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Singing cowboy
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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 the 1940s. 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 challengers, hardships and dangers encountered while pushing cattle for miles up the trails that headed north.
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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 the 1940s. 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 challengers, hardships and dangers encountered while pushing cattle for miles up the trails that headed north. 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, Michael Martin Murphy 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 representant of the genre to perform on a nationally broadcast radio show, but the full popularity of the singing cowboys wasn't reached until the spread of sound films.
John Wayne
John Wayne was the screen's first singing cowboy. Wayne appeared as "Singin' Sandy Saunders" in Riders of Destiny (1933) but it wasn't an ideal fit since Wayne's singing voice was dubbed, making the obligatory personal appearances a continuous embarrassment for the 26-year-old actor. 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.
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. 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. When John Wayne, the first singing cowboy, begged off because his singing had to be dubbed, the studio looked for a replacement and decided on Autry, a choice so successful that, at the time of his death in 1998, Autry was still on the top 10 list of Hollywood box office moneymakers. 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 a contemporary Western setting, rather than the 19th Century "Wild West" era that allowed the stars to appear in modern clothing alongside motorcars, aeroplanes and telephones. In The Phantom Empire Autry spends time singing on the radio as well as battling a race of robots who live beneath the Earth.
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 (they never appeared together again on film).
Into the sunset
Other notable actors who became famous as singing cowboys were Jimmy Wakely, Tex Ritter, 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. Singing cowgirl Dorothy Page made three films for Grand National Pictures, the studio of Tex Ritter. With the fame of Rose Marie (operetta) and singing cowboy films, a series of films with actor singer James Newill playing a singing Mountie Renfrew of the Royal Mounted were released between 1937-1940. Non-singing cowboy actors such as Buck Jones 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. Also the Pixar film Toy Story 2.
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