Riders in the Sky (band)

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Riders in the Sky
Riders in the Sky in Ponca City.jpg
Riders in the Sky appearing at the Ponca Theatre in Ponca City, Oklahoma on September 29, 2007 at a concert commemorating the 100th anniversary of the birth of Gene Autry. From left to right are Joey the Cow Polka King, Woody Paul, Ranger Doug and Too Slim.
Background information
Origin Nashville, TN
Genres
Years active1977–present
Labels Rounder, MCA, CBS, Epic, Walt Disney, Rykodisc
Members Douglas B. Green
Woody Paul
Fred LaBour
Joey Miskulin
Past members"Windy Bill" Collins
Tumbleweed Tommy
Website www.ridersinthesky.com

Riders in the Sky is an American Western music and comedy group which began performing in 1977. [1] The band has released more than 40 full length albums, starred in a single-season self-titled television series on CBS, wrote and starred in an NPR syndicated radio drama Riders Radio Theater , and appeared in television series and films including as featured contributors to Ken Burns' Country Music . Their family-friendly style also appeals to children, exemplified in their recordings for Disney and Pixar. They have won two Grammy Awards and have written and performed music for major motion pictures, including "Woody's Roundup" from Toy Story 2 and Pixar's short film, For the Birds . The band also recorded full length companion albums for Toy Story 2 and Monsters, Inc.

Contents

History

Early years (1977–1979)

The Riders first performed on November 11, 1977 at Herr Harry's Frank N' Steins in Nashville, TN. For this first performance, the Riders consisted of Deputy Doug (Douglas B. Green), Windy Bill Collins, and Fred LaBour. Happy with the crowds reaction, the Riders performed for the second time at Herr Harry's the next evening. Between the second and third performances, the band still didn't have a name, but that changed in December 1977, when Fred LaBour found a copy of The Sons of The Pioneers album Riders in the Sky . When LaBour saw the album, he immediately called Green and told him that Riders In The Sky should be the band's name. Green agreed and from their third performance on, they were officially billed as Riders In The Sky. In 1978, Bill Collins left the Riders shortly after "Tumbleweed Tommy" Goldsmith joined. Shortly after Collins left, "Woody Paul" Chrisman also joined the band. In mid-1979, Tommy Goldsmith left the Riders shortly before the recording of their first album, which would become Three on the Trail . Goldsmith would perform on the Riders' second album, Cowboy Jubilee , in 1980, but not as a member of the band.

Rise in popularity (1980–1989)

Induction into the Grand Ole Opry (1982)

In 1982, Doug Green wrote a letter to Hal Durham, manager of the Grand Ole Opry , telling him the Riders would like to join. Durham responded favorably; western music was under-represented in the Opry, and it wouldn't conflict with the other materials and performances already in the Opry. After 26 appearances as a guest act, the Riders were officially inducted into the Opry on June 19, 1982.

Tumbleweed Theater (1983–1988)

In late 1982, the Riders were approached by Steve Arwood and Randy Hale to host a television show on The Nashville Network (which had not begun broadcasting yet) called Tumbleweed Theater. The premise of the show was that their 90-minute program would show heavily edited public domain "B-Westerns" of the 1930s and 40s with Riders In The Sky performing skits and songs before, in between, and after the films. After screening the movie that would be featured in the episode, Arwood and Fred LaBour wrote the sketches that played between the films, with many of the skits carrying over to the Riders' live shows and albums. Tumbleweed Theater premiered March 12, 1983, and continued for five seasons overall, the last two consisting of repackaged skits and songs.

Sweet Dreams & Wild Horses (1985)

In 1985, the Riders made their Hollywood debut when the trio landed parts in Sweet Dreams , a biographical film about the life of Patsy Cline. The band played The Jordanaires, although in the film they are never mentioned by name. After filming their part for Sweet Dreams, the Riders appeared as themselves in the made-for-television Kenny Rogers movie Wild Horses , where they performed their original compositions "Here Comes The Santa Fe" and "Blue Bonnet Lady" during a party scene.

Riders Radio Theater (1988–1995)

Beginning in 1988, Riders In The Sky were the stars of Riders Radio Theater, a weekly radio show written by Fred LaBour and Steve Arwood (now going by the stagename Texas Bix Bender) that was essentially the Tumbleweed Theater television show minus the "B-Western" films. The half-hour show was taped at the Tennessee Performing Arts Center in Nashville for the first year of episodes, but later moved to Cincinnati, Ohio beginning in 1989. The weekly show was canceled in 1995, but later came back as occasional specials beginning in 1998.

