Singing Cowboys » (Book & CD)

Douglas B. Green is the author of three previous works on American music: Country Roots, Singing In The Saddle, and Singing Cowboys. He is considered one of the leading experts on American roots music, especially western. His full-time job for thirty years has been as lead vocalist of Riders in the Sky, the two-time Grammy-award-winning western quartet and member of the Western Music Hall of Fame. For more information on the group, including their tour schedule, please visit ridersinthesky.com.

Singing Cowboys tells the fabled story of the men and women who shone brightly during the magical era of the singing cowboy movie star. It was an era when Western heroes sang and yodeled as well as threw punches and drew six-guns; an era where for a time nearly half the Western films churned out in Hollywood's golden age either featured a singer as a hero, or had singing second leads or singing ranch hands to provide that dreamy, romantic, exquisitely beautiful music we now think of as western. Follow the singing cowboy movie fad, from Gene Autry's first films in 1935 to Marty Robbins' drive-in quickie movies in 1959. Singing Cowboys recalls with fondness the stories of nearly sixty men, women, and groups who embodied the singing cowboy tradition, from Tex Ritter to Dale Evans. All the biggest stars are included, as are many great old-timey artists whose names are not so well known. Their voices and images filled an entire generation with optimism and hope, and encouraged us all to dream big-the "cowboy way."

Featuring such famed cowboy singers as:

Gene Autry

Bing Crosby

Dale Evans

Tito Guizar

Dorothy Page

Riders of the Purple Sage

Tex Ritter

Marty Robbins

Roy Rogers

John Wayne

Ray Whitley

and dozens more!

Gene Austin 17

Gene Autry 18

Bob Baker 26

Smith Ballew 28

Warner Baxter 30

Johnny Bond 32

Bill Boyd 35

Smiley Burnette 36

Cass County Boys 39

Spade Cooley 41

Bing Crosby 42

Ken Curtis 45

Art Davis 46

Jimmie Davis 49

Eddie Dean 50

Jimmie Dodd 52

Cliff Edwards 54

Dale Evans 57

Tex Fletcher 59

Dick Foran 60

Jane Frazee 64

Kirby Grant 66

Donald Grayson 68

Guest Artists 71

Tito Guizar 75

Monte Hale 76

Tex Harding 78

Hoosier Hot Shots 81

George Houston 82

Art Jarrett 85

Herb Jeffries 86

John King 89

Fuzzy Knight 90

Ken Maynard 93

Red River Dave 97

Vaughn Monroe 98

James Newill 101

Dorothy Page 102

Andy Parker and the Plainsmen 105

Jack Randall 106

Riders of the Purple Sage 109

Tex Ritter 110

Marty Robbins 115

Roy Rogers 116

Cal Shrum 121

Fred Scott 122

Penny Singleton 125

Sons of the Pioneers 126

Bob Steele 129

Wesley Tuttle 130

Jimmy Wakely 133

John Wayne 134

Ray Whitley 136

Tex Williams 138

Bob Wills 140