Web Quotableonline.com Frasescelebres.org Greatbookscollection.org

Image:GeneAutry.jpg|thumb|Gene Autry
Gene Autry (September 29, 1907 – October 2,
1998) was an United States|American performer who
gained fame as The Singing Cowboy on the radio, in
movies and on television.

== Early life ==
Born as Orvon Gene Autry in Tioga, Texas, his
family moved to Ravia, Oklahoma in the 1920s.
After leaving high school in 1925, Autry worked as
a telegrapher for the St. Louis - San Francisco
Railway|St. Louis–San Francisco Railway. 

== Career ==
=== Radio ===
An amateur talent with the guitar and voice led to
his performing at local dances. After an
encouraging chance encounter with Will Rogers, he
began performing on local radio in 1928 as
"Oklahoma's Yodeling Cowboy".

=== Singing ===
He signed a recording deal with Columbia Records
in 1931 in music|1931. He worked in Chicago,
Illinois on the WLS (AM) radio show National Barn
Dance for four years with his own show where he
met singer/songwriter Smiley Burnette. His first
hit was in 1932 in music|1932 with That
Silver-Haired Daddy of Mine, a duet with fellow
railroad man Jimmy Long.

=== In films ===
Discovered by film producer Nat Levine in 1934 in
film|1934, he and Burnette made their film debut
for Mascot Pictures Corp. in In Old Santa Fe as
part of a singing cowboy quartet; his was then
given the starring role by Levine in 1935 in the
12-part serial The Phantom Empire. Shortly
thereafter, Mascot was absorbed by the formation
of Republic Pictures|Republic Pictures Corp. and
Autry went along to make a further 44 films up to
1940, all B-movie|B western movie|westerns in
which he played under his own name, rode his horse
Champion, had Burnette as his regular sidekick and
had many opportunities to sing in each film.  He
became the top Western star at the box-office by
1937, reaching his national peak of popularity
from 1940 to 1942. He was the first of the singing
cowboys, succeeded as the top star by Roy Rogers
when Autry served as a flier with the Air
Transport command during World War II. From 1940
to 1956, Autry also had a weekly radio show on
CBS, Gene Autry's Melody Ranch. Another
money-spinner was his Gene Autry Flying "A" Ranch
Rodeo show which first aired in 1940.

He briefly returned to Republic after the war, to
finish out his contract, which had been suspended
for the duration of his military service and which
he had tried to have declared void after his
discharge.  Thereafter, he formed his own
production company to make westerns under his own
control, which were distributed by Columbia
Pictures, beginning in 1947. He also starred and
produced his own television show on CBS from 1950.
He retired from show business in 1964, having made
almost a hundred films up to 1955 and over 600
records. He was elected to the Country Music Hall
of Fame in 1969 and to the Nashville Songwriters
Hall of Fame in 1970. Post-retirement he invested
widely in real estate, radio and television,
including buying the copyrights from dying
Republic Pictures for the films he had made for
them.

=== As baseball executive ===
In 1960 in sports|1960, when Major League Baseball
announced plans to add an expansion team in Los
Angeles, Autry – who had once declined an
opportunity to play in the minor league
baseball|minor leagues – expressed an
interest in acquiring the radio broadcast rights
to the team's games; baseball executives were so
impressed by his approach that he was persuaded to
become the owner of the franchise rather than
simply its broadcast partner. The team, initially
called the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim|Los
Angeles Angels upon its 1961 in sports|1961 debut,
moved to suburban Anaheim, California|Anaheim in
1966 and became known as the California Angels,
then the Anaheim Angels from 1997 until 2005, when
it became the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. In
1995 in sports|1995 he sold a quarter share of the
team to The Walt Disney Company, and a controlling
interest the following year, with the remaining
share to be transferred after his death. Earlier,
in 1982, he sold television station KTLA (Los
Angeles) for $245 million.

== Personal life ==
In 1932 he married Ina May Spivey (d. 1980), who
was the niece of Jimmy Long. He married Jackie
Autry|Jacqueline Ellam in 1981. He had no
children.

== Legacy ==
In 1972, he was inducted into the Western
Performers Hall of Fame at the National Cowboy &
Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City,
Oklahoma.

His autobiography was published in 1976,
co-written by Mickey Herskowitz; it was titled
Back in the Saddle Again after his 1939 in
music|1939 hit and signature tune. In 1988 he
opened the Gene Autry Western Heritage Museum (now
called the Museum of the American West) in
Griffith Park, Los Angeles, featuring much of his
collection of Western art and memorabilia.
Included for many years on Forbes magazine's list
of the 400 richest Americans, he slipped to their
"near miss" category in 1995 with an estimated net
worth of $320 million.

