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.
Ridin
Gene Autry Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A picture, that no artist ever could paint
White faced cattle lowin' on the mountain side
I hear a coyote whinin' for its mate
Cactus plants are bloomin', sagebrush every where
Granite spires are standin' all around
I tell you folks it's Heaven, to be ridin' down the trail
When evening chores are over at our ranch house on the plain
And all I've got to do is lay around
I saddle up, my pony and I ride off down the trail
To watch the desert sun go down
Ridin' down the canyon, to watch the sun go down
A picture that no artist ever could paint
White faced cattle lowin' on the mountain side
I hear a coyote whinin' for its mate
Cactus plants are bloomin', sagebrush every where
Granite spires are standin' all around
I tell you folks it's Heaven, to be ridin' down the trail
When the desert sun goes down
Cactus plants are bloomin', sagebrush every where
Granite spires are standin' all around
I tell you folks it's Heaven, to be ridin' down the trail
When the desert sun goes down
The lyrics to Gene Autry's song "Ridin' Down the Canyon" describe the beauty of the American Southwest landscape as the sun sets. The journey begins with the singer riding down the canyon, watching the sun go down, and admiring the picturesque scenery that no artist could ever paint. The beauty of nature is further emphasized as the singer hears the lowing of white-faced cattle on the mountain side and a coyote whining for its mate. The cactus plants and sagebrush are in full bloom, and the granite spires are standing tall around them. The singer tries to explain to the listeners how it feels to be riding down the trail when the desert sun goes down, and he says that it's heaven.
The second verse describes the routine of the singer's day. When evening chores are over, he gets on his pony and rides off down the trail to watch the desert sun go down. The same scenery is described in the description of the evening ride, with cactus plants and sagebrush everywhere and granite spires all around. The feeling of being in heaven is reiterated as the singer describes how it feels to ride down the trail at this time of day.
The song is a celebration of the beauty of the American Southwest and the feelings of peace and contentment that come from being in nature at sunset. The lyrics paint a vivid picture of the landscape and the emotions it evokes in the singer.
Line by Line Meaning
Ridin' down the canyon, to watch the sun go down
I am traveling on horseback through the canyon to witness the sunset.
A picture, that no artist ever could paint
The beautiful view is irreplaceable, no painter can recreate it.
White faced cattle lowin' on the mountain side
I see cattle with pale faces grazing on the hillside.
I hear a coyote whinin' for its mate
I can hear a coyote crying for its partner.
Cactus plants are bloomin', sagebrush every where
I see blooming cactus plants and sagebrush spread throughout the area.
Granite spires are standin' all around
Tall, pointed rocks made of granite are visible in every direction.
I tell you folks it's Heaven, to be ridin' down the trail
This experience is pure joy, it feels like I'm in heaven.
When the desert sun goes down
This is all happening as the sun sets over the desert.
When evening chores are over at our ranch house on the plain
When the work for the night is done at our ranch on the flat plain.
And all I've got to do is lay around
I have no particular task to attend to after my work.
I saddle up, my pony and I ride off down the trail
I prepare my horse and myself to ride off on the trail.
To watch the desert sun go down
My goal is to enjoy the sunset of the desert.
Cactus plants are bloomin', sagebrush every where
I'm trekking through a terrain filled with blooming cactuses and sagebrush.
Granite spires are standin' all around
Tall, pointed rocks made of granite are visible in every direction.
I tell you folks it's Heaven, to be ridin' down the trail
This experience is pure joy, it feels like I'm in heaven.
When the desert sun goes down
This is all happening as the sun sets over the desert.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: GENE AUTRY, SMILEY BURNETTE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
jayham1970
I do not know how many songs that Smiley Burnett wrote, but for some reason this one is my favorite and always brings a tear to my eye.
John Jurkewicz
I love listening to Great songs like is
Bobby O'Williams
Our uncle Linford had his natural ability with horses handed down to him via native blood in him and Linford was the horse trader. Clippity clop of horse hoofs keeping rhythm in this short little ditty is relaxing. Three times Gail tried to get Gene's gun and three times Gene spurred the horse, LOL.
Robin Conkel-hAnnan
Celts also had a great way with horses.. That's why so many Irishrnen were brought over to care for the horses..
Robin Conkel-hAnnan
Read what I posted above..
Deborah Dyess
Good movie great cast smiley brunette wrote this song for gene
Robin Conkel-hAnnan
Things sure have changed..Nowadays, folks would be clamoring to have cowboys fired for wearing spurs let alone using them.. They were part of a cowboys costume now they're only seen as a weapon of torture.. I doubt that men like Gene would have used them even then..
Warren O'Leary
Gail probably wanted to steal Gene's jeans for herself to wear which would enable her to ride faster than her feminine split skirt she was wearing.