Nashville, TN. (Top40 Charts/ Easydisc Records) - 'Public Cowboy No 1'
Gene Autry would have celebrated his 100th birthday this year. Riders In The Sky, the modern day standard bearers of the grand and sweeping western music tradition that Autry popularized, are seizing the opportunity to celebrate the singing cowboy's life and music with a 'Centennial Salute to Gene Autry!' The nearly year long festivities include a national tour and the re-release of their 1996 album, Public Cowboy No 1: The
Music of Gene Autry. Additionally, Riders In The Sky are guest artists on the tribute album Boots Too Big to Fill: A Tribute to
Gene Autry (also featuring Vince Gill, Randy Owen, Glen Campbell, Charlie Daniels, and Pam Tillis). To commemorate this 100th birthday celebration, Riders In The Sky are also offering a brand new, limited edition poster on their website that features both Autry and the Riders in an old-style western movie poster design.
"Paying tribute to Gene on the 100th anniversary of his birth is certainly The Cowboy Way," said Too Slim, the Riders' bespectacled bunkhouse bassman. "He was the first to embody Hollywood's unique melding of music, adventure and that most American of cultural icons, the cowboy."
Ranger Doug added, "Gene Autry blazed the trail for Roy and Tex and Rex and eventually us. It's an honor to tip our huge hats to him every night in our show."
The centennial celebration kicked off on May 24 at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum with Ranger Doug performing some of Autry's music and Holly George-Warren reading from her biography, Public Cowboy No 1: The Life and Times of Gene Autry. Ranger Doug also signed copies of his books Singing Cowboys and Singing in the Saddle: The History of the Singing Cowboy.
Then the Riders hit the road to rekindle the romance with America that Autry created through his singing cowboy persona that made him a star of radio, film and television. The Centennial Salute To Gene Autry Tour lands at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles July 2-4. The Riders will team with the LA Philharmonic to present some of Autry's most beloved hits including 'Back in the Saddle Again' and 'Ghost Riders in the Sky.'
Too Slim has seen first hand the impact of Autry's music on generations of fans. "Gene's music has a timeless quality. But don't ask me. Ask the folks every night at our shows who remember 'Back in the Saddle Again' and 'Silver Haired Daddy of Mine' and get misty-eyed and come up after the show and thank us so emotionally for keeping the tradition alive. Or ask the young whippersnappers who are hearing these tunes for the first time and saying 'This music is cool.'"
The tour makes a timely stop in Gene Autry, Oklahoma on September 29 (Autry's birthday) where the Riders will perform at the Gene Autry Film & Music Festival.
Music was always at the core of everything that Autry did. His authentic, folksy singing style and affable personality made him the type of recording and film star that resonated with Americans of all walks of life. Fans old and new can now experience the magic of his music with the upcoming re-release of the Riders' Public Cowboy No 1: The Music of Gene Autry album. This new version of an old favorite comes out in July on Rounder Records. It's been re-mastered and expanded with four bonus cuts and new liner notes by 'Idol of American Youth' Ranger Doug.
