The Singing Cowboy

By Kathleen E. Kovach

Americans love their cowboys. They've romanticized them in books, movies, and music. From Zane Grey's book Riders of the Purple Sage to the most recent cinematic offerings, cowboys have earned their place in American folklore. 

The cowboy began in Mexico after the

Spanish arrived in 1519. The vaquero ruled the range and was a master roper and rider. By the 1800s, (particularly after the Mexican/American war,) the American cowboy began to replace the Hispanic and Native American vaqueros. Thus, was born a lifestyle that our nation would obsess about for centuries.

However, these rugged men of the saddle, able to withstand pounding rain, angry rattlers, and ugly rustlers are not this article's focus.

Nope! I wish to talk about the Singing Cowboy. The 1930s version with their squeaky-clean snap up shirts and their oversize guitars.

Movie magnate Herbert John Yates first saw the potential of cowpokes with guitars and bought up several small independent production companies to form Republic Pictures. This studio went on to make 956 feature films and 849 serial chapters from 1935 to 1959.

Ken Maynard established himself as the first singing cowboy in 1930 when he sang two songs in Sons of the Saddle. Bob Steele then began a series for a different studio in that same year. John Wayne followed with a grittier version as Singin' Sandy Saunders in Riders of Destiny. However, his voice had to be dubbed and it is said that this role was a continu

ous embarrassment to him when he would have requests to sing in public. Thankfully for us, the Duke went on to mold his career into the one we most love today.

Gene Autry, an already established singer, took over the reins from John Wayne and galloped his way into Singing Cowboy history, appearing in 93 films from 1934 to 1953. He made a near fatal (to his career) mistake, however, when he walked away from the studio demanding to make more of the profits. This left a gaping hole in the industry that a young newcomer, Roy Rogers, was quick to fill. The best part about Rogers was that he could sing as well as ride a horse, the latter being a skill for which Autrey had to take lessons. Rogers notched 100 film credits to his belt and earned himself the moniker, "King of the Cowboys."

A few more actors hopped on the bandwagon, Tex Ritter the most notable after his debut in 1936. He went on to record "Do Not Forsake Me Oh My Darlin'" which was the title-track song for High Noon (1952) that won an Academy Award for Best Music, Original Song for 1953.

In all, there were nearly two dozen singing cowboys in cinematic history from 1930 through the mid-1950s. These included James Newill, who portrayed a Canadian Mountie, and a woman, Dorothy Page. 

The Singing Cowboy of the silver screen eventually faded and the two rivals, Gene Autry and Roy Rogers took their horses and guitars to the small screen, singing their way into America's heart via television.

I think it's worthy to note what is going on in U.S. history during the Singing Cowboy heyday. The stock market had just crashed in 1929, the dust bowl ravaged a large portion of the country, and prohibition ruled the land. I believe America needed the optimistic fringe-wearing cowboy to escape from reality, just as she would later need the swinging sounds of Glenn Miller and his contemporaries to soothe their pain during WWII.

I hope to have given a proper tribute to the Singing Cowboy, here and in my novella, "Riders of the Painted Star." My own experience of this genre of movies comes from my father who watched westerns every Saturday when he was home (he was a long-haul truck driver) and later from my husband who wore cowboy boots when we met. I hope you, also, had fun reliving the Singing Cowboy era with me, and leave whistling "Don't Fence Me In."

MISSAdventure Brides Romance Collection

Seven daring damsels don’t let the norms of their eras hold them back. Along the way these women attract the attention of men who admire their bravery and determination, but will they let love grow out of the adventures?

--Includes RIDERS OF THE PAINTED STAR by Kathleen E. Kovach.
1936 Arizona. Zadie Fitzpatrick, an artist from New York, is commissioned to go on location in Arizona to paint illustrations for an author of western novels and falls for the male model.

I'm very pleased to be included in the lineup on the Heroes, Heroines, and History blog. I replace the prolific Stephanie Grace Whitson and wish her well in her future endeavors. -Kathy

Kathleen E. Kovach is a Christian romance author published traditionally through Barbour Publishing, Inc. as well as indie. Kathleen and her husband Jim raised two sons while living the nomadic lifestyle for over twenty years in the Air Force. Now planted in northeast Colorado she's a grandmother, though much too young for that. Kathleen is a longstanding member of American Christian Fiction Writers. An award-winning author, she presents spiritual truths with a giggle, proving herself as one of God's peculiar people.




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Cowboy Clothes That Made The Cowboy

Nobby Snakeskin Boot

 Anyone remember the words to the old cowboy song, “Streets of Laredo?” One of the verses stated, “I see by your outfit that you are a cowboy.” First published in 1910 and also known as “The Cowboy’s Lament”, it was sung around campfires and on the trail for many years before that.

