The Singing Cowboy
The music career of Tioga, Texas native Orvon Grover “Gene” Autry (Sept. 29, 1907-Oct. 2, 1998) began in the late 1920s. Allegedly, the humorist Will Rogers heard Autry singing on the job and suggested he ditch his telegrapher gig for showbiz.
He started as a star for a Tulsa radio station before signing with Columbia Records in 1929. Autry’s deal came a year after getting turned down by Victor following an audition in New York.
After dabbling in “hillbilly” music with Jimmy Long and other collaborators in major radio markets like Chicago, Autry found chart success in 1932 with one of his best-known co-writes and the first-ever certified gold record, “That Silver-Haired Daddy of Mine.” Across his career, Autry had a hand in writing around 300 songs. He also covered a lot of Western standards like “Tumbling Tumbleweeds,” “Take Me Back to My Boots and Saddle,” “Red River Valley” and “Back in the Saddle Again” for his records and films. His crooner-quality vocal delivery also made for great covers of “You Are My Sunshine,” “Have I Told You Lately That I Love You?” and other popular standards.
