New Collection Captures Autry’s Tuneful Take on the ‘Mild West’

In cowboy lore, the Wild West was a place of high ideals and unsettled morality, a playground for ruffians, pioneers and a waning Native American population. But in cowboy lore according to Gene Autry, it’s something else altogether: a clean, friendly, tuneful place. Autry was, and still is--even days away from his 90th birthday--the king of the mild West, always singing sweetly ‘round a campfire of his own devising.

Now, in time for his birthday, the singing cowboy has been grandly celebrated, thanks to the good folks at Rhino records, who have done more to dutifully chronicle the American musical tapestry than any domestic label. Over the course of three CDs, with a lavish booklet, we get a feast of Autry’s easygoing charms as a kindly raconteur and Hollywood-approved cowboy hero. The tracks, backed by a gifted band and interspersed with banter, are culled from Autry’s “Melody Ranch” radio show, 1940-56.

Of course, Autry’s successful homestead was not in the American heartland but in Hollywood. He sings on “San Fernando Valley” the old Bing Crosby hit: “I’m going to settle down and never more roam and make the San Fernando Valley my home... . . . I’ll be making new friends where the West begins.” Yes, the same Valley was the location for many a western and near the home of the Autry Museum.

The Rhino collection includes Yuletide ditties and a choice duet with the great pop singer Jo Stafford, hardly a cowgirl, on “Teardrops From My Eyes.” The contrast is telling. She’s caked in sensuality; he’s calm and clear. Even on Autry’s version of the Hank Williams classic “Your Cheatin’ Heart,” Autry sounds less angry about a loved one’s cheatin’ than he is resigned, ready to face another beautiful day in the pre-suburban sprawl of the Valley.

The collection opens and closes on a note of warm wistfulness laced with kitsch, as Autry sings his anthem, “Back in the Saddle.” A quarter-century ago, when Autry was a mere 65 years old, the tune was grist for gentle parody on the Firesign Theater album “We’re All Bozos on This Bus.”

Back then, Autry must have seemed the antithesis of prevailing countercultural fashion. Now, listening to these tracks evokes a sincere glow of nostalgia. Autry has taken his rightful place in the founder’s circle of the great American cultural rodeo.