"San Antonio Rose" is a swing instrumental introduced in late 1938 by Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys.
[6] While it was also a successful hit for other Hillbilly artists, it also broke through to the pop charts, where Bing Crosby's version reached #7 on December 16, 1940.
[10] Wills developed the melody of the original "San Antonio Rose" itself from a traditional tune, "Spanish Two Step", by playing the bridge in reverse.
[11] "New San Antonio Rose" ruffled the feathers of Southern country music moguls when Wills and the Playboys performed it with horns and a drum at the Grand Ole Opry on December 30, 1944.
Tish Hinojosa's "San Antonio Romeo", on her album Culture Swing, provides Rose's side of the story.