Transitory or not, tumbleweeds possess the sort of legendary semi-permanence in Texas that makes them one of the most prolific icons that represent the state. It is no surprise then that one of Texas’ most prolific broadcasters, Big Spring’s Bob Lewis known professionally as “Tumbleweed Smith,” took on this Texas-style moniker to create one of the longest-lasting radio programs in the state. “The Sound of Texas” is a daily syndicated radio program that is heard on more than 50 stations across the state. Throughout its history the program has become not only a method by which a Texan transmits the story of Texas, but also a vessel for preserving that story for future generations.
A Texan through-and-through, Bob Lewis was born in Waco in 1935 and graduated from Fort Worth’s Arlington Heights High School in 1953. After graduating from Baylor University in 1957 and after a subsequent three-year stint in the United States Army which included two years in Germany, Lewis returned to Texas to begin a career in radio broadcasting. In fact, Lewis credits a specific event during his time in the Army for spurring his desire to work in the radio industry. On his return trip to the United States from Germany aboard a troop ship, he witnessed his fellow soldiers cheering for radio advertisements they could hear in New York Harbor as the ship approached the city. Upon seeing this Lewis wanted to do “the most American thing there is: news, advertising, reporting, communication,” a career he could accomplish by working in radio broadcasting.
Lewis made his way to Big Spring where he got his start at KBST, but he temporarily relocated out of the state to pursue a journalism degree at the University of Missouri, one of the best-regarded journalism schools in the United States. In 1969, Lewis made his big break. After being hired by Big Spring’s KHEM as news director, Lewis conjured “Tumbleweed Smith” and “The Sound of Texas” radio program. The first program aired on September 1, 1969, featuring Midnight Cowboy’s Jon Voight who was in town shooting the movie. By the end of 1969, there had been more than 100 Tumbleweed segments featuring interviews focusing on subjects as wide-ranging from a calf roping school and greyhound training to “Horseback Church Services” and the Caverns of Sonora. This varied programming persists even today, and in 2008 the program reached its 10,000th episode and featured none other than Jon Voight nearly 40 years following the initial program.
Lewis’ collection of interviews comprises one of the largest privately held sets of interviews in the nation, but it isn’t the size of the archive that matters. It is the content within that ranges five and a half decades of Texas history and the stories of those that date back even further. With this venture, Lewis produced more than just a radio program about Texas; he single-handedly curated an entirely Texan exhibition of what makes this great state tick.
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Visit tumbleweedsmith.com to learn more and tune in to “The Sound of Texas” radio program.