1990–present

CBS Children's show (1991)

In 1990, CBS approached the Riders to do a Saturday morning television show that would later be described as "Pee-Wee's Playhouse meets the wild west". Only airing for one season (a total of 13 episodes) due to low ratings and weekly schedule changes, the show was written by George McGrath instead of the Riders themselves. Fred LaBour reflected on the show, saying "Everything we've had a hand in writing had been a success, we didn't have a hand in that, and it wasn't." The show premiered on September 14, 1991 as Riders In The Sky (although it has also been referred to as Saturday Mornings With Riders In The Sky).

Toy Story 2 and Grammys (1998–2002)

In 1998, Ash Brannon recommended to Disney and Pixar executives that Riders In The Sky be the performers of "Woody's Round-Up" for their upcoming film Toy Story 2 . The executives were so impressed with the Riders' performance, they had the Riders create a tie-in album around the characters of Toy Story 2 called Woody's Roundup: A Rootin' Tootin' Collection of Woody's Favorite Songs . The album won the Grammy Award for Best Musical Album for Children at the Grammy Awards of 2001.

After the success of the Woody's Round-Up album, the Riders were called back into Pixar in 2002 to do another tie-in album, except based on Pixar's latest film: Monsters, Inc. The album, titled Monsters, Inc. Scream Factory Favorites , won the Riders a second Grammy Award for Best Musical Album for Children at the Grammy Awards of 2003. In addition, the Riders wrote and performed the score of "For the Birds," an animated short that showed before "Monsters, Inc." in theaters. It won the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film in 2001.

In animated form (2003–2015)

The Riders made their animated debut in 2003, in the Warner Bros. animated series Duck Dodgers , where they played a robot band modeled after themselves. Their second animated appearance was in Disney's direct-to-DVD animated adventure children's film titled Stanley's Dinosaur Round-Up . Their most recent animated role was in the Kickstarter-funded film Cartoon Cowboys by WonderVista Studios. Cartoon Cowboys borrows heavily from Riders Radio Theater, including characters from the show and the Riders having the same personalities as their radio counterparts.

YellaWood spokesmen (2009)

The Riders appeared as musical spokesmen in a series of YellaWood commercials, which re-united the Riders with Steve Arwood (once again playing Texas Bix Bender) and featured a set similar to the one seen on Tumbleweed Theater (complete with a blue Studebaker pickup truck and the Riders performing on a Bunkhouse porch). The Riders also performed the theme song for YellaWood's The Adventures ofYella Fella and make cameos in the first episodes of seasons one and two.

Hiatus (2019–2021)

The Riders in the Sky went on an extended hiatus during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, in part because of Miskulin having extended health issues that prevented him from playing. The remaining members declined to make any of their usual Opry appearances during the pandemic; only Ranger Doug continued with any cowboy-related projects during the hiatus. The band resumed performing in 2021. As of 2022, they perform on the Grand Ole Opry several times per month. [2]

Members

Current

Former

Awards

Ranger Doug (Douglas B. Green) performs at the Poncan Theatre in Ponca City, Oklahoma on November 7, 2008 Riders Guitar.jpg
Ranger Doug (Douglas B. Green) performs at the Poncan Theatre in Ponca City, Oklahoma on November 7, 2008
Woody Paul (Paul Woodrow Chrisman) Riders Violin.jpg
Woody Paul (Paul Woodrow Chrisman)
Too Slim (Fred LaBour) Riders Bass.jpg
Too Slim (Fred LaBour)
Joey the Cowpolka King (Joey Miskulin) Riders Accordian.jpg
Joey the Cowpolka King (Joey Miskulin)

Riders in the Sky were named Western Music Group of the Year during the Academy of Western Artists 2006 Will Rogers Awards.

