Singing in the Saddle: The History of the Singing Cowboy

Country Music Foundation Press

by Douglas B. Green

As the United States expanded west in the 1800s, and cattle became big business, the figure of the young brash cattleman who rode with the herds quickly emerged as a cultural icon. Victorian Americans went crazy for cowboys, snapping up dime-store novels and sheet music, and turning out in droves for Buffalo Bill Cody's Wild West Show. It was only a matter of time before someone brought together these three facets--entertainer, singer, and cowboy. And when Carl T. Sprague recorded the first hit cowboy record ("When the Work's All Done This Fall") in 1925, the singing cowboy as we know him was born. A singing cowboy himself, Douglas B. Green (also known as Ranger Doug from the Grammy Award-winning group Riders In The Sky) is uniquely suited to write the story of the singing cowboy. He has been collecting information and interviews on western music, films, and performers for nearly thirty years. In this volume, he traces this history from the early days of vaudeville and radio, through the heyday of movie westerns before World War II, to the current revival. He provides rich and careful analysis of the studio system that made men such as Gene Autry and Roy Rogers famous, and he documents the role that country music and regional television stations played in carrying on the singing cowboy tradition after World War II. This book, lavishly illustrated with over 140 photos, is a wealth of information that comes out of decades of research. Green has unearthed never-before-published photos and rare movie posters--including one from an all-Black western, Harlem on the Prairie (1938). Through his close friendships with other singing cowboys and their families, Green is able to provide rare insights into the ways that some like Autry became stars and others like Raoul Walsh (who lost his eye in a shooting accident and later became a famous director) did not. Green also traces the history of cowboy music, from popular songs such as "Sweet Betsy from Pike" to the instantly recognizable harmonies of the Sons of the Pioneers. Green even speculates about just when the famous yodel became a ubiquitous part of the singing cowboy's repertoire. More important, Green reveals how the imagery of the singing cowboy has become such a potent force that even now country musicians don cowboy hats so as to symbolically take part in the legend. Nowhere has the recorded history of the singing cowboy and the film history been collected in one volume, and this book is sure to become the resource for students of the style. Co-published with the Country Music Foundation Press

Genres: Music, Nonfiction, History

408 pages, Hardcover

First published October 11, 2002

Reviews

[H (trying to keep up with GR friends) Balikov · Rating 4 out of 5]

Whose that guy we hear in the elevator singing about Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer? Likely, it is that singing cowboy, Gene Autry, who made it one of the biggest selling Christmas records, ever. How about Roy Rodgers? He sang to with one of the best vocal groups, The Sons of the Pioneers.

Yes, cowboy life has been the subject of song since the 19th Century: sometimes glorified, sometimes satirized, sometimes sanitized. Singing cowboys were a staple of B movies during the 1930s-40s. Home on the Range was more profitable then, than before or at anytime after. Ranger Doug knows. And, he shares his extensive scholarship in this book.

It is a serious study of the genre (probably why it was a university press publication). But, his style doesn't put you to sleep. Ranger Doug (Douglas B. Green) has sung with the Riders of the Sky for at least three decades and knows many of those real and ersatz cowboys personally. His collection of pictures, included in the book, is a real bonus. He also hosts a program on SiriusXM, Classic Cowboy Corral, that provides an hour of history and nostalgia every week. It's what got me interested in this book.

Once you know the voices, it is fun to be able to look up the background stories to a particular era, singer or western movie.

[MH · Rating 4 out of 5]

A friendly, authoritative look at the singing cowboy fad of the 1930s and 40s. Green provides an excellent introduction, tracing how America's understanding of the cowboy changed from saddle tramp to iconic hero, and there are fine chapters on Roy Rogers, Gene Autry, and the Sons of the Pioneers. The other chapters catalog the many, many Western singers and bands of records, radio and films - he includes a massive number of photographs and short bios, and Green's warm voice, deep knowledge, and obvious love of the subject saves the book from being a laundry list of forgotten B-movie stars and radio acts.

[Jenna · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little dry (not unexpected), but still intensely fascinating. Plus, nobody else is writing it so how could you knock it?? I only wish there was a bit more in-depth anecdotes and personal information on some of the greats, but I also can appreciate that's not the focus of this book.

[Geof Sage · Rating 3 out of 5]

More like a 3.75. He does a good job of not mentioning Riders in the Sky overly much

[Garrett Cash · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have loved western music ever since I first heard Marty Robbins’s Gunfighter Ballads and Trail Songs when I was eight years old. From then on I also listened to Gene Autry and Riders in the Sky. I got into the glorious harmonies of the Sons of the Pioneers and Roy Rogers later on. The singing cowboys will always have a great influence on me throughout life, and this biography of the western music genre by one of my favorite western musicians is the best you could ask for. Ranger Doug, “The Idol of the American Youth,” has a wonderful voice both on record and page. Did you know that we have no evidence that real cowboys ever yodeled? It of course started with the man who spoke American music into existence, Jimmie Rodgers. That’s just one of the seemingly infinite number of things you learn from this book. If you’re as interested in the wild west, western music, country music, pre-70’s music, mythos, movies, radio, and blue shadows on the trail as I am, you’re going to love this book. Happy trails!

[Eleanor · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent book that will be a big help for my thesis! The book tells the story of the cowboy mythology in America and how it was put up on stage, screen, and on the radio. There are a lot of great pictures, stories, and insights and you will learn A LOT!

[Ralph Estes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent history

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really 3.5 stars. A very detailed and comprehensive account of radio, recording, and movie singing cowboys. Interesting; definitely has the flavor of an academic publication (which I think it was).