recursal/Fanatic-Fandom huggingface dataset:
Sioux City Sue

**Sioux City Sue** is a song written by Ray Freedman and Dick Thomas in 1945. Riders In The Sky performed the song on their 1996 album *Public Cowboy #1: The Music of Gene Autry*.

## Lyrics

*I drove a herd of cattle down from old Nebraska way*

*That's how I come to be in the state of "I-oh-way"*

*I met a gal in "I-oh-way", her eyes were big and blue*

*I asked her what her name was, she said "Sioux City Sue"*

*Sioux City Sue*

*Sioux City Sue*

*Your hair is red, your eyes are blue*

*I swap my horse and dog for you*

*Sioux City Sue*

*Sioux City Sue*

*There ain't no gal as true as my sweet Sioux City Sue*

*I asked her if she had a fella, she said "quite a few"*

*But still I started courtin' my sweet Sioux City Sue*

*The first time that I stole a kiss I caught her stealing two*

*I asked her did she love me, she said "Indeed I do"*

*Sioux City Sue*

*Sioux City Sue*

*Your hair is red, your eyes are blue*

*I swap my horse and dog for you*

*Sioux City Sue*

*My Sioux City Sue*

*There ain't no gal as true as my sweet Sioux City Sue*

*Now I'm admittin' "I-oh-way" I owe a lot to you*

*Cause I come from Nebraskie to find Sioux City Sue*

*I'm gonna rope and tie her up, gonna use my ol' lasso*

*I'm gonna put my brand on my sweet Sioux City Sue*

*Sioux City Sue*

*Sioux City Sue*

*Your hair is red*

*Your eyes are blue*

*Champion's mine but the dog's for you*

*Sioux City Sue*

*My Sioux City Sue*

*There ain't no gal as true as my sweet Sioux City Sue*

*There ain't no gal as true as my sweet Sioux City Sue*

## Riders Recordings

* *Public Cowboy #1: The Music of Gene Autry* (1996)
Casey Jones

**Casey Jones** is a traditional American folk song about railroad engineer Casey Jones and his death at the controls of the train he was driving. Riders In The Sky recorded the song for their 2002 album *Ridin' The Tweetsie Railroad*.

## Lyrics

*Come on you rounders if you wanna hear*

*A story 'bout a real brave engineer*

*Casey Jones was the rounder's name*

*On an Eight-Six wheeler boys he won his fame*

*The boss called Casey 'bout half past four*

*He kissed his wife at the station door*

*He mounted to the cabin with his orders in his hand*

*Said "I'm gonna take a trip to the promised land"*

*Casey Jones*

*Mounted to the cabin*

*Casey Jones*

*His orders in his hand*

*Casey Jones*

*Mounted to the cabin*

*Said "I'm gonna take a trip to the promised land"*

*Pour on the water, boy, shovel the coal*

*Stick your head out the window watch the drivers roll*

*I've got to run her cause she leaves the rails*

*And I'm nine hours late with the western mail*

*Casey rolled up to the fateful place*

*Where ol' Number Nine looked him straight in the face*

*He hollered to his fireman "Boy, you better jump*

*'Cause there's another locomotive and we're bound to bump"*

*Casey Jones*

*Mounted to the cabin*

*Casey Jones*

*His orders in his hand*

*Casey Jones*

*Mounted to the cabin*

*Said "I'm gonna take a trip to the promised land"*

*Casey Jones*

*Mounted to the cabin*

*Said "I'm gonna take a trip to the promised land"*
Austin City Limits

**Austin City Limits** is an American music performance television show on PBS which began in 1974 and is still in production as of 2022. While the series initially focused on country, southern rock, blues, and folk acts, it has since branched out into other genres (such as pop and rock).

In 1981, Riders In The Sky made their national television debut on Austin City Limits, and made several subsequent appearances on the show in the years following.

## Riders In The Sky Appearances

* Season 6, Episode 7 (1981) (first appearance) (episode also features Bill Monroe & The Bluegrass Boys)
	+ This episode was recorded on November 19th, 1980.
	+ Songs/Sketches performed on this episode include:
		- *Ghost Riders In The Sky*
		- *That's How The Yodel Was Born*
		- *Blue Bonnet Lady*
		- *Cielito Lindo*
		- *Cattle Call*
		- Varmint Dance
		- *Pecos Bill*
		- *So Long, Saddle Pals*
* Season 12, Episode 12 (1987) (episode also features Hot Rize)
	+ Songs/Sketches performed on this episode include:
		- *Cowboy Jubilee*
		- *Back In The Saddle Again*
		- *Concerto For Violin And Longhorns*
		- *Lonely Yukon Stars*
		- Too Jaws interview/Woody Paul's rope tricks/*Sundown In Santa Fe*
		- *Here Comes The Santa Fe*
		- *Soon As The Roundup's Through*
		- *I'm Going To Leave Old Texas Now* (with audience children)
		- *So Long, Saddle Pals*
* Season 16, Episode 13 (1991) *A Salute To The Cowboy* special (also features Michael Martin Murphey, Waddie Mitchell, Don Edwards, and The Sons of The San Joaquin)
	+ This episode was recorded on November 26th, 1990.
	+ Songs/Sketches performed on this episode include:
		- *Texas Plains*
		- *Jingle Jangle Jingle*
		- *What Would I Do Without You?*
		- *Ride, Cowboy, Ride*
		- *When Payday Rolls Around*
* Season 18, Episode 3 (1993) (episode also features Asleep At The Wheel)
	+ Songs/Sketches performed on this episode include:
		- *There's A Blue Sky Way Out Yonder*
		- *How Does He Yodel?*
		- *Palindrome*
		- *Miss Molly*
		- *Ridin' Down The Canyon*
		- *Buffalo Gals*
		- *The Line Rider*
		- *Surfin' USA*
		- *Skyball Paint*
		- *So Long, Saddle Pals*
Texas Bix Bender

**Stephen Cook Arwood** (born August 1st, 1944, died December 29th, 2023), alias **Texas Bix Bender**, was an American writer, television producer, author, and is perhaps best known as a long-time collaborator with Riders In The Sky, serving as the narrator on their National Public Radio series *Riders Radio Theater*. Prior to joining the entertainment business, Arwood was a United States Marine from 1966 to 1968.