Gene Autry died of lymphoma at age 91 at his home
in Los Angeles, and is interred in the Forest
Lawn, Hollywood Hills Cemetery in Los Angeles,
California. He was inducted into the Radio Hall of
Fame in 2003. He is also the only person to date
to receive stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for
contributions in all five possible categories: the
motion picture star is located on 6644 Hollywood
Blvd., the radio star is located on 6520 Hollywood
Blvd.,  the recording star is located on 6384
Hollywood Blvd., the TV star is located on 6667
Hollywood Blvd. and the live theatre star is
located on 7000 Hollywood Blvd.  In 2004, the
Starz Entertainment Corporation joined forces with
the Autry estate to restore all of his films,
which have been shown on Starz's Encore Western
Channel on cable television on a regular basis to
date since. 

==Popular songs by Autry==
*"That Silver-Haired Daddy of Mine"
*"The Last Roundup"
*"Cowboy’s Heaven"
*"Tumbling Tumbleweeds"
*"Mexicali Rose"
*"Take Me Back to My Boots and Saddle"
*"Gold Mine in the Sky"
*"South of the Border (Down Mexico Way)"
*"Back in the Saddle Again" (1939 in music|1939)
*"Be Honest With Me"
*"Here Comes Santa Claus" (1947 in music|1947)
*"Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer" (1949 in
music|1949)
*"Peter Cottontail" (1950 in music|1950)
*"Frosty the Snow Man" (1950)

==See also==
*Gene Autry, Oklahoma
*Notable figures in Western films|Other notable
figures in Western films
*List of best-selling music artists

==External links==
*http://www.geneautry.com Gene Autry website
*imdb name|id=0000810|name=Gene Autry
*http://www.countrymusichalloffame.com/inductees/g
ene_autry.html Biographical webpage from the
Country Music Hall of Fame
*http://www.radiohof.org/musicvariety/geneautry.ht
ml Radio Hall of Fame
*http://www.cowboypal.com/gnautob.html
Autobiography extract and photos from Songs Gene
Autry Sings (1942)
*http://www.autrynationalcenter.org/ Autry
National Center
*http://www.museumoftheamericanwest.org/museum/
Museum of the American West

	Web Quotableonline.com Frasescelebres.org Greatbookscollection.org

Gene Autry (September 29, 1907 – October 2,
1998) was an United States|American performer who
gained fame as The Singing Cowboy on the radio, in
movies and on television.

== Early life ==
Born as Orvon Gene Autry in Tioga, Texas, his
family moved to Ravia, Oklahoma in the 1920s.
After leaving high school in 1925, Autry worked as
a telegrapher for the St. Louis - San Francisco
Railway|St. Louis–San Francisco Railway. 

== Career ==
=== Radio ===
An amateur talent with the guitar and voice led to
his performing at local dances. After an
encouraging chance encounter with Will Rogers, he
began performing on local radio in 1928 as
"Oklahoma's Yodeling Cowboy".

=== Singing ===
He signed a recording deal with Columbia Records
in 1931 in music|1931. He worked in Chicago,
Illinois on the WLS (AM) radio show National Barn
Dance for four years with his own show where he
met singer/songwriter Smiley Burnette. His first
hit was in 1932 in music|1932 with That
Silver-Haired Daddy of Mine, a duet with fellow
railroad man Jimmy Long.

=== In films ===
Discovered by film producer Nat Levine in 1934 in
film|1934, he and Burnette made their film debut
for Mascot Pictures Corp. in In Old Santa Fe as
part of a singing cowboy quartet; his was then
given the starring role by Levine in 1935 in the
12-part serial The Phantom Empire. Shortly
thereafter, Mascot was absorbed by the formation
of Republic Pictures|Republic Pictures Corp. and
Autry went along to make a further 44 films up to
1940, all B-movie|B western movie|westerns in
which he played under his own name, rode his horse
Champion, had Burnette as his regular sidekick and
had many opportunities to sing in each film.  He
became the top Western star at the box-office by
1937, reaching his national peak of popularity
from 1940 to 1942. He was the first of the singing
cowboys, succeeded as the top star by Roy Rogers
when Autry served as a flier with the Air
Transport command during World War II. From 1940
to 1956, Autry also had a weekly radio show on
CBS, Gene Autry's Melody Ranch. Another
money-spinner was his Gene Autry Flying "A" Ranch
Rodeo show which first aired in 1940.

