Singing
cowboy
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A singing cowboy was a
subtype of the archetypal cowboy hero of early Western
films, popularized by many of the B-movies
of the 1930s and 1940s.[1]
The typical singing cowboys were white-hat-wearing, clean-shaven heroes with
the habit of showing their emotions in song.
Around the campfire, the original
cowboys sang of life on the trail with all the challenges, hardships, and
dangers encountered while pushing cattle for miles up the trails and across the
prairies. While much of what is included in the genre of "cowboy
music" is "traditional," a number of songs have been written and
made famous by groups like the Sons of the Pioneers and Riders
in the Sky and individual performers such as Gene Autry,
Roy Rogers,
Tex Ritter,
Bob Baker and other "singing cowboys." Singing in the wrangler style, these entertainers have served to preserve the
cowboy as a unique American hero.
The image of the singing cowboy was
established in 1925 when Carl T. Sprague
of Texas recorded the first cowboy
song, "When the Work's All Done
This Fall." A year later, John I. White became the first representative of
the genre to perform on a nationally broadcast radio show, but the full
popularity of the singing cowboys was not reached until the spread of sound films.
Ken
Maynard
Ken Maynard was the screen's first singing cowboy. He first appeared in
silent motion pictures in 1923 and in addition to acting also did stunt work. His
horsemanship and rugged good looks made Maynard a cowboy star. He recorded two
songs with Columbia Records before making his first film with a musical soundtrack. He
sang two songs in Sons of the Saddle
(1930).[2]
John
Wayne
Early in his career, 27-year-old John Wayne
appeared as "Singin' Sandy Saunders" in Riders of Destiny (1933) and also made seven more films for Monogram Pictures.[3]
Wayne's version of the singing cowboy was much darker than the later ones; his ten-gallon hat
was black instead of white and he'd chant about "streets running with
blood" and "you'll be drinking your drinks with the dead" as he
strode purposefully down the street toward a showdown.
The films were successful and made
Wayne a star after several failures, but he refused to renew his contract in
1935,[4]
although he did continue making nonsinging Westerns for Monogram's successor,
Republic Pictures. Because Wayne could not sing, his filmed songs were dubbed
by the son of director Robert N. Bradbury, making the obligatory personal appearances a continuous
embarrassment for the young actor.[3][4]
Wayne also emphasized authenticity in his westerns and knew that real cowboys
did not routinely sing on the way to a gunfight or wear Singin' Sandy's
elaborate costumes.[4]
Gene
Autry
While other western actors, such as
Wayne and Clint Eastwood, only dabbled in singing roles, some actors became known
mainly for their parts as singing cowboys. The most famous of them was Gene Autry,
and the moniker "the singing cowboy" usually refers to him in
particular. When Wayne declined further singing cowboy roles, Republic looked
for a replacement. Autry was chosen because he was the one candidate who could
both sing and ride a horse.[3]
The choice was so successful that, at the time of his death in 1998, Autry was
still on the top 10 list of Hollywood western box office moneymakers.[5]
Autry first rose to popularity as a
singer, but his acting career started off quickly with the 1935 film serial
The Phantom Empire, and he became a prolific star. Autry's early popularity,
both for his radio and film performances, quickly paved the way for a multitude
of imitators, but most attempts didn't get close to his success.
Autry, and later Roy Rogers,
appeared in contemporary western settings rather than the 19th century wild west
era. This allowed the stars to appear in modern clothing alongside motorcars,
airplanes, and telephones. In The Phantom Empire, Autry spends time singing
on the radio at his "Radio Ranch" as well as battling an ancient
civilisation with a race of robots who live beneath the earth.
Autry was also the first sound
motion picture cowboy star to use his own name as the main character in a film,[6]
a practice soon emulated by Rogers.
Roy
Rogers
Autry's status as the top singing
cowboy was never in question until 1937, when disagreements made him
temporarily walk out on his contract with Republic Studios. The studio's chosen replacement, Roy Rogers,
who had previously appeared only in minor roles (including a memorable
appearance opposite Autry while still billed under his real name, Leonard
Slye), quickly grew popular when given the chance to star. By the time Autry
returned, he found himself challenged for top movie singing cowboy status by
the blossoming career of his new rival Rogers, although Rogers never neared
Autry's juggernaut level of record sales. When Autry enlisted in the Army
Air Corps during World War II,
Roy Rogers became the "King of the Cowboys," competing head-to-head with Autry for the rest of
the decade. Autry and Rogers (as a member of the "Sons of the Pioneers" singing group), had appeared together in the 1935
Autry vehicle, The Old Corral, Rogers' second film, before the studio chose him as an
Autry replacement and renamed him during Autry's walkout two years later. Autry
and Rogers never made a movie together after Rogers began his solo film career.
Tex
Ritter
In 1936, Edward Finney of the
recently formed Grand National Pictures decided on a singing cowboy for their studio and
screen-tested Tex Ritter, who began a series of films with the studio beginning with
Song of the Gringo.[7]
Ritter recorded "Do Not Forsake Me Oh My
Darlin'," the movie title-track song
for High Noon
(1952). The song became a hit and received an Academy Award
for Best Music, Original Song, for 1953.
Grand
National Films
With the fame of the operetta Rose-Marie
and singing cowboy films, a series of films with actor singer James Newill playing a
singing Mountie, Renfrew of the Royal Mounted,
were released by Grand National between 1937 and 1940.
Into
the sunset
Other notable actors who became
famous as singing cowboys were Jimmy Wakely,
Warner Brothers' Dick Foran, and Rex Allen, who didn't start his career until 1950, when the
popularity of the genre was waning. Herb Jeffries
made four films beginning with the intriguingly titled Harlem on the Prairie.
Nonsinging cowboy actors such as Buck Jones[8]
complained that producers would find it too easy to pad out the length of a
film with songs rather than action, characterization, or plot exposition.
With the advent of television, the making of B-movies
dropped off and the era of singing cowboys was coming to an end. Autry and
Rogers went on to star in The Gene Autry Show and The Roy Rogers Show, respectively, but the series' runs ended by the close of
the decade, and the singing cowboy gradually ceased to exist in popular culture
except as an exercise in nostalgia. Though he did not appear in the film, Tex
Ritter sang the continuing ballad of High Noon.
The singing cowboy image has since
been parodied, most notably in the 1985 film Rustlers' Rhapsody, with Tom Berenger
portraying a stereotypical singing cowboy, and in the Pixar film Toy Story 2.
The musical group Riders
in the Sky[9]
continues the tradition of the singing cowboy today.
Other
singing cowboys
The original wiki link on the subject (with references and
many images) can be found at:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Singing_cowboy
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