## Fictional Biography

As with most figures around the Riders, a fictitious history was created for the character of Texas Bix Bender:

*Prior to working on Riders Radio Theater, Texas Bix was the announcer of XEGG, a "boarder blaster" radio station just across the Mexican boarder from Del Rio, Texas. XEGG used a radio transmitter so powerful that it's signal was heard from Texas to Tokyo, operating with the power of one and a half million watts.* (from *Riders In The Sky: The Book*)

## Riders Projects

* *Tumbleweed Theater* (1983-1987): Announcer, producer
* *Riders Radio Theater* (album and series): Announcer, writer
* *Riders Go Commercial* (1989): Announcer, writer
* *Riders In The Sky: The Book* (1992): co-writer
* *Riders Radio Theater: The Television Show* (1995-1996): Announcer, writer
* *The Trail Tip Song* Music Video (1995): Announcer
* *A Great Big Western Howdy!* (1998): Liner notes author
* *Live At The Sarsaparilla Saloon* (1999): Announcer, Soda Jerk
* *Silver Jubilee*: *Riders Radio Theater Medley* (2002): Announcer
* YellaWood commercials (2009): Announcer
Tumbleweed Valley

**Tumbleweed Valley** (sometimes called **Tumbleweed City**) is an anachronistic frontier town located in an unspecified region of the United States. On the city's outskirts lies the famed ol' Triple X Ranch, home of Riders In The Sky.

## Notable Residents

* Riders In The Sky
	+ Ranger Doug
	+ Too Slim
	+ Woody Paul
	+ Joey The Cow-Polka King
* Sidemeat
* High Sheriff Drywall
* Miss Marm
* Slocum & Charlie
* Judge Wichita Watner
Rocky Mountain Opry

**Rocky Mountain Opry** (also known as **John McEuen's Rocky Mountain Opry**) is a 1984 direct-to-video concert film directed by Derek Burbridge. Hosted by John McEuen, it was filmed at the Red Rocks Amphitheater in Morrison, Colorado, and features performances from McEuen, Fabulous Thunderbirds, Mary MacGregor, Don Schlitz, Chris Hillman, Riders In The Sky, Emmylou Harris, and Hank Williams Jr. (featuring Charlie Daniels).

## Riders In The Sky Segment

The Riders are the sixth segment in the film, and perform *That's How The Yodel Was Born*, followed by *Little Joe The Wrangler* as Woody Paul performs his rope routine.

## Notes

* Too Slim is seen playing an electric bass in this film instead of his usual acoustic "bunkhouse" bass. The reason for it's usage is unknown.
Act Naturally

**Act Naturally** is a song written by Johnny Russell and Voni Morrison, first recorded by American country singer Buck Owens in 1963, but popularized by The Beatles with their recording in 1965. Riders In The Sky first performed the song with Johnny Russell himself in 1991 in Chapter Three of the *Riders Radio Theater* serial *Rocket Rustlers* (with it's original lyrics). A decade later, the Riders would record a studio version for the album *Woody's Roundup: A Rootin' Tootin' Collection of Woody's Favorite Songs* and slightly alter the lyrics to reflect the character of Woody from the film *Toy Story 2*.

## Lyrics

*They're gonna put me in the movies*

*They're gonna make a big star out of me*

*We'll make a film 'bout a ridin' ropin' cowboy*

*And all I gotta do is act naturally*

*Well, I'll bet you I'm gonna be a big star*

*Might win an Oscar, you can never tell*

*The movies gonna make me a big star*

*'Cause I can play the part so well*

*Well I hope you come and see me in the movies*

*Then I know that you will plainly see*

*That I'm a cowboy bound to hit the big time*

*And all I gotta do is act naturally*

*We'll make a scene about a brave and handsome cowboy*

*Roundin' up the bad guys, one, two, three*

*I'll play the part but I won't need rehearsing*

*All I have to do is act naturally*

*Well, I'll bet you I'm gonna be a big star*

*Might win an Oscar, you can never tell*

*The movies gonna make me a big star*

*'Cause I can play the part so well*

*Well I hope you come and see me in the movies*

*Then I know that you will plainly see*

*That I'm a cowboy bound to hit the big time*

*And all I gotta do is act naturally*

*And all I gotta do is act naturally*

*And all I gotta do is...*

*Act naturally*

## Riders Recordings

* *Riders Radio Theater*: *Rocket Rustlers* Chapter Three (1991) (featuring Johnny Russell) (original lyrics)
* *Woody's Roundup: A Rootin' Tootin' Collection of Woody's Favorite Songs* (2000) (new lyrics)

## Notes

* *Act Naturally* is also featured in the *Toy Story 2 Medley*.
Tommy Goldsmith

**Thomas Goldsmith** (born 1952) is an American musician, songwriter, author, and journalist. In 1978, he joined Riders In The Sky after "Windy Bill" Collins had left the group to tour with Dickie Lee. During his tenure with the Riders, Goldsmith was given the stage name of "**Tumbleweed Tommy**".

While Goldsmith only stayed with Riders In The Sky for little over a year (leaving in the Winter of 1979), his contributions had a lasting impact upon the group. During their weekly "residency" performances at *The Wind In The Willows* club in Nashville, Goldsmith created a tongue-in-cheek comedy stage show for the Riders based on the radio plays of the 1940s and 50s (specifically the *CBS Radio Mystery Theater* series hosted by E. G. Marshall) which would allow the band to showcase their comedic side without heavily relying on music, a scripted unrecorded live series of shows which were dubbed *Riders Radio Theater*.

Goldsmith was briefly reunited with the Riders in 1981, when he was brought in to play electric and lead acoustic guitar for the recording of *Cowboy Jubilee*. A song of his own composition, *Ojo Caliente*, was also featured on the album. In 1988, he appeared on the sixth episode of *Riders Radio Theater* as a member of The Nashville Jugband.

In the years since, Goldsmith became a freelance journalist and magazine editor. In 2019, he released his first book, *Earl Scruggs And Foggy Mountain Breakdown: The Making of An American Classic*, which was met with critical acclaim.
A Riders In The Sky Christmas

**A Riders In The Sky Christmas** is a one-hour television special that aired on The Nashville Network on December 19th, 1993. With a slew of Christmas songs performed in Riders In The Sky's signature western-swing style, the show also featured Reba McEntire and the Nashville Children's Choir as special guests.

