This site was created in loving memory of Bob Nolan by his only grandson Calin Coburn and archivist Elizabeth Drake McDonald.

 

Calin's Grandparents,

Pearl & Bob Nolan

1930

 


 

 NEED HELP?

 


 

FAQ

 


 

PUZZLES

 


 

PHOTO COLLECTIONS

 


 

LOST NOLAN SONGS

 

 


 

 

RANGO

 

 


 

Tune Your Guitar

 


 

Song for Bob Nolan

 

 

 

 

1908 - 1980

 

Pencil Sketch by William Bowen

 

     Singer, songwriter, actor and poet, Bob Nolan was instrumental in creating "Western" music, a uniquely North American art form. Cool Water and Tumbling Tumbleweeds are two of his best-known songs but they are only the tip of the iceberg.

     Most of his songs were not derived from European folk music as were a large number of traditional "Cowboy" songs. They were not "Country" songs, either. Bob's were entirely original - often pure poetry set to unusual and difficult melodies. An admirer once told Bob that he painted the west and his brush was music.

     The new sound caught the imagination of the public in the early 1930s. Contemporary musicians began to imitate, western movies picked it up and the genre was popular for thirty years.

     The Biographies section opens a small window into the life of this private man by using slide shows and video clips from his films and hundreds of photos from his own personal collection. Read about his early life and career and also how he spent his retirement years. Learn more about his famous brother, Earl, his adventurer father, Harry, and the tragic life of his mother, Flora.

     This website re-introduces over 150 of Bob Nolan's songs. You can sing along with the Sons of the Pioneers and others while you read the lyrics. If you enjoy Bob's unique voice, listen to his solos plus some duets in Spanish with Ken Carson.

     His friends and co-workers recall Bob Nolan in Recollections. Read what his fans say about him in Reflections. If you have some stories or pictures of Bob Nolan  you would like us to put on our website, please Contact Us.

     Look through the photo collections of Bob's fans, read the old fan magazines and newsletters, Tumbleweed Topics and the Prairie Prattler.

 


 

       Any and all copyright laws apply. This site is provided for your private study or reference only. Please apply for permission from Calin Coburn to use photos or text. Thank you.

       For permission to record Bob Nolan's songs, write to:



Mr. Sam Fein
c/o The Songwriter’s Guild of America
Att: Music of the West (Bob Nolan catalog)
209 10th Avenue South, Suite 321
Nashville, TN 37203

Phone: (615) 742-9945

Fax: (615) 742-9948

Email: sfein@songwritersguild.com
 

 

 

     

 

HARD TO FIND BOB NOLAN SHEET MUSIC NOW AVAILABLE

 


 

JULY SPECIAL FEATURES

 

 Song of the Month:

Crossroads

 

Photo of the Month:

Film Costumes

 

Movie of the Month:

Song of Texas

 

Spotlight:

Bear Family Boxed Set


Jenny Richards Memorial Voice Scholarship

 

 


SONS OF THE PIONEERS 6-CD BOXED SET FROM BEAR FAMILY

 


Various Announcements


Radio & Net Radio


Messages


Links


Contact Us


 

Are you looking for Sons of the Pioneers CDs? Check out our Discography page with many reviews by OJ Sikes.

 


CURRENTLY AVAILABLE SONS OF THE PIONEERS SONGS RECORDED BY TODAY'S ARTISTS

 

 

Cool Water

 

Tumbling Tumbleweeds

 

Medley

 

Listen to hundreds of selections and enjoy unique new arrangements by a wide variety of singers and entertainers, past and present.

 

 

 

 

   

© 2009

Quis nos operor in vita refero in infinitio.