From the Vault...

01/20/2008
#1082

info
Gene Autry
"Sing Cowboy Sing"


© Rhino Records

Year of Release: 1997
Rating:

track listing
Disc One:
  • Back In The Saddle Again
  • Dust
  • Sing Me A Song
    Of The Saddle
  • Tumbling Tumbleweeds
  • The One Rose
    (That's Left
    In My Heart)
  • That Silver Haired Daddy
    Of Mine
  • Rhythm Of The Range
  • Blueberry Hill
  • El Rancho Grande
  • Mellow Mountain Moon
  • We Never Dream
    The Same Dream
    Twice
  • When You And I
    Were Young
    Maggie
  • Maria Elena
  • Be Honest With Me
  • Tears On My Pillow
  • The Yellow Rose
    Of Texas
  • Lonely River
  • Tweedle O'Twill
  • At Mail Call Today
  • Don't Live A Lie
  • Don't Hang Around Me
    Anymore
  • I'll Be Back
  • Silver Spurs On
    The Golden Stars
  • I Wish I Had
    Never Met
    Sunshine
  • You Only Want Me
    When You're Lonely
  • You're Not My
    Darlin' Anymore
  • Oklahoma Hills
    Disc Two:
  • Sioux City Sue
  • Someday
    (You'll Want Me
    To Want You)
  • Gonna Build A Fence
    Around Texas
  • The Old Lamplighter
  • San Fernando Valley
  • I'm A Fool To Care
  • Goodbye Little Darlin'
    Goodbye
  • You Can't See The Sun
    When You're Crying
  • I Tipped My Hat
    (And Slowly Rode
    Away)
  • The Angel Song
  • One Hundred And
    Sixty Acres
  • At Sundown
  • It Happened In Monterey
  • It Makes No
    Difference Now
  • The Singing Hills
  • You Laughed And I Cried
  • Pretty Mary
  • Mexicali Rose
  • Wave To Me My Lady
  • Let The Rest Of
    The World Go By
  • Honey I'm In Love
    With You
    (The Honey Song)
  • Ole Faithful
  • Here Comes Santa Claus
  • You Are My Sunshine
  • Buttons And Bows
  • Blue Eyes Crying
    In The Rain
  • Shame On You
  • While The Angelus
    Was Ringing
  • Under Fiesta Stars
    Disc Three:
  • Rudolph The
    Red-Nosed
    Reindeer
  • Mule Train
  • Dear Hearts And
    Gentle People
  • Chattanoogie Shoe
    Shine Boy
  • Peter Cottontail
  • Gone Fishin'
  • Teardrops From My Eyes
  • (I Got Spurs That)
    Jingle Jangle Jingle
  • South Of The Border
  • The Last Roundup
  • Don't Fence Me In
  • Ridin' Down The Canyon
  • (I Was) Just Walking
    Out The Door
  • You're The Only Star
    In My Blue Heaven
  • The Night Before
    Christmas Song
  • Look Out The Window
  • Frosty The Snowman
  • Somebody Bigger
    Than You And I
  • Have I Told You
    Lately That
    I Love You
  • I'm Thinking Tonight
    Of My Blue Eyes
  • Your Cheatin' Heart
  • I Hang My Head
    And Cry
  • It's My Lazy Day
  • You're The Only
    Good Thing
    (That's Happened
    To Me)
  • Harbor Lights
  • The Leaf Of Love
  • You've Got To Take The
    Bitter With
    The Sweet
  • Back In The
    Saddle Again
    (Closing Theme)

  • WSVNRadio Archives
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    Gene Autry related sites:
    Gene Autry Website
    Wikipedia
    Previous Review: #1081
    Josh Groban--Noel
    Next Review: #1083
    Huey Lewis & The News--Small World
    Gene Autry
    "Sing Cowboy Sing"



    Gene Autry has always been the true cowboy. Known as "The Singing Cowboy," his music has always been widely appreciated, including many popular songs, most Christmas songs. "Back In The Saddle Again" would be his theme song, but it was his Christmas tunes that I best remember Gene Autry for.