Discography

TitleTypeRelease dateLabel
Three on the Trail studio1979 Rounder Records
Cowboy Jubilee studio1981 Rounder Records
Prairie Serenade studio1982 Rounder Records
Weeds & Water studio1983 Rounder Records
Riders in the Sky, Live live1984 Rounder Records
Saddle Pals studio1985 Rounder Records
New Trails studio1986 Rounder Records
Best of the West (album) best of1987 Rounder Records
Best of the West Rides Again best ofOctober 25, 1990 Rounder Records
The Cowboy Way (album) live1987 MCA
Riders Radio Theater (album) studioJune 27, 1988 MCA
Riders go Commercial studioJune 19, 1989 MCA
Horse Opera studio1990 MCA
Harmony Ranch studio1991 CBS
Merry Christmas from Harmony Ranch studio1992 CBS
Saturday Morning with Riders best of1992 MCA
Cowboys in Love studio1994 Epic Records
Always Drink Upstream from the Herd studioOctober 31, 1995 Rounder Records
Cowboy Songs best of20 August 1996 Rounder Records
Public Cowboy #1: The Music of Gene Autry tributeOctober 20, 1996 Rounder Records
Yodel the Cowboy Way best of1998 Rounder Records
A Great Big Western Howdy! studioJuly 14, 1998 Rounder Records
Christmas the Cowboy Way studioOctober 5, 1999 Rounder Records
Woody's Roundup: A Rootin' Tootin' Collection of Woody's Favorite Songs studioAugust 29, 2000 Disney
A Pair of Kings studioFebruary 19, 2002 Oh Boy Records
Ridin' the Tweetsie Railroad studio2002Self Released
Monsters, Inc. Scream Factory Favorites studioAugust 27, 2002 Disney
Silver Jubilee studio2003 Acoustic Disc
Riders in the Sky Present: Davy Crockett, King of the Wild Frontier studioAugust 3, 2004 Rounder Records
Riders in the Sky Live from the Golden Age of Riders Radio Theater studio2006 Riders Radio Records
Riders in the Sky "Lassoed Live" at the Schermerhorn with the Nashville Symphony live2009 Nashville Symphony
The Land Beyond The Sun studio2011 Riders Radio Records
America's Favorite Cowboy Songs studio2012 Cracker Barrel
Home On The Range (with Wilford Brimley)studio2013Riders Radio Records
Riders in the Sky Salute Roy Rogers: King of the Cowboysstudio2016Riders Radio Records/Too Slims Mercantile
Songs of the Frontier (as Ranger Doug "with a lot of help from Riders in the Sky")studio2018Rural Rhythm
Throw A Saddle On A Starstudio2023Riders Radio Records

Notable filmography

YearFilmRoleNotes
1982 Twilight Theater Guest PerformersPerformer: "That's How The Yodel Was Born"

Miscredited as: "The Rider's In The Sky"

1983–1988Tumbleweed TheaterThemselves/Various CharactersTV series
1985 Sweet Dreams The JordanairesCredited as "Opry Band"
1985Wild HorsesBand at DanceTV movie
1989 Hee Haw Guest PerformersSeason 22, episode 5 (10/14/1989)
1990Christmas The Cowboy WayThemselves/Various CharactersTV special
1991Riders In The SkyThemselvesTV series (13 episodes)
1993A Riders In The Sky ChristmasThemselves/Various CharactersTV special
1995–1996Riders Radio Theater: The Television ShowThemselves/Various CharactersSeries of TV Specials (Four Episodes)
1998 Barney & Friends ThemselvesPerformer: "How Does He Yodel"

Episode: "Howdy, Friends!"

1999 Toy Story 2 (No On-Screen Appearance)Performer: "Woody's Round-Up"
2001 For The Birds (No On-Screen Appearance)Performer: "Big High Wire Hop"
2003 Country Music: The Spirit of America Themselves
2003 Duck Dodgers Saloon Robot BandEpisode: "The Wrath of Canasta"
2005 Stanley's Dinosaur Round-Up ThemselvesPerformer: "Stanley Rides Again"
2015Music City U.S.A.Themselves

Books

Related Research Articles

The Sons of the Pioneers are one of the United States' earliest Western singing groups. Known for their vocal performances, their musicianship, and their songwriting, they produced innovative recordings that have inspired many Western music performers and remained popular through the years. Since 1933, through many changes in membership, the Sons of the Pioneers have remained one of the longest-surviving country music vocal groups.

<i>The Cowboy Way</i> (album) 1987 live album by Riders in the Sky

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.

<i>Riders Radio Theater</i> (album) 1988 studio album by Riders in the Sky

Riders Radio Theater is a studio album by the Western band Riders in the Sky based on their radio program Riders Radio Theater. It was released in 1988 and it is available as a single CD.

<i>Weeds & Water</i> 1983 studio album by Riders in the Sky

Weeds and Water is the fourth studio album by the Western band Riders in the Sky, released in 1983. It is available as a single CD. The album features cowboy music standards like "Cool Water," "Tumbling Tumbleweeds" and "Streets of Laredo," along with several originals.

<i>Cowboy Jubilee</i> 1981 studio album 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.

<i>Riders in the Sky, Live</i> 1984 live album by Riders in the Sky

Live is a live recording by the Western band Riders in the Sky released in 1984. It is available as a single CD. It was recorded at the Birchmere in Alexandria, Virginia, on March 5 and 6, 1983.

<i>Cowboy Songs</i> (Riders in the Sky album) 1996 compilation album by Riders in the Sky

Cowboy Songs is a compilation recording released by the Western band Riders in the Sky in 1996. It is available as a single CD.

<i>Yodel the Cowboy Way</i> 1998 compilation album by Riders in the Sky

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.

<i>Woodys Roundup: A Rootin Tootin Collection of Woodys Favorite Songs</i> 2000 studio album by Riders in the Sky

Woody's Roundup: A Rootin' Tootin' Collection of Woody's Favorite Songs is a studio recording released by the Western band Riders in the Sky on August 29, 2000. It was released on Compact Disc.

