The Singing Cowboy Is Born

A true star was born on this day in 1907—Gene Autry.

There are few individuals with so successful a career—in so many ways. From the 1930’s to the 50’s, the so-called “Singing Cowboy” was the #1 recording artist in the “country and western” genre. He was also a huge radio personality, a movie star and businessman.

Wow, this cowboy was busy!

Born in Tioga, Texas, Byron Orvon Gene Autry sang in church as a boy and taught himself to play the mail-order guitar he received from his parents on his 12th birthday. When his family moved to Oklahoma in the 1920’s, a chance encounter with another legend changed the young Autry’s life forever.

While Autry strummed his guitar and sang during a quiet swing shift at the telegraph office in Chelsea where he worked, none other than Will Rogers happened to stop in. The year was 1927—and Oklahoma’s favorite son Rogers was impressed enough to encourage Gene Autry to go to New York and pursue a singing career.

A year later, he did just that. Autry’s breakthrough came two years later, when his song “That Silver-Haired Daddy Of Mine” became a smash hit, selling a half million copies.

In 1934, Autrey made his first appearance in a movie called “Old Santa Fe”. From there, he was cast in a B-movie serial called “The Phantom Empire”, which was hugely successful.

Here’s a short video tribute to Gene Autry:




http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0hpqcpiLmoI

Aside from a stretch away from show business during World War II (when Autry served in the armed forces), the singing cowboy continued an amazing career well into the 50’s. Oddly enough, the hits he is most known for are not country songs.

They are Christmas tunes, like “Santa Claus Is Coming To Town”-which he wrote himself—and “Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer”---which was recorded in 1949 and became the biggest hit of his career.

Later in life, he owned radio stations, a record label—and even a Major League baseball team (The Los Angeles Angels).

The great Gene Autry passed away in 1998 at the age of 81. His music and movies will live forever.


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