## Cast

### Riders In The Sky

* Ranger Doug (Douglas B. Green) - Himself/voice of Charlie
* Too Slim (Fred LaBour) - Himself/Sidemeat/L. Philo "Larry" Mammoth/voice of Slocum/voice of Too Jaws
* Woody Paul (Paul Chrisman) - Himself/voice of Sheriff Drywall/voice of Turbo
* Joey The Cow-Polka King (Joey Miskulin) - Himself

### Featuring...

* Reba McEntire - Herself/voice of Miss Marm
* Texas Bix Bender (Steve Arwood) - Himself
* Big Zeno Clinker (Bruce Nemerov) - Himself
* Nashville Children's Choir - Themselves

## Notes

* Taped on October 5th, 1993.
* This was the second of Riders In The Sky's six-special deal made with TNN following their firing from *Tumbleweed Theater* in 1985.
* When the production of the special is discussed in Chapter 33 of the official Riders biography *It's The Cowboy Way*, it is mistakenly referred to as *Merry Christmas From Harmony Ranch* (which was the name of the Riders' Christmas album released in 1992).
	+ Early in the special itself, Ranger Doug mistakenly referrers to it as the "Riders Radio Christmas Show".
* According to Too Slim, *A Riders In The Sky Christmas* was the highest rated special the group ever did for TNN, which he believes was mostly due to Reba McEntire's inclusion.

1. ↑ *It's The Cowboy Way: The Amazing True Adventures of Riders In The Sky* (Cusic, Don) (2003) Page 181
After You've Gone

**After You've Gone** is a song composed by Turner Layton with lyrics by Henry Creamer, originally published in 1918. Riders In The Sky performed the song as an instrumental for their 1984 album *Riders In The Sky Live*. It later received a studio recording in the 1995 album *Always Drink Upstream From The Herd*.

## Riders Recordings

* *Riders In The Sky Live* (1984)
* *Always Drink Upstream From The Herd* (1995) (new recording)

## Trivia

* Ranger Doug later performed the song with the band Silver City Bound (then known as "The Amigos") in a 2015 video posted on the *Jazz at Lincoln Center's JAZZ ACADEMY* YouTube channel.

1. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H6EZ2KcrlW4
How Does He Yodel?

**How Does He Yodel?** is a song written by Ranger Doug for the Riders In The Sky's 1991 children's album *Harmony Ranch*.

## Lyrics

*Ay-ie oh-ooh oh-yo-de-lay-e-de*

*Oh-yo-do-lay-aye-ie-de*

*How does he yodel?*

*Yo-de-lay-de-ie*

*When does he yodel?*

*Yo-de-lay-ei-de*

*Why does he yodel?*

*It sure beats me*

*Oh-yo-de-lay-ie-de-aye-I-de*

*I love to hear the cowboy sing a happy yodelin' song*

*Something makes me want to start just yodelin' along*

*Me too, but way back near my epiglottis it always comes out wrong*

(Uh-uh-uh-uh-uh, Uh-uh-uh-uh-uh)

*Help, Ranger Doug!*

*How do we yodel?*

*Yo-de-lo-oh-do*

*When do we yodel?*

*Anytime will do*

*Why do we yodel?*

*I wish I knew-ooh*

*Boy, we do too*

(SPOKEN SELECTION)

RANGER DOUG :Oh it's not so hard, you just got to start slow and easy.

TOO SLIM: Oh we can do that, Ranger Doug!

WOODY PAUL: Tighten your cinches!

RANGER DOUG: Let's open the gates and let 'er buck!

(Yodeling)

SIDEMEAT (SPOKEN): Hey uh- do the one that uh- broke granny's glasses at the big yodel off!

(Yodeling)

SIDEMEAT (SPOKEN): Take cover!

(Yodeling)

(GLASS SHATTERING SOUND EFFECT)

SIDEMEAT (SPOKEN): I knew it!

## Riders Recordings

* *Harmony Ranch* (1991)
* *Riders Radio Theater*: *Rocket Rustlers* Chapter Six (1991) (live performance)
* *Barney And Friends: Howdy, Friends!* (1998) (new recording)
* *America's Favorite Cowboy Songs* (2012) (uses previously unreleased recording from *Silver Jubilee*)

## Notes

* The Riders would later re-recorded and rewrite the song with Devon Dawson for their 2000 album *Woody's Roundup: A Rootin' Tootin' Collection of Woody's Favorite Songs* as *How Does She Yodel?*
Yodel The Cowboy Way

**Yodel The Cowboy Way** is a compilation album released by Rounder Records in 1998. It collects songs from previous Rounder-distributed Riders In The Sky albums.

## Track List

1. *That's How The Yodel Was Born* (from *Weeds And Water*)
2. *Here Comes The Santa Fe* (from *Three On The Trail*)
3. *Cowpoke* (from *Prairie Serenade*)
4. *Riding The Winds of The West* (from *Always Drink Upstream From The Herd*)
5. *Back In The Saddle Again* (from *Public Cowboy #1: The Music of Gene Autry*)
6. *Blue Montana Skies* (from *Three On The Trail*)
7. *Singing A Song To The Sky* (from *Weeds And Water*)
8. *The First Cowboy Song* (from *Always Drink Upstream From The Herd*)
9. *Yodel Blues* (from *Riders In The Sky Live*)
10. *When The Bloom Is On The Sage* (from *Riders In The Sky Live*)
11. *At The End of The Rainbow Trail* (from *Cowboy Jubilee*)
12. *Desert Serenade* (from *Always Drink Upstream From The Herd*)
In God's Eyes

**In God's Eyes** is a Bluegrass/Gospel album by Doug Green, Vic Jordan, and The Buck White Family released in 1972 by State Fair Records.

## Track Listing

### Side One

1. *In God's Eyes*
2. *We Shall Meet Someday*
3. *What A Friend We Have In Jesus*
4. *Softly And Tenderly*
5. *A Drunkard's Plea*
6. *The Christian Life*
7. *Crying Holy Unto The Lord*
8. *I Won't Have To Cross Jordan Alone*
9. *Just A Closer Walk With Thee*
10. *The River of Jordan*

### Side Two

1. *Steal Away And Pry*
2. *By The Side of The Road*
3. *Let The Light Shine Down On Me*
4. *Wait A Little Longer, Please Jesus*
5. *I Can't Say No*
6. *I'm Going Home*
7. *Leaning On The Everlasting Arms*
8. *Kneel At The Cross*
9. *Swing Low Sweet Chariot*

## Credits

* Carl Swafford - Producer
* Earle Trigg - Producer
* John R. Hadley - Cover Photographer
* Liner Notes - Carl Swafford (*About The Album*), Earle Trigg (*About The Producers* and *About The Artists*)
Mammoth Radio Pictures

**Mammoth Radio Pictures** (originally known as **Bar KZ Productions**) is the production company of Riders In The Sky for most of their non-album projects.

