Country Music Hall of Fame Series
The Sons of the Pioneers set the standard for cowboy music that remains in place more than a half-century after their heyday. The group (which Roy Rogers helped form) combined vocal and instrumental expertise with a sure-shootin' flair for finding matchless material, whether that meant adopting a traditional tune such as "Rye Whiskey" or generating original compositions. Early member Bob Nolan penned "Way Out West," which helped launch the outfit in the early '30s. It's on this sterling 16-song greatest-hits collection along with the enchanting "Hills of Old Wyomin'" and, of course, "Tumbling Tumbleweeds." Now that's white-hat Western music! Indeed, there may not be a better CD for finding out how the West was won ... with song.--Steven Stolder