NARRATIVE: My earliest memory of Gene Autry was not of the cowboy movie star or recording artist, which made him famous and rich, but as the owner of my favorite baseball team (other than the Giants), the Los Angeles Angels. Once in a while, he would be interviewed after a game and what I saw on the TV screen was a distinguished old man wearing a cowboy style suit and hat. During that boyhood time, "The Roy Rogers Show" was one of my favorites on TV. I loved seeing Roy and his horse Trigger catch the bad guys and bring them to justice, then serenade some prairee maiden along the way. Years later, I learned there would have been no Roy Rogers without Gene Autry, the original “Singing Cowboy,“ with his horse Champion and his sidekick and musical collaborator Smiley Burnett.

Autry’s movie career spanned three decades, starting in the 1930s, appearing in 93 motion pictures. He popularized country music to a national audience with a silky smooth singing style and homespun appeal. His consistent movie character was the gentleman to the ladies with a tune ready to woo them for a kiss! He personified the honest and virtuous country hero who always did the right moral thing, and caught the bad guy. His signature song was “Back in the Saddle Again,” and he made melodies such as "Home on the Range” standard. Autry recorded a total of 640 songs for various labels. He and Jimmy Rogers are considered the pioneers of country music.

My painting is inspired by a movie poster for “The Singing Cowboy“ made by Republic Pictures. He personified the clean-cut, smiling American hero archetype. His famous Colt gun collection as well as his movie memorabilia can be seen at the Autry Museum in Glendale, California.