## Productions

* *Tumbleweed Theater* (1983-1987)
* *Riders Radio Theater* (1988-1995)
* *A Riders In The Sky Christmas* (1993)

## Trivia

* The company's name is a reference to RKO Radio Pictures and Too Slim's L. Philo "Larry" Mammoth character.
* Curiously, Mammoth Radio Pictures appears on the cover of *Public Cowboy #1* (on both the 1996 and 2007 releases), despite having nothing to do with it's creation as it was an album and not a television production.
Can't Shake The Sands of Texas From My Shoes

**Can't Shake The Sands of Texas From My Shoes** is a song written by Kenneth Pitts, Diane Johnston, and Gene Autry. It was recorded by Riders In The Sky for their 1996 album *Public Cowboy #1: The Music of Gene Autry*.

## Lyrics

*I'm sad*

(*I'm sad*)

*I've got the blues*

(*blues*)

*Can't shake the sands of Texas from my shoes*

*I sigh*

(*I sigh*)

*And don't know why*

(*Don't know why*)

*I guess I've got those dear old Texas blues*

*The smell of the rain, the roll of the plain, the feel of my seat in the saddle*

*I'd give all I own if I could be home, back on the range punching cattle*

*I guess*

(*I guess*)

*I'll have the blues*

(*blues*)

*Can't shake the sands of Texas from my shoes*

*I'm sad*

*I've got the blues*

*Can't shake the sands of Texas from my shoes*

*I sigh*

(*I sigh*)

*And don't know why*

(*Don't know why*)

*I guess I've got those dear old Texas blues*

*The smell of the rain, the roll of the plain, the feel of my seat in the saddle*

*I'd give all I own if I could be home, back on the range punching cattle*

*I guess*

(*I guess*)

*I'll have the blues*

(*blues*)

*Can't shake the sands of Texas from my shoes*

*Can't shake the sands of Texas from my shoes*

## Riders Recordings

* *Public Cowboy #1: The Music of Gene Autry* (1996)
Great Grand Dad

**Great Grand Dad** is a traditional American song originating as a poem written by Lowell Otus Reese in 1925 before being retooled and given music by John Irwin White several years later. Riders In The Sky performed the song for their 1991 album *Harmony Ranch* (which also includes elements from White's "sequel" poem *Great Grandma*).

## Lyrics

*Great Grand Dad when the West was young*

*Barred his door with a wagon tongue*

*When the times was rough and the redskins mocked*

*He said his prayers with a shotgun cocked*

*He was a citizen tough and grim*

*Danger was duck soup to him*

*He ate corn-bone and bacon fat*

*But Great Grand Son would starve on that*

*Great Grand Dad was a busy man*

*Cooked his grub in a fryin' pan*

*Picked his teeth with a huntin' knife*

*And wore the same suit all of his life*

*Twenty one children came to bless*

*The old man's home in the wilderness*

*But Great Grand Dad he didn't lose heart*

*'Cause the dogs hunted rabbits and they'd catch right smart*

*Twenty one boys and how they grew*

*Tall and strong and the bacon, too*

*They slept on the floor with the dogs and the cats*

*And they hunted in the woods for their coonskin caps*

RANGER DOUG: (spoken) But that's just half the story, what about Great Grandma?

*Back in the days of '49*

*Great Grandma was in her prime*

*She packed up her things and the kids right glad*

*And headed for the West with Great Grand Dad*

*They joined up with a wagon train*

*They plotted that Ox team across the plain*

*Nothin' to see but sage and sand*

*Not one hitchhiker or a hot dog stand*

*One day they heard a mellow lark*

*Great Grand Dad said "Here's where we park"*

*Great Grandma said "Well I'm game"*

*And loaded the kids and staked out a claim*

*Great Grand Dad built a house of sod*

*By a hustle and a tussle and a rule of hod*

*And just as he was finishin' the roof*

*A cyclone came and the house went \*POOF\**

*Great Grandma when the West was new*

*Wore hoop skirts and a bustle, too*

*But when the Injuns came and things looked bad*

*She fought alongside of Great Grand Dad*

*She worked hard seven days in the week*

*To keep Grand Dad well-fed and sleek*

*She filed the beans and she hung out the wash*

*But she never had time to drink tea or josh*

*She could ride heard and plow and shoot*

*Plus Great Grand Dad and the kids to boot*

*Kids they had in just a few years*

*Twenty one boys as wild as steers*

*Twenty one boys a raisin' Cain*

*Chasin' each-other across the plain*

*Great Grandma was proud, no-doubt*

*But she had to work like all get-out*

*Twenty one necks she had to scrub*

*Wash twenty one shirts in the ol' washtub*

*Twenty one meals three times a day*

*That's how she fritted her time away*
Riders In The Sky Present: Davy Crockett, King of The Wild Frontier

**Riders In The Sky Present: Davy Crockett, King of The Wild Frontier** is the twenty-second album by Western swing band Riders In The Sky, released by Rounder Records in 2004. The album was originally commissioned by Rhino Records in 1994 after several films based on the life of Davy Crockett had been announced, but when none of these projects ever materialized, the recordings were shelved until they were purchased and released by Rounder a decade later to tie into the 50th anniversary of Walt Disney's *Davy Crockett* television serial.

