Singing in the Saddle: The History of the Singing Cowboy

Rating:
Summary: slightly disappointed
Review: "Singing in the Saddle" is a very nice book with a slightly different angle to to it's counterparts. There is information in this book that I have not found in other books about the singing cowboys. All in all the book is very well worth it's money for what it offers. What I do find disappointing however is the fact that the book does not quite live up to it's title.For example the book covers a lot of information about artistes who had nothing to do with 'singing in a saddle', such as radio and stage singers only, a good many of whom either died a long time ago and/or I have never heard of.

Personally, I would have liked the book to have covered only the movie singing cowboys, not enough was said about some of them, apart of course from Gene Autry, Roy Rogers and Tex Ritter.

As a book that deals with the history of country and western music and the performers of such, then you are getting good value for money.

Rating:
Summary: slightly disappointed
Review: "Singing in the Saddle" is a very nice book with a slightly different angle to to it's counterparts. There is information in this book that I have not found in other books about the singing cowboys. All in all the book is very well worth it's money for what it offers. What I do find disappointing however is the fact that the book does not quite live up to it's title.For example the book covers a lot of information about artistes who had nothing to do with 'singing in a saddle', such as radio and stage singers only, a good many of whom either died a long time ago and/or I have never heard of.

Personally, I would have liked the book to have covered only the movie singing cowboys, not enough was said about some of them, apart of course from Gene Autry, Roy Rogers and Tex Ritter.

As a book that deals with the history of country and western music and the performers of such, then you are getting good value for money.

Rating:
Summary: The definitive work
Review: Clearly a labor of love, this book covers in detail the history of the singing cowboy in popular music -- and the American imagination. Mini-bios of dozens and dozens of not-so-well-known singers and Western musical groups, in more or less chronological order, stand beside fuller explorations of the work of the Sons of the Pioneers, Roy Rogers, Gene Autry and Tex Ritter. Green also puts the singing cowboy phenomenon into cultural context and delineates the shift from ranch-hand songs, to romantic paens about the West itself, to the current mini-renaissance. This is no hard-eyed social history, but an affectionate valentine. My only complaint: Out of humility or whatever, Green gives himself and fellow members of Riders in the Sky relatively little credit for the resurgence of interest in Western music. So let me add a footnote: For many of us out here, Riders in the Sky reawakened long-buried childhood dreams of tumbling tumbleweeds and blue shadows on the trail, making awesome music and contributing some classic songs to the canon themselves. For that -- and this excellent book -- thanks!

Rating:
Summary: Essential Singing Cowboy text
Review: Green's Singing in the Saddle provides an articulate wide-ranging history of the Singing Cowboy from its origins in western folk culture to the triumph of the B Westerns. He draws strong portraits of both primary stars and lesser known actors who contributed to the genre. An excellent introduction and a must for country music collections.

Rating:
Summary: An engaging and impressively informative presentation
Review: Singing In The Saddle: The History Of The Singing Cowboy by music historian and performer Douglas B. Green is an engaging and impressively informative presentation of the history of western music, films, and performers of America, both before and after World War II. Black-and-white photographs enhance this avidly detailed and lovingly written survey of an aspect of American Popular culture. Douglas B. Green ("Ranger Doug" from the Grammy Award-wining group Riders in the Sky) is to be commended for his expertise, his ability to write for the non-specialist general reader, and his ability to acquire anecdotal stories and recollections by some of the most experienced and influential members of the "singing cowboy" community.

Rating:
Summary: Wonderful!
Review: This is a most informative book...with enough information to keep the truly serious Western Music researcher happy, while not "drowning" the average leisure reader with "monotonous" facts.

Douglass B. Green (aka: Ranger Doug, "idol of American youth") is a very important figure in the preservation of Western Music History. His book is strong enough to be used as a college text, yet engrossing enough to keep most reading to the very end.

This is a most enjoyable book.