Gene Autry: A Life in Pictures

The figures of early Hollywood were stars in a completely different way then we might understand them today. So, instead of becoming infamous, folks gained notoriety for being talented in one way or another. Certainly, there was scandal. There always has been, but due to the quickness – or lack thereof – with which information then travelled, stars and starlets were safe.

Amongst the crop of famous folks in Hollywood during the ‘30s were a spate of singing cowboys. Easily the most famous, though, was Gene Autry. Despite coming to a semblance of fame prior to shooting a movie as a result of his singing career, Autry continued on an upward trajectory of stardom all the while attempting to maintain his identity.

A part of that was to retain his cowboy status. So while working a television series, Autry worked up the following list of rules for cow-pokes to follow.

The Cowboy Code:

1. never shoot first, hit a smaller man, or take unfair advantage.
2. never go back on his word, or a trust confided in him.
3. always tell the truth.
4. be gentle with children, the elderly and animals.
5. not advocate or possess racially or religiously intolerant ideas.
6. help people in distress.
7. be a good worker.
8. keep himself clean in thought, speech, action and personal habits.
9. respect women, parents and his nation's laws.
10. be a patriot.

Regardless of Autry’s fame and fortune, prior to owning the California Angels and record labels, he was a singer of some renown. And on Blues Singer: 1929-1931 (Booger Rooger Saturday) Autry’s status as a masterful blues and country player is revealed for listeners to explore.

What’s most startling, though, are the similarities that Autry possesses when compared to Jimmie Rodgers. That latter singer, just a decade older than Autry, recorded some of the most enduring and culturally relevant music during the first few decades of the 20^th century. And while Rodgers undoubtedly influenced a generation of singers, Autry goes so far as to borrow liberally from this elder’s song book.

Autry’s not the only one to have done such a thing, but the all too similar renditions of “Blue Yodel No. 5” and “California Blues (Blue Yodel No. 4)” are shocking. Autry’s guitar playing is just as dexterous as his assumed idols. And even the intonation of those bars of yodeling come off as something of a facsimile. That shouldn’t be considered a cheap shot, just the truth.

Rodgers song book engorges a great many players from the era – even Tommy Johnson, the Mississippi Sheiks, and Mississippi John Hurt have been found to truck in the guitarist’s work. But that’s how American music works. Well, folk musics at least.

So when Autry and the other singing cowboys impacted American culture a few years after Rodgers’ death, it was as much a tribute as it was appropriation. It’s actually interesting to work through Blues Singer: 1929-1931 (Booger Rooger Saturday) and try to pick out the Jimmy Rodgers tracks. But for the real deal do some digging.