He briefly returned to Republic after the war, to
finish out his contract, which had been suspended
for the duration of his military service and which
he had tried to have declared void after his
discharge.  Thereafter, he formed his own
production company to make westerns under his own
control, which were distributed by Columbia
Pictures, beginning in 1947. He also starred and
produced his own television show on CBS from 1950.
He retired from show business in 1964, having made
almost a hundred films up to 1955 and over 600
records. He was elected to the Country Music Hall
of Fame in 1969 and to the Nashville Songwriters
Hall of Fame in 1970. Post-retirement he invested
widely in real estate, radio and television,
including buying the copyrights from dying
Republic Pictures for the films he had made for
them.

=== As baseball executive ===
In 1960 in sports|1960, when Major League Baseball
announced plans to add an expansion team in Los
Angeles, Autry – who had once declined an
opportunity to play in the minor league
baseball|minor leagues – expressed an
interest in acquiring the radio broadcast rights
to the team's games; baseball executives were so
impressed by his approach that he was persuaded to
become the owner of the franchise rather than
simply its broadcast partner. The team, initially
called the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim|Los
Angeles Angels upon its 1961 in sports|1961 debut,
moved to suburban Anaheim, California|Anaheim in
1966 and became known as the California Angels,
then the Anaheim Angels from 1997 until 2005, when
it became the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. In
1995 in sports|1995 he sold a quarter share of the
team to The Walt Disney Company, and a controlling
interest the following year, with the remaining
share to be transferred after his death. Earlier,
in 1982, he sold television station KTLA (Los
Angeles) for $245 million.

== Personal life ==
In 1932 he married Ina May Spivey (d. 1980), who
was the niece of Jimmy Long. He married Jackie
Autry|Jacqueline Ellam in 1981. He had no
children.

== Legacy ==
In 1972, he was inducted into the Western
Performers Hall of Fame at the National Cowboy &
Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City,
Oklahoma.

His autobiography was published in 1976,
co-written by Mickey Herskowitz; it was titled
Back in the Saddle Again after his 1939 in
music|1939 hit and signature tune. In 1988 he
opened the Gene Autry Western Heritage Museum (now
called the Museum of the American West) in
Griffith Park, Los Angeles, featuring much of his
collection of Western art and memorabilia.
Included for many years on Forbes magazine's list
of the 400 richest Americans, he slipped to their
"near miss" category in 1995 with an estimated net
worth of $320 million.

Gene Autry died of lymphoma at age 91 at his home
in Los Angeles, and is interred in the Forest
Lawn, Hollywood Hills Cemetery in Los Angeles,
California. He was inducted into the Radio Hall of
Fame in 2003. He is also the only person to date
to receive stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for
contributions in all five possible categories: the
motion picture star is located on 6644 Hollywood
Blvd., the radio star is located on 6520 Hollywood
Blvd.,  the recording star is located on 6384
Hollywood Blvd., the TV star is located on 6667
Hollywood Blvd. and the live theatre star is
located on 7000 Hollywood Blvd.  In 2004, the
Starz Entertainment Corporation joined forces with
the Autry estate to restore all of his films,
which have been shown on Starz's Encore Western
Channel on cable television on a regular basis to
date since. 

==Popular songs by Autry==
*"That Silver-Haired Daddy of Mine"
*"The Last Roundup"
*"Cowboy’s Heaven"
*"Tumbling Tumbleweeds"
*"Mexicali Rose"
*"Take Me Back to My Boots and Saddle"
*"Gold Mine in the Sky"
*"South of the Border (Down Mexico Way)"
*"Back in the Saddle Again" (1939 in music|1939)
*"Be Honest With Me"
*"Here Comes Santa Claus" (1947 in music|1947)
*"Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer" (1949 in
music|1949)
*"Peter Cottontail" (1950 in music|1950)
*"Frosty the Snow Man" (1950)

==See also==
*Gene Autry, Oklahoma
*Notable figures in Western films|Other notable
figures in Western films
*List of best-selling music artists

==External links==
*http://www.geneautry.com Gene Autry website
*imdb name|id=0000810|name=Gene Autry
*http://www.countrymusichalloffame.com/inductees/g
ene_autry.html Biographical webpage from the
Country Music Hall of Fame
*http://www.radiohof.org/musicvariety/geneautry.ht
ml Radio Hall of Fame
*http://www.cowboypal.com/gnautob.html
Autobiography extract and photos from Songs Gene
Autry Sings (1942)
*http://www.autrynationalcenter.org/ Autry
National Center
*http://www.museumoftheamericanwest.org/museum/
Museum of the American West