As long as this book
is all about the band and me, I'd like to tell you in my own words of a
particular phase of our story that I think has been an important step forward
in the development of the organization as an entertainment unit.
From all indications
-- record sales, requests on one-nighters, fan mail, etc. -- we are
establishing an ever-expanding reputations for recording and presenting good
western ballads.
Our actual effort in
that direction started a little over a year ago, when we waxed our first
cowboy ballad, "BLUE SHADOWS ON THE TRAIL," followed by "COOL WATER" and
"COLUMBUS STOCKADE BLUES." Public reaction was quick and gratifying. The
over-all request was for more. We answered it, as you know, with our biggest
western seller, "RIDERS IN THE SKY," backed by "SINGLE SADDLE." We've since
added to the list, "SOMEDAY," another top seller, "MULE TRAIN" and "SINGING MY
WAY BACK HOME," the last two from the score of my first Republic western film,
"Singing Guns."
Here's the pitch. Many
fans have gotten the idea that my film debut in a western role, and our
concentration on western tunes just "happened." On the contrary -- our whole
trend in this direction is the long-awaited result of a hunch I had two years
ago. The big hunch was the realization that there was a lot of really good
western music around that wasn't getting the play it deserved. I have always
felt a personal closeness to this type of ballad, and I was sure that the band
and I could really do a job on it.
I had to convince a
few people first, however. RCA-Victor, while realizing the great demand
western music had created for itself in the past few years, reasoned that I
was a popular artist, and that no fan of mine would accept me in the role of a
western balladeer. Time, and frequent discussions on the subject finally won
the day. We started recording our current catalogue of Americana.
Once the records were
under way, I began to press the next step. Since the public was willing to
accept me in records in the western vein, why not do the same in pictures. We
kicked this one around for a while and finally decided that if the right
material could be found we would go ahead with it. It wasn't long before we
came across Max Brand's famous novel "Singing Guns," and arrangements were
immediately made to shoot the picture in "Trucolor" at the Republic Studios in
Hollywood. A wonderful cast was assembled to co-star with me, including Walter
Brennan, Ella Raines and Ward Bond.
I have fond memories
of my experiences on location; we shot part of the picture at Sedona, Arizona,
and the rest in Hollywood. First, my part called for me to impersonate an
outlaw, so they plastered a healthy layer of beard and whiskers on my face.
Then they added chappes, guns and a western hat. Next -- a horse named Banner.
Now I wouldn't say I'm exactly a stranger to a saddle, having redden all my
life, but Banner had a way with him. His own. On my first day on location, I
found it a bit difficult to mesh lines, cues and signals to my frisky friend.
That particular day ended with me nursing a slashed wrist, when Banner reared
and jarred a hatchet fastened to the saddle, which narrowly missed a tendon.
Over and above this
and some 80 miles on horseback, I took on five fist fights, rescued trapped
miners from a blazing shaft and had two narrow escapes in gun duels. I still
say I wouldn't have missed any of it for the world. I hope to be able to make
a couple of pictures a year from now on. After a string of 200 one-nighters,
making a western is -- how shall we put it -- mere horseplay.
Seriously -- I'm
deeply grateful to all of you for helping to make my hunch a reality. Your
enthusiastic reception of our RCA-Victor western recordings stands four-square
in back of it. You made it possible for me to make my first western starrer.
And your continued call for more western music by myself and the band is going
to make it possible for us to keep on bringing you the best in American folk
music. Thanks, from all of us.
photo submitted by Jack Roden
