is nothing more than a group of talented country boys, unschooled in music, but playing the music they feel, beating a solid two-four rhythm to the harmonies that buzz around their brains. When it escapes in all it musical glory, my friend, you have Western Swing." During the early developmental phase an uncoordinated but parallel progression occurred with scores of groups from San Antoinio to Shreveport to Oklahoma City playing different repertories with same basic sound."
"Detour (There's A Muddy Road Ahead)" is a Western swing ballad written by written by Paul Westmoreland in 1945.
A well-known version of the song was the popular recording by Patti Page in 1951. It was released by Mercury Records as catalog number 5682, and first entered the Billboard chart on August 4, 1951, staying for 16 weeks and peaking at #5
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