    The box set Sing Cowboy Sing: The Gene Autry Collection captures 3 discs of recordings from Autry's radio show "Melody Ranch," from 1940 to 1956. It's interesting to listen to these recordings, as Autry would talk briefly before many songs on this box set, as if you were listening to a radio show of Gene and his music. Such in the case of "Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer" -- Originally it reached #1 in 1950, but researching albums containing this song by Autry, it would released after 1950, and in most cases, different versions. It seemed that the version of "Rudolph" was in its original form, as if hearing this song for the first time in 1950, and seeing/hearing this "original" song reach the top spot of the charts. (This would be the same for Bing Crosby's "White Christmas.")


    Disc One contains songs that would be covered by other artists, including Country and what would be the future of music, Rock n Roll. "Tumbling Tumbleweeds" was covered by many country artists, "Blueberry Hill" would be more famous in Rock n Roll by Fats Domino, "Maria Elena" was a #1 hit in the 1940s for Jimmy Dorsey. "The Yellow Rose of Texas" would be one of the beginning songs to reach the number one spot in the first year of Rock n Roll by Mitch Miller.


    Typical Country and Western titles brings out the sad, depressing thoughts, with titles such as "I Wish I Had Never Met Sunshine," "You Only Want Me When You're Lonely," and "You're Not My Darlin' Anymore."


    Disc Two standouts are "The Old Lamplighter," a song that would reach number one by Sammy Kaye, and another #1 song would surface for Dinah Shore's Buttons And Bows" (1948). "Mexicali Rose" was a song I remember, sung by another artist of which I cannot remember at the time of this writing. This disc would also feature the first of Autry's popular Christmas tunes, "Here Comes Santa Claus," and an interesting song is "Blue Eyes Crying In The Rain," a song that would be popular in the 1970s by a future Country legend Willie Nelson.


    Disc Three begins with Autry's most popular and Christmas favorite, "Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer." Originally recorded in 1950, this version has Autry talking at the beginning of this song, something we are not familiar with, as another version of this song by him would be best remembered. "Mule Train" would become a #1 Pop hit by Frankie Laine in the late 1940s, "Chattanoogie Shoe Shine Boy" would be a #1 Country hit for Red Foley in the early 1950s. Another holiday favorite is the Easter tune "Peter Cottontail." "Gone Fishin'" is on this box set, as this song was more famous by the duo of Bing Crosby & Louis Armstrong. "Jingle Jangle Jingle" would reach the top spot on the Pop chart by Kay Kyser in 1942. "South Of The Border," another song that would be popular at #1 on the Pop chart in 1940 by the Shep Fields Orchestra. Bing Crosby & The Andrews Sisters would reach #1 in 1944, with "Don't Fence Me In." The Christmas classic "Here Comes Santa Claus" is here, and another #1 (by other artist) -- "Harbor Lights" (Sammy Kaye; 1950, Pop). Hank Williams Sr. would record "Your Cheatin' Heart" and be more recognized by his version. In later decades, Rod Stewart would record "Have I Told You Lately That I Love You." All in all, Gene Autry recorded his versions of all these songs mentioned on this box set.


    A wonderful look at how music isn't recorded today, Gene Autry's box set Sing Cowboy Sing is a great collection of songs from his Melody Ranch radio transcripts. The talk segments before various songs are a treat, and shows how recording live on his radio shows gives each song a special spark. Gene Autry was admired by all, and a great performer to represent the Country Hall of Fame. Gene Autry left us in 1998, but he has left behind a legacy of Country music to be admired for many generations to come. He was also a very successful businessman, owning a record company label, a professional baseball team, and radio stations. Sing Cowboy Sing -- Gene Autry sings and more, as this box set will truly be enjoyed by all fans of Country music, both old, young, and future.


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    Previous Review: #1081
    Josh Groban--Noel
    Next Review: #1083
    Huey Lewis & The News--Small World