Song Of The Day #057

One of the originators of commercial western music was the Sons Of The Pioneers. The group was formed in 1933 and they signed a recording contract with Decca in 1934. The group at that time was Leonard Slye (Roy Rogers), Bob Nolan, Tim Spencer and Hugh Farr (they later added Hugh Farr's brother Karl). Slye, Nolan & Spencer handled vocals and Slye played rhythm guitar, Nolan standup Bass and Farr the fiddle.

I once heard Rogers interviewed on the radio and I remember two stories from it.

Rogers said Nolan was scheduled for an audition and when Rogers opened the door Nolan was standing there barefooted with his shoes in his hand. Nolan had a job as a lifeguard and didn't wear shoes very often, but he had bought a new pair for the audition. He also didn't have enough money to pay for all of the bus ride to the audition site. Nolan rode the bus as far as his money would take him and then had to walk the rest of the way. The new shoes were killing his feet and he had to remove them. That's why he was standing there all dressed up for the audition, but barefooted with his shoes in his hand.

Rogers also said that at a low point in their career they found themselves completely broke and stuck in Roswell, NM. They played on the local radio station and soon learned that if they mentioned their favorite food on the program, the local folks would make sure they got some by delivering it to the radio station.

I guess we can thank the good folks in Chavez County for not letting the boys starve out early in their career.

Today's selection on the Radio Ranch is their 1934 recording Hold Them Down. It can be found on their 5 CD collection Songs of the Prairie.