Tex Ritter, the son of James Everett Ritter and Martha Elizabeth Matthews grew up on his family's farm in Panola County and attended grade school in Carthage. He then attended South Park High School in Beaumont. After graduating with honors, he entered the University of Texas at Austin; he studied pre-law, majoring in government, political science and economics.
One of the early pioneers of country music, Ritter soon became interested in show business. In 1928, he sang on KPRC Radio in Houston, a thirty-minute show featuring cowboy songs. In that same year, he moved to New York City and quickly landed a job in the men's chorus of the Broadway show The New Moon (1928).
He appeared as "The Cowboy" in the Broadway production Green Grow the Lilacs (1930), which was the basis for the later musical Oklahoma!. He also played the part of Sagebrush Charlie in The Round Up (1932) and Mother Lode (1934).
Ritter also worked on various radio programs. In 1932, he starred on the WOR Radio show The Lone Star Rangers, which was New York's first broadcast western. He sang songs and told tales of the Old West. Ritter wrote and starred in Cowboy Tom's Roundup on WINS Radio in New York in 1933. This daily children's cowboy radio program aired over three stations on the East Coast for three years. These shows marked the beginning of Ritter's popularity in radio, which paved the way for his upcoming singing career. He also performed on the radio show WHN Barndance and sang on NBC Radio.
He appeared in several radio dramas, including CBS's Bobby Benson's Adventures and Death Valley Days.
Ritter began recording for American Record Company (Columbia Records) in 1933. His first released recording was "Goodbye Ole Paint." He also recorded "Rye Whiskey" for that label. In 1935, he signed with Decca Records, where he recorded his first original recordings, "Sam Hall" and "Get Along Little Dogie."
In 1936, he moved to Los Angeles, California. His motion picture debut was in Song Of The Gringo (1936) for Grand National Pictures. He starred in twelve movies for Grand National, "B" grade Westerns, which included Headin' For The Rio Grande (1936), and Trouble In Texas (1937) co-starring Rita Hayworth (then known as Rita Cansino).
After starring in Utah Trail (1938), Ritter left the financially troubled Grand National. Between 1938 and 1945, he starred in around forty "singing cowboy" movies, mostly to critical scorn.
Ritter made four movies with actress Dorothy Fay at Monogram Pictures: Song of the Buckaroo (1938), Sundown on the Prairie (1939), Rollin' Westward (1939) and Rainbow Over the Range (1940).
He recorded a total of twenty-nine songs for Decca, the last being in 1939 in Los Angeles as part of Tex Ritter and His Texans.
Tex helped start United Cerebral Palsy Associations, Inc, after his son, Thomas, was found to have cerebral palsy. Tex, Thomas, and John spent a great deal of time raising money and public awareness to help others with cerebral palsy.
Ritter was the first artist signed with the newly-formed Capitol Records as well as being their first Western singer. His first recording session was on June 11, 1942. His music recording career began what was his most successful period.
He achieved significant success with "Jingle, Jangle, Jingle," and in 1944, he scored another hit with "I'm Wastin' My Tears On You," which hit #1 on the country charts and #11 on the Pop charts. "There's A New Moon Over My Shoulder" was a country charts #2 and Pop charts #21. In 1945, he had the #1, #2 and #3 songs on Billboard's "Most Played Jukebox Folk Records" poll, a first in the industry. Between 1945 and 1946, he registered seven consecutive Top 5 hits, including "You Two Timed Me One Time Too Often," a country #1 written by Jenny Lou Carson, which spent eleven weeks on the charts. In 1948, "Rye Whiskey" and his cover of "Deck Of Cards" both made the Top 10 and "Pecos Bill" reached #15. In 1950, "Daddy's Last Letter (Private First Class John H. McCormick)" also became a hit.
In 1952, Ritter recorded the movie title-track song "High Noon (Do Not Forsake Me Oh My Darlin')", which became a hit. He sang "High Noon" at the first Academy Awards ceremony to be televised in 1953, and he recorded the song a number of times. It received an Oscar for Best Song that year.[1]
Ritter first toured Europe in 1952. In 1953, he began performing on Town Hall Party on radio and television in Los Angeles. He formed Vidor Publications, Inc., a music publishing firm, with Johnny Bond, in 1955. "Remember the Alamo" was the first song in the catalog.
In 1957, he released his first LP album, Songs From the Western Screen. He starred in his own television music series, Ranch Party, televised for four years, starting in 1959.
