| Public Cowboy #1: The Music of Gene Autry | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | October 22, 1996 | |||
| Genre | Western | |||
| Length | 38:46 | |||
| Label | Rounder | |||
| Riders in the Sky chronology | ||||
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| Review scores | |
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| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   |
Public Cowboy #1 is a studio recording released on CD by the Western band Riders in the Sky on October 22, 1996.
According to AllMusic's Bruce Eder, the Riders in the Sky created this album in the wake of performing a Gene Autry medley on television with Autry himself in the audience. [1]
The songs are done reverently but with a real sense of fun, essentially the same balancing act that has made them a success on stage and television. Their main innovations are the harmony singing, which works well throughout, and a jazzy approach to Jimmie Rodgers' "Can't Shake The Sands of Texas From My Shoes." Autry's versions have held up magnificently well, but this loving tribute album is a necessary addition to any fan's collection. [1]
In another review, James H. Nottage wrote:
Gene Autry's music was always more than something which fed childhood fantasies. It is still more than something which fuels or expresses adult nostalgia. A life-time of writing, performing, and recording music marks Gene Autry as an undeniable influence on his diverse audiences, on the development of Western music, and on the image of the cowboy. Even a performer as important as Autry could be forgotten in time if it were not for a new generation which records his music. We are fortunate that the Riders are of our time and have offered such an instrumental and vocal tribute which stands as a respectful interpretation of Gene Autry's cowboy classics. Let Riders in the Sky take you on a journey through our collective musical heritage. It is a trip worth taking.[ citation needed ]
Melody Ranch is a 1940 Western musical film directed by Joseph Santley and starring Gene Autry, Jimmy Durante, and Ann Miller. Written by Jack Moffitt, F. Hugh Herbert, Bradford Ropes, and Betty Burbridge, the film is about a singing cowboy who returns to his hometown to restore order when his former childhood enemies take over the frontier town. In 2002, the film was added to the National Film Registry by the National Film Preservation Board and selected for preservation as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant."
Orvon Grover "Gene" Autry, nicknamed The Singing Cowboy, was an American singer, songwriter, actor, musician, and rodeo performer who gained fame largely by singing in a crooning style on radio, in films, and on television for more than three decades beginning in the early 1930s. Autry was the owner of a television station, several radio stations in Southern California, and the Los Angeles/California/Anaheim Angels Major League Baseball team from 1961 to 1997.
Knowles Fred Rose was an American musician, Hall of Fame songwriter, and music publishing executive.
The Phantom Empire is a 1935 American Western serial film directed by Otto Brower and B. Reeves Eason and starring Gene Autry, Frankie Darro, and Betsy King Ross. This 12-chapter Mascot Pictures serial combined the western, musical, and science fiction genres. The first episode is 30 minutes, the rest about 20 minutes. The serial film is about a singing cowboy who stumbles upon an ancient subterranean civilization living beneath his own ranch that becomes corrupted by unscrupulous greedy speculators from the surface. In 1940, a 70-minute feature film edited from the serial was released under the titles Radio Ranch or Men with Steel Faces. This was Gene Autry's first starring role, playing himself as a singing cowboy.
Western lifestyle or cowboy culture is the lifestyle, or behaviorisms, of, and resulting from the influence of, the attitudes, ethics and history of the American Western cowboy and cowgirl. In the present day these influences affect this sector of the population's choice of recreation, clothing, and consumption of goods. Today, the Western lifestyle is considered a subculture and includes strong influences from Native American and Mexican American culture.
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. The typical singing cowboys were white-hat-wearing, clean-shaven heroes with the habit of showing their emotions in song.
The Cowboy Way is a live recording released by the Western band Riders in the Sky in 1987. It is available as a single CD. This is the second live album recorded by Riders in the Sky.
Cowboy Jubilee is the second studio album by the Western band Riders in the Sky, released in 1981, featuring a title track originally written by Ken Carson of the Sons of the Pioneers. This album features the demanding art of yodeling in harmony; the Riders create arrangements worthy of their original inspirations, Sons of the Pioneers. Originally released on vinyl in 1981 and as a CD in 1990, this album includes their own originals that compare favorably with their versions of older Western classics.
Cowboy Songs is a compilation recording released by the Western band Riders in the Sky in 1996. It is available as a single CD.
Yodel the Cowboy Way is a compilation recording released by the Western band Riders in the Sky on January 13, 1998. It is available as a single CD.
Best of the West Rides Again is a compilation recording by the Western band Riders in the Sky in 1989.
"Back in the Saddle Again" was the signature song of American cowboy entertainer Gene Autry. It was co-written by Autry with Ray Whitley and first released in 1939. The song was associated with Autry throughout his career and was used as the name of Autry's autobiography in 1976. Members of the Western Writers of America chose it as fifth of the Top 100 Western songs of all time.
Silver Jubilee is a compilation recording released by the Western band Riders in the Sky in 2003.
Too Late to Worry – Too Blue to Cry is the second album by American singer-guitarist Glen Campbell, released in 1963 by Capitol Records.
Ira and Charlie is an album by American country music duo The Louvin Brothers, released in 1958.
Gold Mine in the Sky is a 1938 Western film directed by Joseph Kane and starring Gene Autry, Smiley Burnette, and Carol Hughes. Based on a story by Betty Burbridge, the film is about a singing cowboy and ranch foreman who, as executor of the owner's will, must see that the daughter and heiress does not marry without his approval.
The Strawberry Roan is a 1948 American Western film directed by John English and starring Gene Autry.
Rovin' Tumbleweeds is a 1939 American Western film directed by George Sherman and starring Gene Autry, Smiley Burnette and Mary Carlisle. Written by Betty Burbridge, Dorrell McGowan, and Stuart E. McGowan, the film is about a cowboy congressman who exposes a crooked politician who is delaying passage of a flood control bill.
Heart of the Rio Grande is a 1942 American Western film directed by William Morgan and starring Gene Autry, Smiley Burnette, Fay McKenzie, and Edith Fellows. Based on a story by Newlin B. Wildes, the film is about a singing cowboy and dude ranch foreman who helps a spoiled teenager and her business tycoon father discover what is most important in life. The film features the songs "Let Me Ride Down in Rocky Canyon", "Deep in the Heart of Texas", "Dusk on the Painted Desert", and "Rainbow In the Night" performed by Edith Fellows.
Gene Autry's Melody Ranch is a Western variety radio show in the United States. A 15-minute pilot show aired on December 31, 1939. The program ran from January 7, 1940 to August 1, 1943, and from September 23, 1945 to May 16, 1956. The show's entire run was broadcast over the CBS radio network, sponsored by Doublemint gum. The approximately two-year interruption resulted from Autry's enlistment in the United States Army to serve in World War II. Initially titled Doublemint's Melody Ranch, the show's name was changed to Gene Autry's Melody Ranch in early 1941. Episodes were 30 minutes long except for a 15-minute version that ran from September 23, 1945 to June 16, 1946. The theme song was "Back in the Saddle Again".
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