Texana Thursday: “Please Pass the Biscuits, Pappy”

Wilbert Lee “Pappy” O’Daniel sang his way into the Texas Governor’s Mansion (public domain photo)

Any list of show business stars that went into politics would have to include Wilbert Lee O’Daniel. One might say he sang his way into the Texas Governor’s Mansion.

He didn’t set out to be either a singer or politician. He was born March 11, 1890, in Malta, Ohio, and grew up in Kansas. In 1925, his career brought him to Fort Worth, where he joined the Burrus Mill Flour Company.

One of O’Daniel’s responsibilities there was supervising the company’s radio advertising. In those days before television and the Internet, radio was crucial to reaching a mass audience. Western Swing music was popular and O’Daniel began a music program to promote the flour.

He hosted the show and organized a band called the Light Crust Doughboys. In 1935, he organized his own flour company to make “Hillbilly Flour” and began to call his band the Hillbilly Boys. The slogan, “Pass the biscuits, Pappy,” made O’Daniel a household name throughout Texas.

Hear “Pass the Biscuits, Pappy,” which gave W. Lee O’Daniel his nickname.

O’Daniel said on the radio that some of his fans urged him to run for governor in 1938. He asked his listeners whether he should go through with it. The strong response encouraged him to proceed.

Thanks to his radio showmanship and music, he attracted huge crowds. He said his platform was the Ten Commandments and the Golden Rule. He won the election by a landslide.

Hear “Beautiful Texas” by W. Lee O’ Daniel.

During his governorship, O’Daniel and his musicians broadcasted their shows from the Governor’s Mansion. He remained popular with Texas voters and was re-elected in 1940.

Whether O’Daniel was an effective governor depends on one’s politics. A story told about him went something like this: A young man went home to visit his family, and talk turned to the governor’s race. The grandfather said he was going to vote for Pappy O’Daniel. The young man was incredulous. “What has he done in office?” the young man asked.

The grandfather is supposed to have said, “He hasn’t done a damn thing, and we need more of it.”

In 1941, O’Daniel ran for a U.S. Senate seat from Texas in a special election. He defeated several opponents in a hard-fought election, including Lyndon Baines Johnson, then a U.S. representative from Austin. O’Daniel was elected to a full term in 1942. He served that full term in the Senate, but he was ineffectual in that role and didn’t enjoy the popularity he did as governor. In 1948 his seat came up for re-election. He declined to seek another term and moved to Dallas.

Johnson ran again, won the Senate seat, and rest of LBJ’s story is history.

O’Daniel went into business, but twice sought the governor’s office again. His political magic was gone, however, and he lost both times.

O’Daniel died in 1969 in Dallas. But one might say he and the Light Crust Doughboys added their verse to the song that is Texas. He was elected to the Texas Radio Hall of Fame in 2015.