How did singing cowboys migrate from cattle drives to the silver screen?
For lots of people — especially Southern Californians — the nickname “The Singing Cowboy” conjures memories of and nostalgia for Gene Autry.
But while Autry left an indelible mark on SoCal with his film career (and patronage of L.A.’s Autry Museum of the American West), this second-generation Texan wasn’t the only celluloid cowboy of song.
Nor was he the first.
Born in 1907 as Orvon Grover Autry, the star of recordings, radio, stage and screen essentially replaced John Wayne as Republic Pictures’ singing cowboy in a starring role.
