Last update: Saturday, November 29, 2008
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Q&A 2007.
January 1, 2008
Mr. Coburn,
My name is Kristina Heflin and I, first of all, wanted to thank you so very much for creating your wonderful website about your grandfather. It has been so informative and entertaining, I go back almost every day! I'm a huge fan of Bob Nolan. But there's one question that's been bothering me for quite awhile.
In "Bells of Rosarita", (one of my favorite films featuring Bob) he begins to describe the plot of his and Roy Rogers' latest film to Adele Mara. He starts to say, "The heavy, that's the villain in the picture, has stolen the... away from the girl." I just can't understand what it is he says got stolen!
Now, I've seen this movie at least 50 times (it's one of my favorites) and I've asked other people, but we just can't make it out. Are we just thick-headed or is it an especially difficult line? I would appreciate it if you could tell us.
Thank you again so much for the time and effort you've put forward so that others can enjoy your grandfather's work. God bless!
Thank you for writing, Kristina. We are always happy to hear from such devoted fans. As for the line in "Bells of Rosarita", perhaps Bob's Canadian accent is hard to understand. He says, "The heavy, that's the villain in the picture, has stolen the borax works away from the girl."
There's a play on the word "works" when Bob, after an interruption, says, "Now where was I? I'm just about to get the works." Aware a double meaning to what he's just said, he pauses but, facing Adele's patently adoring look, he carries on happily.
Happy New Year!
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January 1, 2008
Love your website. Would like to hear more original music of the Sons and fewer remakes. I have been trying to locate my favorite western hymn which was in one of their albums. Do you know if there is a cd version of ALL WILD THINGS available? The song would make a good theme for an animals right group.
Herman S. King
PO Box 583
Wicomico, VA 23184 (in northern Tidewater) allegedly the home of Pocahontas.
We haven't heard of the song being produced on CD yet, Herman, but we are hoping that someone will put out a big boxed set of all Stan Jones' songs one day soon. In the meantime, go to our Stan Jones page and listen to "All Wild Things". It's from my old LP so the audio isn't that great but maybe it will bring back good memories.
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January 1, 2008
Happy New Year to You. This is a marvelous compendium. I am learning to much about Bob, and just filling out my picture of him. Mainly, seeing that the early years were a wellspring of treasure which he dipped back into throughout his life. If only we all could have known him in person. I sure would love to know more about that dog, and/or any other animal pets/family members he ever had. Happy trails,
Pat Simons
In later years, Bob did have a much-photographed black Labrador Retriever he called "Tumbleweed", "Tumble" for short. He thought a lot of that dog and would never get another after it died. Stuart Hamblen offered him one of his famed puppies and was astonished when Bob refused. Bob also had a mynah bird that had quite a large vocabulary. You can read a bit about this bird in a 1976 interview. Concerning his family members, you might be interested in reading about his brother, Michael Earl Nolan, a civil engineer, a professional athlete and a much-decorated Marine.
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January 2, 2008
I wrote a song once that was sung by Johnny Nash on the Arthur Godfrey show (back in the 50s) but it was never recorded professionally. I did have an acetate recording but lost it over the years. I also had several copies of the sheet music but now have only one. The lyrics were: A couple of years ago, I wrote a hymn, THE FIELDS OF FOREVER, but have not found someone to put a melody to it. Too bad I l can't write or sing music, but in my mind, I can hear it sung softly by a choir:
I hear the wind chimes so lovely and so cool,
I smell your fragrance My flower of the pool:
Memories of a garden
and a sweet delight,
Gone just like the shadows
of an Eastern night....
Your lips like petals are still haunting me,
Now just the memory of a golden ecstasy.
I hear them tinkling, the wind chimes so cool,
Echoes of your voice, my Flower of the pool.
A couple of years ago, I wrote a hymn, THE FIELDS OF FOREVER, but have not found someone to put a melody to it. Too bad I l can't write or sing music, but in my mind, I can hear it sung softly by a choir:
Lift your face upward and gaze at the sky,
A peace beyond measure it does yield,
And as you hear the wind's lullaby,
You will be like the Lilies of the field.
Kneel down at night and pray to your Lord,
Let your faith in him be your shield,
You will never need armor nor sword,
You'll be like the Lilies of the field.
When death comes at last to lead you away,
Reach out for the hand of your Saviour
And soon as night is followed by day,
Walk with him in the Fields of Forever.
Take the hand of your blessed Saviour,
Walk with Him in the Fields of Forever,
Where all of your loved ones who've gone on before
Meet with you in the Fields of Forever.
Herman S. King
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January 2, 2008
Thank you very much for taking the time to write, Jim. Yes, we will be very happy to include your medley. And it goes without saying that we will be delighted to see and hear you and your group on video. Thanks again and have a great year!
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January 2, 2008
Elizabeth,
I hope you and Calin had a great holiday season. I was working here at AMA, and I couldn't help but think of Bob and to visit his Website. I'm so glad that you convinced Calin to share his grandfather with the world, at least with us western fans.
Could you tell me how many people visit the site weekly or monthly, even with returns? I plan to move forward this year on the proposal for a book not just about Bob Nolan but about western music writers and their impact on the western cowboy icon.
Incidentally, you might want to suggest that Calin check out Time & Life, which is releasing a whole series of religious albums. See if there's a place for one or two of Bob's inspirational songs.
Best regards,
Florence
Florence, it was good of you to write again. Thank you for your suggestions. To set the record straight, I didn't have to "convince" Calin. The website was his generous idea! As far as the number of visitors to the website goes, we have a counter at the bottom of our Home Page and I see that today it reads 42,878 since we started in July, 2006. We look forward to hearing more about your book and wish you success and a good New Year.
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January 2, 2008
re the special 100 year tribute to nolan. love the way it is set up. also the old songs. even tho some of the recordings not undamaged. seeing tim's picture when playing blue prairie from same noticed he looked blonde. i dont remember any of the pioneers being anything but dark hair but then i saw tim after his pioneer work. anyone else light colored hair? like perryman etc. Josie Keep up good work
Josie, I'm afraid that I have no idea what Tim or Lloyd's hair color was. I'm sorry.
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January 5, 2008
You sure had a wonderful Grand Dad. Hopefully you had lots of time to spend with him. What a fine American and inspiration to so many for so long................
Lilian M. Intartaglia
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January 6, 2008
Stan Jones. What killed him at such an early age?
Stan Jones died of cancer, Herman.
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January 7, 2008
Very nice website. I am 50 yrs old and have been a Pioneers fan since my father played their albums for me when I was 5 yrs old. I love Bob's work. I have many albums, CD's, tapes, and movies with Bob Nolan singing on them. I still listen to them almost daily. My 14 yr old son grew up listening to them. They are timeless. Just thought I'd share my appreciation with you.
adios,
Keith Ward
Thank you, Keith, for taking the time to write. It's good to know that Bob Nolan is still remembered and we hope the site will continue to interest you.
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January 10, 2008
I think it is absolutely the BEST web site I have ever came across. Its very easy to sort out the part you want to check out that day {of course I looked at them all}. I always lived Bob Nolan and thought he should have had bigger parts in the movies, or starred in some of them. As a young kid I tried to imitate his voice and sing his songs. It was a most distinctive sound.
A fellow film collector, Jim McNeil
Jim, those are such great words and just what we want to hear! Thank you for letting us know. We've been looking at the Starretts again and noticing that Bob did have excellent parts, far better than he had in the Roy Rogers movies. He must have worked hard to become as good as he did and he said he enjoyed being second lead to the star but he also stated that he absolutely did not want to be a star himself.
You say you are a film collector - if you come across an uncut version of "Sons of the Pioneers" (Republic 1942 / Roy Rogers), please let us know? It has one of Bob's songs in it near the end called "Things are Never What They Seem". Roy sings it to Maris Wrixon, the heroine. We haven't found an uncut film yet and this has been a disappointment to us.
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January 15, 2008
Hi Mr Coburn
I was wondering if you know where Mr Nolan was born. If he was born in Saint John New Brunswick than his birthplace was only 100 miles away from where I lived in New Brunswick. Some say he was born in Winnipeg Canada.
Thank You
Charlie
Good morning, Charlie.
Bob Nolan was, indeed, born in Winnipeg but he thought he might have been born in New Brunswick because he lived in Hatfield Pt. for several years as a child.
When we read what is written about Bob Nolan in various sources, we have to remember that Hollywood hype and invented histories are misleading. To read the truth about Bob's history, go to our page under Biographies. We have made a great effort to present only the proven facts.
Thank you for writing. I hope this will clear things up for you.
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January 16, 2008
Hi Calin, after seeing your web sight on your grandfather, it moved me to write you and tell you I am another of the many fans of Bob Nolan and the sons of the pioneers. I lived in Nashville for several years and saw Bob's picture and a brief story of him at a song writers office. Do you know where I could find a copy of his song (SOMEONE I USED TO KNOW) ? Hope to hear from you. My name is Harrison Beck. Thanks and God bless you and yours.
Hello, Harrison.
We are happy to know you still remember Bob Nolan's songs. "Someone I Used to Know" was never published as sheet music. Dave Bourne made a demo for us from rough lead sheets we have. He sang it just as it was written on our "Lyrics" page for the song.
The "Lyrics" page can be accessed from the sidebar on our Home Page. You can click on any song on this page and it will take you to the words and a recording you can sing along with.
Thank you for writing - and keep singing!
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January 20, 2008
I heard about your site from the Western Music Association. It is wonderful, just great. keep up the fine work. All fans appreciate your work. Al Johnson
That's what we need to hear, Al. Thanks!
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January 23, 2008 Mystery Solved
Hello,
My dad was a cow/calf operator that ran cattle in the Cedar Mountain area of the Livermore Valley, Livermore, California. As we drove the dirt roads to/from the ranch we would often sing cowboy songs as our pickup did not have a radio.
One special song that I remember had the words, "Nowhere to go and nothin' to do, I'm just a happy rovin' Cowboy . . ." . I loved this song and my Dad would always sing it with such gusto -- I'm sure that he's singing it in heaven. I never knew the origin nor the complete verses of the song until today when my friend Carol referred me to your website.
My family still has cattle. My son and son-in-law carry on the tradition and I cannot wait until my 18 month-old grandson can sing the Happy Cowboy song with me in the pickup. When he does, I'll feel like my Dad is singing along.
Thanks so much for your work on this site. I'm a Sons of the Pioneers fan with Tumbling Tumbleweeds and Cool Cool Water being among my favorite all-time songs.
Thanks again,
Robin Sachau
Our family always sang that song, too, so we know just how you feel. You know, you could substitute any word for "cowboy" and the song would still apply today. It's one of the songs Bob wrote that will never go out of date. Thanks for writing. Keep singing!
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January 23, 2008
This is an amazing website. My Dad was a great Sons of the Pioneers fan. So, WE as kids heard it All of the time (When I was trying to listed to 70's rock and roll!!!)
Anyway, we have family members with middle names of Nolan and so it just Feels like I Knew the sons of the pioneers personally. I recently had the pleasure of visiting with Tommy Doss by phone and getting an album that I had searched for for 20 years. (Sons of the Pioneers sing the songs of Bob Nolan. My Dad passed away in 1990, but when I hear that sound......It feels like he is still with me...especially the transcendental lyrics of Bob Nolan.......
Thanks for keeping that pioneer sound alive.
Connie in Oklahoma
We understand that Tommy Doss just sold his record collection. I'm happy you chose the one you did - one of our favorites, too.
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January 24, 2008
Heard about the site from the Western Music Association. Love it! This web site is long overdue! What a treat! Bob was indeed the "Poet of the Plains" as well as "The Sound of the Pioneers". Bob along with Billy Hill and Marty Robbins are the "Big Three" of Western/Cowboy songs as far as I'm concerned. I had a radio program here in Tampa 1979-91 called "Country Music Memories". On June 20, 1990 I did a two hour long program on Bob and his music. I was also a member of the S.O.P Historical Society back in the 1980's/90's. I was saddened when Ken Griffis had to discontinue it. His songs, like his voice has such a distinct sound, even if you hadn't heard the song before, you'd know it was a Bob Nolan composition.
I came to the U.S. in May, 1948 from the Cayman Islands where I was born. I was not quite 12 years old at the time. My Dad, being a merchant seaman, would always bring those old 78's (remember them) home to play on our wind-up Victrola. Among them were always the latest SOP's records. The first Saturday morning in Tampa my brother and I ventured downtown with a new-found next-door friend. We went to the Strand Theatre (no longer around) and they were showing "Under California Stars". That was the first time I saw Roy Rogers and the SOP's on the screen. I was mesmerized seeing then on the screen. I sat through the movie 3 times just to hear Roy and the SOP's sing (My brother and our new-found friend Wallace left and went home after the first showing). My mother was in a state of panic because I didn't come home with my younger brother and knowing we had only been here in Tampa 3 days. After that I saw "Pecos Bill" and "The Eyes of Texas" and I was hooked forever on the SOPs.
