Jan 18

THE IMPORTANCE OF RADIO IN ROY ROGERS’ CAREER

Larry Zwisohn comes up with the most interesting information for me to use. Thanks to Larry here are some of the most interesting highlights of Dad’s radio career:

August 1031 – After failing to find success as part of a singing duo  with his cousin Stan (The Slye Brothers), young Leonard Slye (Dad) takes his sister Mary’s suggestion and appears on the “Midnight Frolic” radio program (on KMCS) which features amateur talent. This leads to an offer to join an old-time music group called The Rocky Mountaineers. (They were all musicians and wanted to add a  vocalist, thus they hired Dad. Dad later got them to add two more vocalists to harmonize with Dad).

The Rocky Mountaineers (Bob Nolan is top right and Dad [Len] is bottom right)

 

June 1933 – While working with the soon to disband Benny Nawahi and His International Cowboys, a radio time salesman offered young Leonard Slye and Tim Spencer a chance to put together a group for a tour of the Southwest where the public is “hungry” for entertainment. The tour is a total disaster, however, both Leonard and Tim meet their future wives during the tour.

 

Benny Nawahi and The International Cowboys
(Tim is on the left end and Dad is second on the right)

 

September 1933 – Back in Los Angeles, Leonard lands a job on Jack and his Texas Outlaws radio program on KFWB.

October 1933 – Unhappiness with the Texas Outlaws’ vocal harmonies leads Leonard to talk with Tim Spencer and Bob Nolan (both of whom he worked with at different times while with The Rocky Mountaineers) to join with him to form The Pioneer Trio. After weeks of rehearsals, they get a audition at KFWB and are hired to appear on the Jack and His Texas Outlaws radio program.

Tim Spencer, Bob Nolan and Leonard Slye, the original Sons of the Pioneers

 

January 1934 – After only two months on KFWB, the Pioneer Trio is attracting nice write-ups in newspapers and is receiving fan mail leading KFWB to give them their own radio program.

February 1935 – (With the additional of fiddle player [and bass singer] Hugh Farr and his brother, lead-guitarist Karl Farr) Success in the Los Angeles area is broadened when the renamed Sons of the Pioneers record a series of transcriptions which are played on radio stations throughout the United States and Canada.

 

The Sons of the Pioneer as they appeared in the movie short, “Way Up Thar.”
Top row: Leonard and Bob, Bottom row: Karl, Tim and Hugh,

 

February 1942 – Managed by Art Rush, a man well-versed in radio (he had been with NBC for years), Roy Rogers begins making frequent radio appearances, more than any other Western star, including Gene Autry.

October 1942 – Roy Rogers appears as a guest on Fred Allen’s top-rated radio program, leading to appearances on other top-rated programs including Edgar Bergen & Charlie McCarthy, Bing Crosby, Eddie Cantor, Lux Radio Theatre, Rudy Vallee, Truth or Consequences and Command Performance.

 

November 1944 – Debut of The Roy Rogers Show on the Mutual Broadcasting Station.

Dad, Dale Evans and George “Gabby” Hayes on The Roy Rogers Show.

 

These weren’t the only shows that Dad and/or “The Boys” (as Mom and Dad always called the Sons of the Pioneers) appeared on during the 30s and 40s.  Just some of the highlights.

 

Jan 16

THE SLYE BROTHERS

The Slye Brothers (Stan and Leonard)

 

I don’t remember Dad ever mentioning that his cousin, Stan Slye, was with him and Gramps (Dad always called him Pop) the summer they spent picking peaches for Del Monte Foods. Dad spoke about he and Gramps living in the same type of camps that John Steinbeck wrote about in Grapes of Wrath and even camping along the roads.  But, I don’t remember him mentioning that Stan was with them. Well, Larry Zwisohn has sent me some more information he has come across. I don’t know how he digs up this information but he’s a wonder! Thanks, Larry.

Discoveries (magazine), October 1991 – Dad: We had a chance to go up to the San Joaquin Valley, above Bakersfield, to Tulare in the summer of 1931. There, my cousin (Stan Slye), Pop and I picked peaches all summer. Then we came back to Southern California, to Lawndale (where Dad’s oldest sister, Mary, and her family lived).

Los Angeles Times, July 7, 1980 – Dad: It was one night when we were, as usual, camping beside the road. No money for hotels or anything like that. Just for something to do, my dad and my cousin Stanley, who was with us, brought out their mandolins and started playing.  I strummed along on a guitar. Well, by the time we were done with the first song, we had a crowd! They were people like us, camping out and mostly pretty hungry. You could tell most of them hadn’t smiled in a long, long time. But now they smiled, listening to the music. It made them happy. Kept the dark away for a little bit. That’s what I learned that night. I learned what music is for.

Los Angeles Times, July 6, 1998 – After two months of the trio looking for work with nothing much happening, Gramps took a job at a shoe factory (the same work he had done in Ohio).  Dad: And that was lucky because it gave me a chance to talk Stanley into a wonderful idea I had. I had this vision of a Western singing act taking the music business by storm. ‘The Slye Brothers’ I called it, and Stanley agreed to give it a try.

Late Summer 1931 – Work for The Slye Brothers was limited. According to some sources, they found occasional work at taverns and beach parties. They also appeared at least once on the radio program The Hollywood Hillbillies. Out of which, may have come their booking at the Arrow Theater on Main Street in downtown Los Angeles, where they appeared for one week. Still bookings were so sporadic and they earned so little, that after awhile Stan decided to look for steady work but Roy was determined to stick with music.

Over the years, Dad had mentioned that he and Stan had called square dances around Scioto County, Ohio, where they had grown up, when they were about 10. I only remember Stan acting as stand-in for Dad at Republic (in the films) and later on Dad’s TV show, where he also played bit parts and was billed as Russ Scott. Larry Z. told me that Stan even made a record  as Russ Scott.

(Just so I don’t confuse you in how I put this post together, names of publications are in italics, quotes from Dad are in bold and, Larry Z and my comments are in regular print.)

Dad with his cousin, Stan Slye, fishing in the ocean off of Malibu, CA .

 

 

 

Happy Trails, Cheryl