Born in Tioga, Texas, Autry was raised in Texas and Oklahoma. Discovered by humorist Will Rogers, in 1929 Autry was billed as "Oklahoma's Yodeling Cowboy" at KVOO in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He gained a popular following, a recording contract with Columbia Records in 1929, and soon after, performed on the "National Barn Dance" for radio station WLS in Chicago. Autry first appeared on screen in 1934 and up to 1953 popularized the musical Western and starred in 93 feature films. In 1940 theater exhibitors of America voted Autry the fourth biggest box office attraction, behind Mickey Rooney, Clark Gable, and Spencer Tracy.
While best known today as the singer of such holiday fare as Here Comes Santa Claus (Right Down Santa Claus Lane), Frosty The Snowman, Peter Cottontail, and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, the second all-time best selling Christmas single of all time, Autry made 640 recordings, including more than 300 songs written or co-written by him. His records are reputed to have sold more than 100 million copies. His recording of That Silver-Haired Daddy Of Mine is reputed to have sold more than 5 million copies. Autry's other significant recordings include:
* You Are My Sunshine (1931)
* A Face I See at Evening (1931)
* The Last Roundup (1933)
* Cowboy's Heaven (1934)
* South of the Border (1934)
* Tumbling Tumbleweeds (1935)
* Mexicali Rose (1935)
* Take Me Back to My Boots and Saddle (1935)
* Gold Mine in the Sky (1937)
* Back in the Saddle Again (1939)
* Blueberry Hill (1941)
* Be Honest With Me (1946)
* Ghost Riders in the Sky (1949)
* Nobody's Darlin' but Mine (1957)
From 1940 to 1956 Autry hosted the weekly Melody Ranch radio show over the CBS Radio Network, featuring Autry's trademark theme song Back In The Saddle Again. In addition, Autry's popularity was apparent during his personal appearance tours. Claimed to have been the first performer to sell out Madison Square Garden, his concert and rodeo appearances throughout the United States and Europe served as a model for other performers. Autry often did two shows a day, seven days a week, for 65 to 85 days at a stretch.
In 1950, Autry became one of the first major movie stars to turn to television. For the next five years he produced and starred in 91 half-hour episodes of The Gene Autry Show for CBS Television. This success lead him to produce such popular TV series as Annie Oakley, The Range Rider, Buffalo Bill Jr., The Adventures Of Champion as well as the first 39 episodes of Death Valley Days.
He carried his love for entertaining and sharp business sense into broadcasting, where, under the Golden West Broadcasters banner, he owned a chain of radio and television stations throughout the Western United States, including KMPC and KTLA in Los Angeles and KSFO in San Francisco until the late 1980's. His other business interests included the Gene Autry Hotel in Palm Springs, and several other properties. He ranked for many years on the Forbes magazine list of the 400 richest Americans, before he fell in 1995 to the magazine's "near miss" category with an estimated net worth of $320 million.
Autry's broadcasting interests that led him in 1960 to acquire the then expansion Los Angeles Angels American League baseball franchise (later the California Angels). After his retirement from performing in the mid-1960's, much of Autry's time was spent unsuccessfully attempting to win a World Series' championship for his Angels. When he became the first country musician to get a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, he said that there's "only one day that will be bigger than this one for me, and that's when we win the World Series." Autry was a fixture at Angels' games for the rest of his life.
Autry's long-cherished dream came true with the opening in November 1988 of the Gene Autry Western Heritage Museum, since acclaimed as one of the finest museums on the history and mythology of the West.
Among the many hundreds of honors and awards Autry has received were induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame; the American Academy of Achievement Award, the Los Angeles Area Governor's Emmy from The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences; and the Board of Directors Lifetime Achievement Award from the International Achievement in Arts Foundation. Autry was also inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, The National Cowboy Hall of Fame, the National Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame, and he received The Songwriters Guild Life Achievement Award. He was also honored by his songwriting peers with a lifetime achievement award from ASCAP.
Gene Autry died at his home in Studio City, California on October 2, 1998 at the age of 91.
Girl Of My Dreams
Gene Autry Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Years full of tears and regret;
I've been alone broken hearted,
Trying so hard to forget:
Girl of my dreams I love you, honest I do,
You are so sweet,
If I could just hold your charms again in my arms,
Since you've been gone dear, life don't seem the same,
Please come back again.
And after all's said and done, there's only one,
Girl of my dreams, it's you.
It's strange how life deals you sorrow,
Sunshine and joy always nigh;
We live and learn for tomorrow,
But sometimes the learning comes high:
Girl of my dreams I love you, honest I do,
You are so sweet,
If I could just hold your charms again in my arms,
Then life would be complete;
Since you've been gone dear, life don't seem the same,
Please come back again.
And after all's said and done, there's only one,
Girl of my dreams, it's you.
Girl of my dreams I love you, honest I do,
You are so sweet,
If I could just hold your charms again in my arms,
Then life would be complete;
Since you've been gone dear, life don't seem the same,
Please come back again.
And after all's said and done, there's only one,
Girl of my dreams, it's you.
The lyrics of Gene Autry's song "Girl of My Dreams" revolve around a man who has been separated from his loved one for years, and is desperately longing to be reunited with her. The song begins with the singer expressing how much he has missed the girl of his dreams since they parted ways, and how much he has suffered in the interim. He describes his broken heart and how he has been trying to forget her. He goes on to tell her that she is the only one for him, and he loves her more than anything in the world.
The second verse talks about the ups and downs of life and how despite the sunshine and joy, sorrow is an inevitable part of it. The singer acknowledges that life is a learning curve and sometimes those lessons come at a high cost. However, despite all that, his love for the girl of his dreams remains unchanged, and he still longs for their reunion.
Overall, the song is a classic tale of lost love and the longing to be reunited with one's soulmate. The lyrics are simple yet poignant, and Gene Autry's voice adds a touch of nostalgia to the emotions expressed in the song.
Line by Line Meaning
Dear, it seems years since we parted,
It feels like it has been a very long time since we separated.
Years full of tears and regret;
I have been mourning and feeling remorseful for many years.
I've been alone broken hearted,
I have been by myself with a broken heart.
Trying so hard to forget:
I have been making a great effort to erase memories of you from my mind.
Girl of my dreams I love you, honest I do,
I truly love and adore the girl who is my ideal woman.
You are so sweet,
You are kind and endearing.
If I could just hold your charms again in my arms,
If I could only embrace your attractive qualities in my arms once more,
Then life would be complete;
My life would be fulfilled and satisfied.
Since you've been gone dear, life don't seem the same,
My life has been different in a negative way since you departed.
Please come back again.
I am asking you to return to me.
And after all's said and done, there's only one,
After everything has happened, there is only one person that matters.
Girl of my dreams, it's you.
That person is the girl who is my ideal woman: you.
It's strange how life deals you sorrow,
Life can be unpredictable and sometimes bring sadness.
Sunshine and joy always nigh;
However, there are also times of happiness and warmth.
We live and learn for tomorrow,
We gain knowledge and experience so that we can face the future.
But sometimes the learning comes high:
Sometimes, learning comes at a great cost or price.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: SUNNY CLAPP
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind