Tex ritter sons

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Singing Cowboy Stardom

By mid-decade, the enormous success of Gene Autry’s westerns led other film studios to look for their own singing cowboys. One of the first producers to recognize Ritter’s potential was Edward Finney, who signed him and released his first starring film, Song of the Gringo, in 1936. Ritter was well suited to the role of singing cowboy. He looked and acted the part and was singing the type of songs he loved best. Unfortunately, most of his films were made for Grand National and Monogram, two of the so-called “Poverty Row” studios, which made their films on shoestring budgets. Although Ritter’s films never had the production values of those starring Gene Autry or Roy Rogers, he still enjoyed considerable box-office success.

In 1942, after a decade of recording with little success, Ritter became one of the first artists signed by the newly formed Capitol Records. He soon began scoring major hits with records such as “Jealous Heart,” “Rye Whiskey,” “I’m Wastin’ My Tears on You,” and “You Will Have to Pay.” Rit

Tex Ritter

American country singer (1905–1974)

This article is about the singer and actor. For the basketball player, see Tex Ritter (basketball).

Musical artist

Woodward Maurice "Tex" Ritter (January 12, 1905 – January 2, 1974) was a pioneer of American country music singer and actor from the mid-1930s into the 1960s. He was the patriarch of the Ritter acting family (son John Ritter, grandsons Jason Ritter and Tyler Ritter, and granddaughter Carly). He is a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame.

Early life

Woodward Maurice Ritter was born on January 12, 1905, in Murvaul, Texas,[1] to Martha Elizabeth (née Matthews) and James Everett Ritter. He grew up on his family's farm in Panola County, Texas, and attended grade school in Carthage, Texas. He attended South Park High School in Beaumont, Texas. After graduating with honors, he entered the University of Texas at Austin in 1922[2] to study pre-law and major in government, political science, and economics. After traveling to Chicago with a musical troupe, he entered Northwestern Law S

America’s most beloved cowboy, Tex Ritter was one of the few singing cowboys of the 1940s, who was able to sustain a successful recording career long after the era of the Hollywood B-westerns had drawn to a close. He graduated from appearing on Broadway in the early 1930s to starring in more than sixty Hollywood westerns throughout the 1940s. Along the way he recorded prolifically, initially for ARC and Decca and in 1942 he was the first singer to sign with the new Capitol Records. He provided the label with a long string of hits, becoming one of country music’s biggest sellers of the 1940s. He did not have a great voice, but his unusual accent, odd slurs and phrasing allied to a strong feeling of genuine honesty, made his voice one of the most appealing in country music history. He presented a repertoire of diverse material from cowboy ballads, religious material, children’s songs, country and western swing tunes and recitations. His best-known hit came in 1952 with his rendition of the haunting High Noon, one of the most famous western movie themes of all time that won an Academ

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