## Track List

1. *The Ballad of Davy Crockett*
2. *Be Sure You're Right, And Then Go Ahead*
3. *King of The River*
4. *Heading For Texas*
5. *Old Betsy*
6. *The Grinning Tale*
7. *Colonel Crockett's Speech To Congress*
8. *Remember The Alamo*
9. *Farewell*

## Credits

### Riders In The Sky

* Ranger Doug (Douglas B. Green) - Guitar, vocals
* Too Slim (Fred LaBour) - Bunkhouse bass, vocals, guitar, sound effects
* Woody Paul (Paul Chrisman) - Fiddle, vocals
* Joey The Cow-Polka King (Joey Miskulin) - Accordion, organ, plectrum banjo

### Additional Musicians

* Mark Howard - Acoustic guitars, banjo
* Kenny Malone - Percussion

### Studio

* Joey Miskulin - Producer, mixer
* Toby Seay - Additional recording
* Mark Howard - Mixer
* Denny Purcell - Master
* Don Cobb - Editor

### Other

* Jim McGuire - Photographer
* Roberta LaBour - Costume and prop designer
* George LaBour - "Young Davy"
* Jean-Pierre LeGuillou - Album designer

## Recording Dates

* March 8th, 1994 (Mark Howard Studio; Nashville, TN)
	+ *King of The River*
	+ *Heading For Texas*
	+ *Old Betsy*
	+ *The Ballad of Davy Crockett*
* March 9th, 1994 (Mark Howard Studio; Nashville, TN)
	+ *Remember The Alamo*
	+ *Farewell*
	+ *Be Sure You're Right, And Then Go Ahead*
* March 10th, 1994 (Mark Howard Studio; Nashville, TN)
	+ *Colonel Crockett's Speech To Congress*
	+ *The Grinning Tale*

## Trivia

* This is the second instance where a Riders In The Sky album was initially produced by another record label before Rounder Records purchased the master recordings, with the first being 1983's *Weeds And Water*.
* As of 2021, this album is the last "new" Riders release to be distributed by Rounder (though there would be re-releases of older albums in 2007 and 2009).
Riding Alone

**Riding Alone** is a song written by Ranger Doug, which appeared on Riders In The Sky's 1981 album *Cowboy Jubilee*.

## Lyrics

*I'll go on ridin' alone*

*Ridin' alone*

*Tonight I'm ridin' alone*

*Tears I'm hidin' alone*

*Where the moon's silver light*

*Cast no gladness tonight*

*The trail stretches winding and slow*

*My heart left long ago*

*It was once in your hand*

*Now it lies in the sand*

*Like me it lies lost and alone*

*Ridin' alone*

*With a lobo wolf's wail*

*In a deep canyon's veil*

*Where the river's bright light*

*Beckons gently tonight*

*The song of the waters calls me*

*Where my heart can be free*

*It was once in your hand*

*Now it lies in the sand*

*Like me it lies lost and alone*

*With the clear desert stream*

*I'll go on ridin' alone*

*Ridin' alone*

## Riders Recordings

* *Cowboy Jubilee* (1981)
* *Best of The West* (1987) (reuses *Cowboy Jubilee* recording)
* *Riders Radio Theater*
	+ *Curse of The Lost Goldscri* Chapter Twelve (live performance) (1989)
Drywall Paul

**Drywall Paul** (also known as **Drywall Putty**) is an aspiring country music artist on Skillsaw Records, as well as the High Sheriff of Tumbleweed Valley. He is perhaps best known as the artist behind such country classics behind *Remodel Home, Remodel Heart* and *Livin' In A Mobile Home*.

Portrayed by Woody Paul, Drywall originally debuted on the *Tumbleweed Theater* television series, but later became a recurring character in the weekly *Riders Radio Theater* series.
The Big Wide Open Range

**The Big Wide Open Range** is a song written by Nashville bluegrass/folk performer Randall Hylton. Riders In The Sky first performed the song in Chapter Ten of the *Riders Radio Theater* serial *Curse of The Lost Goldscri* in 1989.

## Lyrics

*There's a blue moon risin'*

*On the lone star horizon*

*By a dusty trail a sleepy campfire flames*

*She'll be headin' for Wyoming*

*As the day breaks I'll be roamin'*

*On the big wide open range*

*I can see my Susanna*

*With a gambler Montana*

*Heading north on the Wells Fargo stage*

*While I roam with the dogies*

*And the lonely coyotes*

*On the big wide open range*

*Hurry on, Texas dawn*

*Let me ride and rope until my heartache's gone*

*There's a campfire a dyin'*

*And a cowpoke sighin'*

*On the big wide open range*

*Hurry on, Texas dawn*

*Let me ride and rope until my heartache's gone*

*There's a campfire a dyin'*

*And a cowpoke sighin'*

*On the big wide open range*

*On the big wide open range*

## Riders Recordings

* *Riders Radio Theater* (series)
	+ *Curse of The Lost Goldscri* Chapter Ten (1989)
Riders in the Sky

**Riders In The Sky** is an American Country/Western swing band formed in Nashville, Tennessee on November 11th, 1977. After releasing their first album in 1980, Riders In The Sky began to gain national attention throughout the 1980s and 1990s with their numerous appearances on The Nashville Network (including their own show, *Tumbleweed Theater*, which ran for five seasons), the critically-acclaimed NPR series *Riders Radio Theater* from 1988 to 1995, and starring in the Emmy award winning CBS children's show *Riders In The Sky* in 1991. The band is perhaps best known for their collaborations with Disney/Pixar in 2000 and 2002, where they created the Grammy award winning albums *Woody's Roundup: A Rootin' Tootin' Collection of Woody's Favorite Songs* and *Monsters, Inc. Scream Factory Favorites*.

Riders In The Sky are comprised of guitarist **Ranger Doug** (Douglas B. Green), bassist **Too Slim** (Fred LaBour), fiddler **Woody Paul** (Paul Chrisman), and accordion player **Joey The Cow-Polka King** (Joey Miskulin).

## Members

* Douglas B. Green ("Ranger Doug"): 1977-present
* Fred LaBour ("Too Slim"): 1977-present
* Bill Collins ("Windy Bill"): 1977-1978
* Thomas Goldsmith ("Tumbleweed Tommy"): 1978-1979
* Paul Chrisman ("Woody Paul"): 1978-present
* Jody Chalk: 1979
* Joey Miskulin ("Joey The Cow-Polka King"): 1988-present
Let's All Sing A Yodeling Song

**Let's All Sing A Yodeling Song** is a selection of a song of unknown origin adapted by Ella Jenkins while visiting Switzerland. Jenkins recorded the song for her 1979 children's album *Travellin' With Ella Jenkins*. Riders In The Sky made a new arrangement of the song (based on the version by Jenkins) and recorded it for the 2004 album *cELLAbration! A Tribute to Ella Jenkins*.

## Lyrics

*Let's all sing a yodeling song*

*A yodeling song*

*A yodeling song*

*Let's all sing a yodeling song*

*Yodel-ay-ie-ie-dee*

TOO SLIM (spoken): C'mon, cowboys!

