Adolph Hofner
Moulton, Lavaca County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Adolph Hofner was born in Moulton in 1916 and became an early pioneer of the musical genre called western swing, popular in the late 1940s and 1950s. His musical repertoire encompassed western swing, pop, blues, country, jazz and traditional Czech folk songs. Hofner first came into musical prominence in the late 1930s with the Oklahoma playboys. In the early 1940s, he and his younger brother Emil (nicknamed “Bash”) formed their own band. In 1941, Hofner became the first to record the popular fiddle breakdown, “Cotton-Eyed Joe,” for Okeh Records. The song has become a Texas dance hall standard. “Maria Elena,” another folk ballad recorded in 1940, became Hofner’s first and biggest hit. In 1950, he signed with the Pearl Beer Brewing Company and changed the name of his band to Adolph Hofner and the Pearl Wranglers. In the San Antonio area, Adolph had a radio show starting in the mid-1950s and played with his band every Saturday night for more than twenty-five years at the Farmer’s Daughter Dance Hall until 1993, when he suffered a stroke. Adolph and bash recorded for such major record labels as Columbia, Decca, Imperial and for the smaller Sarg Record Label in Luling, Texas. Hofner died on June 2, 2000, and at the time of his death was survived by his wife, three children and various grandchildren. His peers recognized his pioneering work in western swing. Both Adolph and Bash were inducted into Nashville’s Country Music Hall of Fame, the Texas Western Swing Hall of Fame, the Texas Polka Music Association Hall of Fame and the Country Music Association of Texas Hall of Fame, among others. (2017)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Born in Moulton in 1916, Adolph Hofner became a pioneer of Texas western swing, blending country, jazz, blues, pop, and the Czech folk songs of his heritage. With his brother Emil "Bash" Hofner he led a popular band, and in 1941 cut the first recording of "Cotton-Eyed Joe," now a Texas dance-hall standard, alongside his hit "Maria Elena." After signing with Pearl Beer as the Pearl Wranglers, he played San Antonio's dance halls for decades until a 1993 stroke, earning induction into multiple music halls of fame.
Why it matters
Hofner shows how Central European immigrant traditions fed directly into a distinctly American musical form, shaping the sound of Texas dance halls for generations.
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Related people
- · Adolph Hofner
- · Emil "Bash" Hofner
Themes & tags
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