For the old-time cowboys, clothes defined who a man was. For himself and for others. Working cowboys tended to wear long sleeve shirts, usually some faded and stained shade of white, with the collar buttoned. This kept the dirt out when they rode down the trail or behind a herd of slow moving cows. White buttoned shirts, an old beat-up Stetson, and often yellow cigarette stains on the fingers became the norm. 

Most old trail and ranch cowboys were also crippled up a bit, had lost a few teeth and a lot of memory too. However, they never lost their cowboy pride. Or forgot a friend, a horse, or a pretty girl. That was considered the cowboy way.

They had a word for fine, expensive clothes and especially boots. That word was ‘nobby.’ Severe pointed toe nobby cowboy boots didn’t gain much popularity until after WWII. Then they were used only on dress-up occasions. Or by wanna-be cowboys trying to impress.

In the 1950s, the most nobby cowboy clothes could be found at a store called

Nudie's Store Poster

Nudie’s in North Hollywood. Nudie suits were flamboyant cowboy outfits that country-western singers first began to wear, inspired by the singing cowboys in the movies. Rhinestones, bright colors, and intricate embroidery were all hallmarks of a custom-made Nudie suit.

Nudie suits were named after the man who made them -- Nudie Cohn, a North Hollywood tailor who became the go-to clothier for country-western stars. Elvis Presley’s gold lame tuxedo had one of the biggest price tags of any Nudie suit: $10,000. It appeared on the cover of Elvis' 1959 album 50,000,000 Elvis Fans Can't Be Wrong. Hank William's most iconic outfit was a white Nudie suit with musical notes stitched along the sleeves.

Elvis Presley Gold Lame Nudie's Suit

Nudie’s business boomed in the flush years after World War II, when people weren’t afraid to flaunt their wealth. Superstars like Bob Dylan, Cher, David Byrne, John Wayne, and John Lennon all loved his wild outfits—the gaudier, the better. Nudie's closed down in 1994.

My late husband Stephen Bly bought a cowboy hat at Nudie’s in 1979. A plain, beaver felt, XXX, dark brown Resistol to which he added a horsehair hatband “wore well” for him.  With a 7 7/8 hat size, it was tough to find one that fit.

You can tell a lot by how a man puts down his cowboy hat. Crown down, he’s the real deal. Brim down, he’s faking it. And if he tosses his hat on the bed, he’s never competed in a rodeo. That’s for sure and certain, some say. Or it could depend on the region you’re from, the lifestyle conditions, and the season of the year.

Stetson Cowboy Hat

Here’s nine general Cowboy Hat Etiquette Rules:

1. Don’t mess with a cowboy’s hat. Never touch without permission.

2. Never wear a cowboy hat backwards.

3. Wear felt hats between Labor Day and May and straw otherwise, depending on the weather.

4. Never handle your hat in such a way that flexes or bends the brim or crown.

5. When traveling with an expensive cowboy hat, pack in a hatbox with handles. With less expensive hats, either carry them by hand or protect with a plastic bag.

6. Take the hat off when entering a building or sitting at a table for a meal--unless there’s no place to safely lay it down.

8. Keep a hat on when eating at a counter or out on the range.

9. Touch the brim of a cowboy hat by moving the hand away from the holster to signal a greeting of friendly intentions.

Cowboy For A Rainy Afternoon

As a rule, to ask a man what outfit he rode for was common courtesy in cowboy country. However, in the scene below in the 1950's from Cowboy For A Rainy Afternoon, it was a derogatory remark to indicate they knew this stranger never worked on a ranch. In this case, the clothes didn’t fool them.

The bent brass bell tinkled when the oak and smudged glass front door of the Matador Hotel swung open. A weak-eyed man with pointed toe cowboy boots and a wide brimmed, rain streaked white Stetson sauntered across the lobby to the registration counter. Quirt Payton reached for the grip of his old single action army revolver. I had to lean forward to peer around the large plaster pillar that blocked my view. All six cowboys fixed their eyes on the intruder. Coosie Harte coughed into his bandanna and called out, “What outfit you ride for, son?” ... When the man shoved his hat back, his ears pushed out and there was no tan line on his forehead.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Janet Chester Bly

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Janet Chester Bly has written and co-written 32 books with her late husband, award-winning western author Stephen Bly. She and her three sons completed Stephen’s last historical novel for him, Stuart Brannon’s Final Shot. Read about the story here: http://www.blybooks.com/category/finishing-dads-novel/.

Recent release Wind in theWires, Book 1, Trails of Reba Cahill, is her first solo adult novel. It’s a contemporary western mystery. It’s a road adventure with a touch of romance. It’s Cowgirl Lit.

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