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Like Ernest Tubb and Hank Snow, in his youth Gene Autry fell under the spell of the Singing Brakeman, Jimmie Rodgers, and Autry's early recordings strongly engender Rodgers' influence (see Blues Singer 1929-1931). Like his hero, Autry went on to record not only blues but country, and Autry eventually made his mark as the first singing cowboy movie superstar. It'd be easy to trace a line from his Saturday matinee westerns to the career of Elvis Presley, if you were the type to trace lines. Gene Autry's best known songs - "Take Me Back To My Boots and Saddle," "Back In the Saddle Again," and, of course, "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer" - became part of the collective American consciousness.

Rhino has done a wonderful looking and sounding 4-CD boxed set called Sing Cowboy Sing! (1997), and it is a near-perfect "instant record collection" for Gene Autry buffs. The single-disc Essential 1933-1946 (1992) can be recommended for the budget-minded, while the later double-disc edition, Essential Gene Autry (2005), covers the same territory in greater depth.

If you're digging even deeper, Varese Records has compiled a number of worthwhile collections mostly themed around Autry's movie music - the simplest, most obvious (but not only) choice being 20 Greatest Movie Hits. Finally, Autry built something of a second career around Christmas songs (read more), and Complete Columbia Christmas Recordings (2004) is essential for collectors of both country music and Christmas records.

Gene Autry owned the first D-45 guitar built by Martin. It is said that, with his great accumulated wealth, he was actually able to take it with him when he died. (Charlie Burton) [top of page]

Selected Gene Autry Albums

Essential Gene Autry 1933-1946 (1-CD, 1992)
Essential Gene Autry (2-CD, 2005)
Blues Singer 1929-1931: Booger Rooger Saturday Night (1996)
Sing Cowboy Sing! The Gene Autry Collection (boxed set, 1997)
Gene Autry With The Legendary Singing Groups Of The West (1997)
The Singing Cowboy Chapter One (1997)
The Singing Cowboy Chapter Two (1998)
20 Greatest Movie Hits (1999)
Complete Columbia Christmas Recordings (2004)

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Essential Gene Autry Songs

Back In the Saddle Again (1938)
Birmingham Daddy (1931)
Blueberry Hill (1940)
Buttons and Bows (1948)
Call Of The Canyon (1940)
Deep in the Heart of Texas (1942)
Do Right Daddy Blues (1931)
El Rancho Grande (1940)
(Ghost) Riders in the Sky (1949)
Have I Told You Lately That I Love You (1946)
(I Got Spurs That) Jingle, Jangle, Jingle (1942)
It Makes No Difference Now (1941)
The Last Roundup (1935)
Mexicali Rose (1935)
Red River Valley (1946)
South Of The Border (Down Mexico Way) (1939)
Take Me Back To My Boots And Saddle (1937)
That Silver Haired Daddy Of Mine (with Jimmy Long, 1931)
Tumbling Tumbleweeds (1935)
Yellow Rose of Texas (1933)
You Are My Sunshine (1941)

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The Gene Autry Bookshelf

Back In The Saddle Again (Gene Autry with Mikey Herkowitz, 1976)
The Gene Autry Book (Dave Rothel, 1988)

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Gene Autry On The Web

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