*Let's all sing a yodeling song*

*A yodeling song*

*A yodeling song*

*Let's all sing a yodeling song*

*Yodel-ay-ie-ie-dee*

TOO SLIM (spoken): You know, when you're just learning to yodel, you have to start out with the easy stuff. Let's go to yodeling kindergarten, Ranger Doug...

(RANGER DOUG YODELING)

TOO SLIM (spoken): Then it's time for yodeling middle school!

(RANGER DOUG YODELING)

TOO SLIM (spoken): Great job, kids! Let's go to yodeling high!

(RANGER DOUG YODELING)

TOO SLIM (spoken): That's the spirit!

(RANGER DOUG YODELING)

TOO SLIM (spoken): Then it's time to move on to yodel university...

(RANGER DOUG YODELING)

TOO SLIM (spoken): Well now you've graduated, and it's time to go out into the world and make your living as a professional yodeler! One, two, one, two, three-!

(RANGER DOUG YODELING)

TOO SLIM (spoken): Ride 'em, Ranger!

(RANGER DOUG CONTINUES YODELING)

TOO SLIM (spoken): Alright, take a deep breath!

(RANGER DOUG CONTINUES YODELING)

TOO SLIM (spoken): Get this man some oxygen!

(RANGER DOUG CONTINUES YODELING)

TOO SLIM (spoken): Time marches on...

(RANGER DOUG CONTINUES YODELING)

TOO SLIM (spoken): The kids are gonna grow up before this is over...

(RANGER DOUG CONCLUDES HIS YODELING)

*Let's all sing a yodeling song*

*A yodeling yodeling song...*

## Notes

* The yodel Ranger Doug performs following the line "It's time to go out into the world and make your living as a professional yodeler!" is the same yodel he uses at the end of performances of *Back In The Saddle Again*.
* The medley of songs heard during Ranger Doug's long note at the end of the song include:
	1. *Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star*
	2. *Mary Had A Little Lamb*
	3. *Oh! Susanna*
	4. *The Stars And Stripes Forever*

## Riders Recordings

* *cELLAbration! A Tribute to Ella Jenkins* (2004)
* *cELLAbration LIVE! A Tribute to Ella Jenkins* (2007) (live performance)
Riders Radio Theme

**Riders Radio Theme** is a song written by Too Slim, serving as the theme of the *Riders Radio Theater* series in almost every episode.

## Lyrics

(RIDERS PERFORM A THREE-PART HARMONIC COYOTE YODEL/HOWL)

(SOUND EFFECT OF A RIFLE COCKING AND FIRING, FOLLOWED BY THE SOUND OF CHARGING CATTLE AND COWBOY HOLLERS)

TEXAS BIX BENDER: *Riders Radio Theater* is on the air!

*Yo-de-lay-de-yo*

*It's the Riders on the radio*

*Come on partner saddle up and go*

*Get ready for the cowboy show*

*Yo-de-lay-de-yo-de-lay-ei-ay*

*We've been workin' since the break of day*

*We've been doin' it the Cowboy Way*

*And now it's time to play*

*We're gonna ride, and rope, and wrangle a tune*

*We're gonna hoot, and holler, and howl at the moon*

(RIDERS PERFORM ANOTHER THREE-PART HARMONIC COYOTE YODEL/HOWL)

TEXAS BIX BENDER: Yes, buckaroos and buckarettes, it's time to ride the airwaves once again with America's favorite cowboys: Riders In The Sky. Too Slim, the man with a dozen friends, Woody Paul, the king of the cowboy fiddlers, and Ranger Doug, the idol of American youth. This is Texas Bix Bender inviting you to saddle up and join Riders in the Sky for a thrilling program of high-yodeling adventure!

*We're gonna ride, and rope, and wrangle a tune*

*We're gonna hoot, and holler, and howl at the moon*

(RIDERS PERFORM ANOTHER THREE-PART HARMONIC COYOTE YODEL/HOWL)

*Yo-de-lay-ei-ooh*

*Every buckarette and buckaroo*

*There's a place around the fire for you*

*With Riders in the Sky*

*So come on and let's ride!*

## Riders Recordings

* *Riders Radio Theater* (1988) (first recording)
* *Riders Radio Theater: The Series* (1988-1999) (live performance, every episode with the exception of *War of The Worlds*)
* *Silver Jubilee* (2003) (new recording, part of *Riders Radio Theater Medley*)
Saturday Morning With Riders In The Sky

**Saturday Morning With Riders In The Sky** is a 1992 compilation album released by MCA Records, collecting songs and sketches from Riders In The Sky's previous albums from the MCA label: *The Cowboy Way*, *Riders Radio Theater*, *Riders Go Commercial*, and *Horse Opera*.

## Track List

* *Texas Plains* (from *The Cowboy Way*)
* *Back In The Saddle Again* (from *The Cowboy Way*)
* *Ghost Riders In The Sky* (from *The Cowboy Way*)
* *That's How The Yodel Was Born* (from *The Cowboy Way*)
* *Someone's Got To Do It* (from *Horse Opera*)
* *Ride, Cowboy, Ride* (from *Horse Opera*)
* *The Queen Elizabeth Trio* (from *Riders Go Commercial*)
* *There's A Blue Sky Way Out Yonder* (from *Riders Go Commercial*)
* *Cattle Call* (from *Riders Radio Theater*)
* *So Long, Saddle Pals* (from *Riders Radio Theater*)

## Trivia

* This album was released to capitalize on Riders In The Sky's 1991 children's television series, which aired on the CBS network on Saturday mornings (though the series had already been canceled by the time of the album's release).
* This album was the final Riders In The Sky release by MCA Records.
Riders In The Sky Salute Roy Rogers: King of The Cowboys

**Riders In The Sky Salute Roy Rogers: King of The Cowboys** is an album by Western swing band Riders In The Sky released in 2015. A spiritual sucessor to the 1996 release *Public Cowboy #1: The Music of Gene Autry*, this album is a collection of songs that are typically associated with Roy Rogers from both his solo carrer and his early years with The Sons of The Pioneers. It was distributed through Riders Radio Records.

