Singing Cowboys

Can you imagine Gunsmoke’s Festus belting out a tune for Miss Kitty? Why not? Do you think Roy Rogers and Gene Autry were the only singing cowboys? Well, Ken Curtis, who played Festus, was a long-time vocalist, but he’s only one of 57 actors presented here who were among the warblers of Western movie fame.

Everybody from Rex Allen to Bob Wills had such exposure while crooning and yodeling their way into or out of the film industry, and this book shows us a passel of them. Concisely written and well illustrated, this charming collection of musical cowboy stars adds to the nostalgia and interest we all have about those old spangled heroes of harmony. But—oh, no!—John Wayne, too? —Chuck Lewis