Even after the peak of his performing career, Ritter would be recognized for his contributions to country and western music and for his artistic versatility. He became one of the founding members of the Country Music Association in Nashville, Tennessee. In 1964, he became the fifth person and first singing cowboy to be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. He moved to Nashville in 1965 and began working for WSM Radio and the Grand Ole Opry. He also received a lifetime membership to the Opry. His family remained in California temporarily so that son John could finish high school there. For a time, Dorothy was an official greeter at the Opry. During this period, Ritter co-hosted a late night radio program with famed country disc jockey Ralph Emery.
In 1970, Ritter surprised many people by entering the Republican primary for United States Senate. Despite high name recognition, he lost overwhelmingly to Chattanooga, Tennessee Congressman Bill Brock, who then went on to win the general election.
Cool Water
Tex Ritter Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Without the taste of water, cool water
Old Dan and I with throats burned dry
And souls that cry for water, cool, clear water
Keep a-movin', Dan, don't you listen to him, Dan
He's a devil not a man
And he spreads the burning sand with water
Where the water's runnin' free
And it's waiting there for you and me
The nights are cool and I'm a fool
Each star's a pool of water, cool water
But with the dawn I'll wake and yawn
And carry on to water, cool, clear, water
The shadows sway and seem to say
Tonight we pray for water, cool, water
And way up there He'll hear our prayer
And show us where there's water, cool, clear, water
Dan's feet are sore he's yearning for
Just one thing more than water, cool, water
Like me I guess he'd like to rest
Where there's no quest for water, cool, clear, water
The song ‘Cool Water’ by Tex Ritter is about the struggles of a cowboy who is crossing the barren lands of the desert with his horse Dan. The cowboy and Dan are thirsty and in desperate need of water as they have been wandering in the wasteland all day. The lyrics of the song highlight their hopes and prayers to find water to quench their thirst. As they travel, they come across a man who misguides them with false information, but the cowboy realizes that he is a devil and not a human. The cowboy and Dan continue to search for water, and finally, they spot a big green tree where water is running free. They are overjoyed and relieved because they have finally found the water they desperately needed.
The song also highlights the cowboy's realization that water is not just a physical need but also a spiritual one. The lyrics mention that the stars in the sky each look like pools of cool water, and the shadows sway and seem to say the words ‘tonight we pray for water cool, water’. It suggests that water is not just a physical need; it is also an essential part of our spiritual well-being.
Line by Line Meaning
All day I've faced the barren waste
Throughout the day, I have encountered dry, unproductive land
Without the taste of water, cool water
There is no hydrating water available for sustenance
Old Dan and I with throats burned dry
My dog and I suffer from parched throats due to dehydration
And souls that cry for water, cool, clear water
Both our minds and bodies desperately crave the refreshing taste of cool water
Keep a-movin', Dan, don't you listen to him, Dan
Dan, my dog, continue walking without being distracted by the voice tempting us with misleading promises of water
He's a devil not a man
The voice is not to be trusted and is more of a harmful force than a helpful one
And he spreads the burning sand with water
The voice is illusory and spreading false hope amidst the hot, dry sand
Dan can you see that big green tree
A large, leafy plant is visible in the distance
Where the water's runnin' free
Water flows freely and abundantly in that direction
And it's waiting there for you and me
Our thirst can be quenched by the available source of water
The nights are cool and I'm a fool
The temperature drops at night, and I feel foolish for not taking advantage of the opportunity to hydrate
Each star's a pool of water, cool water
The stars above seem like sparkling, refreshing pools of water
But with the dawn I'll wake and yawn
As morning approaches, I will awaken and stretch
And carry on to water, cool, clear, water
I will continue my journey in search of pure, cool water
The shadows sway and seem to say
The shapes cast by the moonlight appear to be moving and speaking
Tonight we pray for water, cool, water
We express our longing for water through prayer
And way up there He'll hear our prayer
Our prayer for water will reach the heavens
And show us where there's water, cool, clear, water
We will be guided towards the location of refreshing, pure water
Dan's feet are sore he's yearning for
My dog's paws are hurting from walking, and he also yearns for
Just one thing more than water, cool, water
In addition to water, Dan deeply desires something else
Like me I guess he'd like to rest
Dan and I both wish to stop and rest
Where there's no quest for water, cool, clear, water
We dream of a place where we can finally relax, without worrying about finding water
Lyrics © Kanjian Music, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Bob Nolan
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@David-xd3hw
Sweet! Taste that water.