## Track Listing

1. *A Gay Ranchero*
2. *Blue Shadows On The Trail*
3. *Skyball Paint*
4. *My Adeobe Hacienda*
5. *Pecos Bill*
6. *Don't Fence Me In*
7. *Roll On Texas Moon*
8. *Hawaiian Cowboy*
9. *Lights of Old Santa Fe*
10. *Hadie Brown (My Little Lady)*
11. *Let Us Now Praise Gabby Hayes*
12. *Yellow Rose of Texas*
13. *Along The Navajo Trail*
14. *Happy Trails*

## Credits

### Riders In The Sky

* Ranger Doug (Douglas B. Green) - Guitar, vocals
* Too Slim (Fred LaBour) - Bunkhouse bass, vocals
* Woody Paul (Paul Chrisman) - Fiddle, vocals
* Joey The Cow-Polka King (Joey Miskulin) - Accordion, vocals

### Guest Performers

* Dusty Rogers - Vocals (on *Happy Trails*)
* Chris Scruggs
* Joe Spivey
* Andy Reiss

## Liner Notes

*Roy Rogers, King of The Cowboys, the hero of our generation. He was like our big brother, or favorite uncle, instantly likable and trustworthy. He radiated kindness and goodness, yet when the need arose he was an acrobat on horseback, and quick and efficient with fists and six-guns. And he was a fine guitarist and great singer too!*

*Having saluted that other great singing cowboy, Gene Autry, a few years ago on CD, we felt it was time to do the same for Roy Rogers, and came up with a number of tunes from his long and illustrious career on film, on television, and on record.*

*It was just a small footnote in that career, but a huge honor in ours that we were fortunate enough to perform with him several times on stage, on television, and on record.*

*Believe it, he was the same guy offstage he seemed to be on camera; he was a hero who would not have disappointed you.*

*Seconds befor the camera rolled on "Hee Haw" he turned to us and quietly said "I wonder what Gene is doing this afternoon." Magic memories.*

*We hope you enjoy our tribute to Roy Rogers, King of The Cowboys, our hero.*

- Ranger Doug

## Trivia

* If not for the inclusion of the Too Slim-penned poem *Let Us Now Praise Gabby Hayes*, this would have been the second Riders In The Sky album consisting entirely of cover songs.
Here Comes The Santa Fe

**Here Comes The Santa Fe** is a song written by Ranger Doug for the first Riders In The Sky album, *Three On The Trail*.

## Lyrics

*Oooh-ooh-ooooooh*

*Watch her fly, here comes the Santa Fe*

*She's thundering loud, she's roaring haughty and proud at the break of day*

*Oooh-ooh-ooooooh*

*Watch her fly, here comes the Santa Fe*

*I'll ride her on the blinds if I can catch her on time*

*Here comes the Santa Fe*

*A drifting cowboy alone*

*At the breaking of dawn slowly wakes from a dreamless sleep*

*By the rippling falls where his wonder was called*

*In a gouge with a canyon steep*

*Where the silvery rails follow mountainous trails*

*Across the prairie and on to the sea*

*Where the girl he loves best, in a soft gingham dress*

*Is waiting for the whistle's scream*

*Oooh-ooh-ooooooh*

*Watch her fly, here comes the Santa Fe*

*She's thundering loud, she's roaring haughty and proud at the break of day*

*Oooh-ooh-ooooooh*

*Watch her fly, here comes the Santa Fe*

*I'll ride her on the blinds if I can catch her on time*

*Here comes the Santa Fe*

*Oooh-ooh-ooooooh*

*Watch her fly, here comes the Santa Fe*

*She's thundering loud, she's roaring haughty and proud at the break of day*

*Oooh-ooh-ooooooh*

*Watch her fly, here comes the Santa Fe*

*I'll ride her on the blinds if I can catch her on time*

*Here comes the Santa Fe*

## Riders Recordings

* *Three On The Trail* (1980) (first recording)
* *Tumbleweed Theater* (1983-1985) (episode unknown)
* *Riders Radio Theater* (series)
	+ *Meltdown On The Mesa* Episode 2 (1988) (live)
	+ *Singing Six Guns* Episode 10 (1989) (live)
* *Riders In The Sky* (CBS): *Fool's Gold* (new recording)
* *Yodel The Cowboy Way* (1998) (reuses *Three On The Trail* recording)
* *Ridin' The Tweetsie Railroad* (2002) (new recording)
* *Silver Jubilee* (2003) (reuses *Ridin' The Tweetsie Railroad* recording)

## Trivia

* Craig Duncan recorded an instrumental version of the song for his 2000 album *Legends Of The Old West*. Duncan's version can be heard as part of the Frontierland music loop at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California.
	+ The *Legends Of The Old West* liner notes misidentifies *Here Comes The Santa Fe* as a traditional song, instead of giving writing credit to Ranger Doug.
Prairie Serenade (song)

**Prairie Serenade** is the title track of the 1982 Riders In The Sky album of the same name. It was written by Ranger Doug.

## Lyrics

*Night winds 'a tremble with a song of love*

*Wild things assemble 'neath a moonlit sky above*

*To sing a prairie serenade*

*Heaven sent*

*And Heaven made*

*As I lie 'neath my blanket of stars*

*Prairie serenade*

*It's the cry of a child*

*It's the call of the wild*

*Prairie serenade*

*It's the longhorn's bawl*

*It's the coyotes' howl*

*The lobo's moan to the great unknown*

*Prairie serenade*

(Yodeling)

*Prairie serenade*

*It's the tumbleweed's song*

*As they tumble along*

*Prairie serenade*

*Padded paws on the prowl*

*It's the west-wind's howl*

*The twilight hum when spring is young*

*Prairie serenade*

(Yodeling)

*Prairie serenade*

## Riders Recordings

* *Prairie Serenade* (1982) (first recording)
* *Riders Radio Theater*: *Trail of The Diamond Desperado* Chapter Four (1991) (live performance)
Home On The Range

*This is about the song. You might be looking for Riders In The Sky's 2013 album of the same name.*

**Home On The Range** is a traditional American folk song which originated as a poem written by Brewster Higley in the early 1870s. Riders In The Sky first recorded the song for their 1982 album *Prairie Serenade*, which also includes elements John Lomax's version of the song presented in the 1910 book *Cowboy Songs and Other Frontier Ballads*.

