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Sons of the Pioneers

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Musicians

The Resume

    (1933- )
    One of the earliest (and longest-running) Western singing groups
    Originally named 'The Pioneers Trio'
    Started by then-Leonard Slye (later Roy Rogers)
    Between 1952 and 2010, released well over 80 albums
    Original membership was comprised of Rogers, Bob Nolan, Tim Spencer, Hugh Farr, Karl Farr, and Lloyd Perryman
    Later members included Shug Fisher, Ken Curtis, Pat Brady, and Ken Carson
    Hit singles include 'Tumbling Tumbleweeds,' 'Stars and Stripes on Iwo Jima,' 'No ONe to Cry To,' 'Baby Doll,' 'Cool Water,' 'Teardrops in My Heart,' 'Blue Shadows on the Trail,' 'Tumbleweed Trail,' 'My Best to You,' 'Room Full of Roses,' 'The Ballad of Davy Crockett,' and 'High Ridin' Woman'
    Selected filmography includes 'California Mail,' 'The Big Show,' 'The Old Corral,' 'Red River Valley,' 'Man from Cheyenne,' 'South of Santa Fe,' 'Sunset on the Desert,' 'Romance on the Range,' 'Sons of the Pioneers,' 'Call of the Canyon,' 'Sunset Serenade,' 'Heart of the Golden West,' 'Don't Fence Me In,' 'Song of Arizona,' 'Ding Dong Williams,' 'My Pal Trigger,' 'Song of Nevada,' and 'San Fernando Valley'

Why they might be annoying:

    Their 'Tumblin' Tumbleweeds' song was used in a Coen Brothers film.
    Originally, their signature song was called 'The Tumbling Leaves,' but they changed the title to grant a more 'Western feel.'
    Roy Rogers started the group by placing an ad in the classifieds reading 'Yodeler for old-time act, to travel. Tenor preferred.'
    They provided vocals for the controversial Pecos Bill segment of Disney's Melody Time, which included the lyrics: 'He gave those redskins such a shakeup/That they jumped out of their makeup/That's how the painted desert got its name!'
    At one point they were falsely credited with performing Ballad vocals for Disney's series of popular Davy Crockett films (although they did perform a separate cover for the Crockett Ballad in the same year).
    Their lead guitarist died onstage from a heart attack at a concert in Springfield, Massachusetts, in 1961.
    When their lead singer was discovered and became a star, they were literally reduced to playing second fiddle in his films.
    Although they would remain visible for the next fifty years, they would never quite equal the success they had with Slye/Rogers (let alone attain the iconic status he achieved on his own).

Why they might not be annoying:

    Such a cool name, for a musical group...
    Virtually every major 'Bro Country' singing group owes its existence to them.
    They became the first Country-Western singing group to perform at Carnegie Hall.
    They attained 'National Treasure' status from the Smithsonian Institute (1977).
    They were inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame (1980).
    They performed vocals for several John Ford films ('Rio Grande,' 'Wagon Master').
    They also provided the vocals for Ford's magnum opus, 'The Searchers,' with the recurring 'Ride Away' chorus serving as a pacemaker for the rest of the film.
    They made their first Decca commercial recording on the same day Bing Crosby debuted with the label.
    Their 1937 cover of Showalter's 'Leaning on the Everlasting Arms' was, at the time, the definitive and most popular recording of the Hymn.
    Bass singer Bob Nolan and tenor Tim Spencer were elected to the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, in 1971.
    The original six members were inducted into the Hall of Great Western Performers of the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum, in 1995.

Credit: BoyWiththeGreenHair


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 9 Votes: 66.67% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 3 Votes: 33.33% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 11 Votes: 45.45% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 3 Votes: 33.33% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 122 Votes: 48.36% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 1 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 5 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2016, Out of 14 Votes: 35.71% Annoying