<i>Monsters, Inc. Scream Factory Favorites</i> 2002 compilation album by Riders in the Sky

Monsters, Inc. Scream Factory Favorites is a studio recording released by the Western band Riders in the Sky on August 27, 2002 on a single CD. The album is produced by Joey Miskulin. It features covers of the songs from the Disney/Pixar film Monsters, Inc., as well as original material. The album won the Grammy Award for Best Musical Album for Children at the Grammy Awards of 2003, making it the second such award for the band itself.

<i>Ridin the Tweetsie Railroad</i> 2002 studio album by Riders in the Sky

Ridin' the Tweetsie Railroad is a studio recording released by the Western band Riders in the Sky in 2002. Created with the cooperation of the Tweetsie Railroad theme park in Blowing Rock, North Carolina the album is a mixture of standard train songs (such as "I've Been Working On The Railroad" and "Casey Jones", and new compositions by the band exclusive to this album, including "Tweetsie Railroad Line", "Ghost Train" and "Tweetsie Junction".

<i>Riders in the Sky Live from the Golden Age of Riders Radio Theater</i> 2006 live album by Riders in the Sky

Live from the Golden Age of Riders Radio Theater is a compilation album by the Western band Riders in the Sky in 2006. The album is a collection of songs featured on the Riders' weekly radio show: Riders Radio Theater. It is available as a single CD.

<i>Best of the West</i> (album) 1987 greatest hits album by Riders in the Sky

Best of the West is a compilation recording by the Western band Riders in the Sky, released in 1987. It is available as a single CD and contains highlights from their first five albums on the Rounder label.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Douglas B. Green</span> Musical artist

Douglas Bruce Green, better known by his stage name Ranger Doug, is an American musician, arranger, award-winning Western music songwriter, and Grand Ole Opry member best known for his work with Western music and the group Riders in the Sky in which he plays guitar and sings lead and baritone vocals. He is also an exceptionally accomplished yodeler. With the Riders, he is billed as "Ranger Doug — The Idol of American Youth" and "Governor of the Great State of Rhythm". He is also a member of The Time Jumpers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fred LaBour</span> American singer-songwriter

Frederick Owen LaBour, better known by his stage name Too Slim, is a Grammy award-winning American musician, best known for his work with the Western swing musical and comedy group Riders in the Sky.

<i>Silver Jubilee</i> (Riders in the Sky album) 2003 compilation album by Riders in the Sky

Silver Jubilee is a compilation recording released by the Western band Riders in the Sky in 2003.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Woody Paul</span> Musical artist

Paul Woodrow Chrisman, better known by his stage name Woody Paul, is an American singer, fiddler, and composer, best known for his work with the Western swing musical and comedy group Riders in the Sky. With the Riders, he is billed as "Woody Paul — King of the Cowboy Fiddlers". He was inducted into the National Fiddler Hall of Fame in 2012 and is "known in the music industry for being proficient and innovative across many musical genres including western, jazz, bluegrass, old-time, and Celtic." He has won two Grammy Awards with his band.

<i>Riders in the Sky "Lassoed Live" at the Schermerhorn with the Nashville Symphony</i> 2009 live album by Riders in the Sky

Riders in the Sky "Lassoed Live" at the Schermerhorn with the Nashville Symphony is a 2009 live album, the highlights of a 3-night concert series recorded by Riders in the Sky in conjunction with the Nashville Symphony Orchestra.

Riders Radio Theater was an ongoing radio show performed live by the Western band Riders in the Sky. The series was initially recorded in at the Johnson Theater at the Tennessee Performing Arts Center in Nashville, with WPLN-FM as the presenting station, but moved to Cincinnati, Ohio. These half-hour radio shows can be heard on Tuesdays at 11am (EST) on WMKV 89.3 FM, out of the Cincinnati, Ohio area and on Wednesday Nights at 7:00 PM (CST) on KPMI 1300 AM, out of the Bemidji, Minnesota area. It has recently been picked up by Bluegrass Country Radio on Tuesdays midnight to 1:00am and Fridays 9 until 10:00pm. page It can also be heard on the official Riders In The Sky iTunes page and SoundCloud for free at any time.

<i>Tumbleweed Theater</i> American TV series or program

Tumbleweed Theater is an American anthology television series starring western/comedy band Riders in the Sky which ran from 1983 to 1988. The premise of the show was each week, the Riders would present a B-Western/Singing Cowboy movie from the 1930s and 40s and perform songs and sketches between the film.

References

  1. Show 189 of the WoodSongs Old-Time Radio Hour. The answer to when they first began performing is November 11, 1977 (given 19 minutes into the video). Video includes conversation and performance; taped January 7, 2002. Audio also available at this archive page. Archived March 20, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
  2. "Riders Pandemic Word from the Back of the Herd".