## Lyrics

*Oh give me a home*

*Where the buffalo roam*

*Where the deer and the antelope play*

*Where seldom is heard*

A *discouraging word*

*And the skies are not cloudy all day*

*Home, home on the range*

*Where the deer and the antelope play*

*Where seldom is heard*

*A discouraging word*

*And the skies are not cloudy all day*

*Oh the red man was pressed*

*From this part of the West*

*Tis unlikely he'll ever return*

*To the banks of Red River*

*Where seldom if ever*

*His flickering campfires will burn*

*Home, home on the range*

*Where the deer and the antelope play*

*Where seldom is heard*

A *discouraging word*

*And the skies are not cloudy all day*

*Then give me a land*

*Where the bright diamond sand*

*Flows leisurely down to the stream*

*Where the graceful white swan*

*Goes gliding along*

*Like a maid in a heavenly dream*

*Oh I would not exchange*

*My old home on the range*

*Where the deer and the antelope play*

*Where seldom is heard*

A *discouraging word*

*And the skies are not cloudy all day*

## Lyrical Variations In Other Recordings

For the new recording featured in the 2000 album *Woody's Roundup: A Rootin' Tootin' Collection of Woody's Favorite Songs*, the second verse ("*Oh the red man was pressed from this part of the West...*") was removed and replaced with another stanza from Higley's original poem, performed by Woody Paul:

*How often at night,*

*When the heavens are bright*

*With the light of the glittering stars,*

*Have I stood there amazed*

*And asked as I gazed*

*If their glory exceeds that of ours*

For the new recording the song in 2013, the "red man" verse was re-inserted as the second verse, and "How often at night" would be moved to the third verse. A new verse (taken from William and Mary Goodwin's version of the poem from 1904) performed by Joey The Cow-Polka King would added:

*Oh give me the gleam*

*Of a swift mountain stream*

*And the place where no hurricane blows*

*Yes, give me a park*

*Where the prairie dogs bark*

*And the mountain all covered with snow*

## Riders Recordings

* *Prairie Serenade* (1982) (first recording)
* *Western Songs* (1985) (reuses *Prairie Serenade* recording)
* *Best of The West* (1987) (reuses *Prairie Serenade* recording)
* *Riders Radio Theater* (series)
	+ *Meltdown On The Mesa* Chapter Seven (1988) (live performance)
* *Cowboy Songs* (1996) (reuses *Prairie Serenade* recording)
* *Woody's Roundup: A Rootin' Tootin' Collection of Woody's Favorite Songs* (2000) (new recording)
* *A Patriot’s Songbook* (2003) (reuses *Woody's Roundup* recording)
* *Home On The Range* (2013) (new recording) (featuring Wilford Brimley)
Texas Plains

**Texas Plains** is a song written by Stuart Hamblen in 1933, first recorded by Hamblen and his band (Covered Wagon Jubilee) the following year. Riders In The Sky first recorded the song in 1987 for their live album *The Cowboy Way*, but have since adopted the tune as their "theme song" during live shows in the years that followed.

## Lyrics

*I wanna drink my java from an old tin can*

*While the moon goes ridin' high*

*I wanna hear the sound of the whippoorwill*

*I wanna hear the coyote's cry*

*I wanna feel my saddle horse between my legs*

*Ridin' 'em out on the range*

*Just to kick 'em the side make him show his step in pride*

*Back on those Texas plains*

*Somehow it seems I'm back in my dreams*

*Way back where I belong*

*Just an old cowhand from the Rio Grande*

*Back where I belong*

*Oh these city lights and these city ways*

*Are driving me insane*

*I wanna be alone, I wanna be back home*

*Back on those Texas plains*

(YODELING)

*I wanna drink my java from an old tin can*

*While the moon goes ridin' high*

*I wanna hear the sound of the whippoorwill*

*I wanna hear the coyote's cry*

*I wanna feel my saddle horse between my legs*

*Ridin' 'em out on the range*

*Just to kick 'em the side make him show his step in pride*

*Back on those Texas plains*

*Back on those Texas plains*

## Riders Recordings

* *The Cowboy Way* (1987) (live performance) (first recording)
* *Riders Radio Theater* (series)
	+ *Meltdown On The Mesa* Chapter Two (1988) (live performance)
* *Saturday Morning With Riders In The Sky* (1992) (reuses *The Cowboy Way* recording)
* *Silver Jubilee* (2002) (new recording)
* *Daytrotter Sessions: Riders In The Sky* (2013) (new recording)
There's A Blue Sky Way Out Yonder

**There's A Blue Sky Way Out Yonder** is a song written by Arthur Fields, Fred Hall, and Bert Van Cleve in 1932. Since it's publication, the song has been performed by such artist as The Sons of The Pioneers and Rex Allen. Riders In The Sky first performed the song during the seventh episode of *Riders Radio Theater*, but later recorded a studio version in 1989 for their third MCA album *Riders Go Commercial*.

## Lyrics

*There's a blue sky way out yonder*

*That's a roof over my head*

*There's a blue sky way out yonder*

*That's a cover for my bed*

*And wherever I wander*

*Wherever I may roam*

*There's a blue sky way out yonder*

*And it's callin' me home*

*I'm tired of roaming around*

*Mighty tired*

*Mighty blue*

*I've searched but I never have found*

*Any place like the home that I knew*

*There's a blue sky way out yonder*

*That's a roof over my head*

*There's a blue sky way out yonder*

*That's a cover for my bed*

*And wherever I wander*

*Wherever I may roam*

*There's a blue sky way out yonder*

*And it's callin' me home*

(Yodeling)

*There's a blue sky way out yonder*

*And it's callin' me home*

## Riders Recordings

* *Riders Radio Theater: Meltdown On The Mesa* Chapter Seven (1988) (live)
* *Riders Go Commerical* (1989) (first studio recording)
* *Land Beyond The Sun* (2011) (new recording)
Sundown In Santa Fe

**Sundown In Santa Fe** is an instrumental song written by Ranger Doug. Though the exact year of the song's composition is unknown, it has been used as early as 1987, where it was performed during live shows as part of Woody Paul's rope routine skit. It was later featured on *Riders Radio Theater*, and received a studio recording for the 2003 album *Silver Jubilee*, where it was played over *Reincarnation*.

## Riders Recordings

* *Austin City Limits*: Season 12, Episode 12 (1987) (live performance)
* *Riders Radio Theater* (series)
	+ *Meltdown On The Mesa* Chapter Seven (1988) (live performance)
* *Silver Jubilee* (2003) (first studio recording)