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Article: He took to the screen like a cowboy to his saddle.(Originated from Knight Ridder Newspapers)
- Article from:
- Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service
- Article date:
- July 6, 1998
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1998 Knight-Ridder/Tribune News Service. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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The man we came to know as Roy Rogers was down and out in LA when an accidental meeting turned his life around.
Tim Spencer and Bob Nolan, a musical duo on station KHJ, were in the studio when Rogers, then known as Len Slye, flunked an audition for a pop music program. They liked what they heard, so the duo became a trio. But when Tim, Bob and Len added brothers Hugh and Carl Farr and became the Sons of the Pioneers, they caught on in a big way.
They were different, not country, not hillbilly, but ``western'' songs, including many that have attained permanence in our popular culture, including ``Tumbling Tumbleweeds,'' ``Cool Water,'' ``Chant of ...