I now have the SOPs on 41 LPs, 16 CDs, a number of old 78's and the "Cowboy Classics" 78 rpm set my mother bought for me as a 13th birthday present in 1950. Back when I was doing my "Country Music Memories" program on WMNF, WTAN & WRFA 1979-1991 here in Tampa, I always played a least 2 songs on each program by the SOPs and one 2-hour special each year. I was on WMNF here in Tampa for 12 consecutive years and at the same time on WTAN (1984-86) in Clearwater and WRFA (1986-89) in Largo.
But I could go on forever, because the SOPs bring out the kid in me.
One thing more I should mention. My wife and I are members of the First Baptist Church here in Tampa. I sing in the choir and I also play the guitar. Every 7 or 8 weeks my turn comes around to solo and last October I sang "The Touch of God's Hand" and everyone wanted to know where the song came from. The funny thing about this whole thing was that at the last moment, as I was walking to the mikes, I decided to sing it and not the song I was originally planning to sing! If I was being accompanied on the organ I never would have been able to switch and do something like that.
Again, thanks for this beautiful tribute to a truly great composer.
Roy Bodden
Good morning, Roy. What a fine tribute to Bob Nolan! Thank you for taking the time to tell us. We're happy to hear you are enjoying the website, too. Keep checking. We are adding more all the time.
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January 24, 2008
Who does the yodel on "Chant of the Wanderer"? (1946). Sounds like Lloyd to me. Thanks.
Bob
I don't know for sure, of course, but I've always thought it was Lloyd.
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January 26, 2008
We heard about the site from the internet - oj Sikes. We loved it, you all have put together a wonderful site. It is truly amazing. Our hats off to you all. We are always looking for ways to bring more attention to Western music. We are Tommy Doss`s son and daughter-in-law, and you have given us much to look at and think about. Great for you. I am Carole and Tim is Tommy's 2nd son. We live here in Enterprise, close to Tommy and Naomi. They are both in their 80s now and really doing well. I will show them the site, I know they will love it as much as we did. Thankx Carole and Tim
Thanks, Carole. That is high praise from you. Our very best greetings to Tommy. I see that he is offering his 45 rpm recordings for sale so we have included your message and email address in case any of our readers are interested.
Hello to all.
Dad (Tommy Doss) and I (Tim Doss) are going thru Tommy's collection of 45rpm records, and have decided to offer some them here . Most of these 45s were advanced promo copies, given out to the artists themselves to listen to.
Take a look and if you are interested just call me Tim Doss @ 1-541-426-3442 or e-mail me @ tcdos@yahoo.com
Here's the list:
1- 7 copies of Montana/Lonely Little Room in the original brown paper dust covers under the Coral Label.
2- 2 copies of A Garden full of Roses, in the original (hard covers with the Pioneers picture on them)
3- 1 Cowboy Country, flipside, Maverick, on the Mercury label . From the old 50s western on television.
4- 1 green RCA 45 signed by Tommy in the 50s original.
5- 2 Theme 45s from the old television show Sugarfoot, and The Californians, featuring Tommy.
We also are offering many older obscure western artists 45s as well, just call or e-mail and I can give you that list, Thanks to all,
Tim
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January 26, 2008
Foy Willing's widow told me about the site when I contacted her to give my praise to Foy and also to compare the Sons to the Riders, each group with certain superior talents to the other. Bob, the greatest songwriter, Foy, the greater arranger. She wrote a book on Foy, and agreed with my praise for Bob Nolan
This is the most fabulous thing I ever hope to see on this computer of mine. A veritable treasure, so well done and so complete; so wonderful to have so many folks, great folks involved with such a project.
Ron Boothe
Praise, indeed! Thank you so much, Ron, and please give our greetings to Mrs. Willing. We have a lot of Foy's recordings and I think my own favorite is Dale Warren singing "Dreary Black Hills" with the Riders of the Purple Sage. Smooth, smooth sound.
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January 27, 2008
This is the very best website for western music and the Sons of the Pioneers. Bob Nolan is in a class by himself. I would like to get the lyrics to "You Don't Know What Lonesome Is." Can you help me? Thanx.
Abe Reddekopp
I'm sorry I can't help you with the lyrics, Uncle Abe. I'd like to see the sheet music myself. The words "nipwick hen" and "ching-pung" or whatever it is, defeat me! I'm very sorry. In fact, if you get the lyrics from a reputable source, remember us. We'd like to see them, too.
Thanks so much for getting back to me. I talked with Dale Warren about the lyrics and he did not know where to get the written words either. He said the words are "when the hoot owl toots his tulu to the wail of the nitwick hen, when the chingpong chirps on a chilly night..." Between shows, he and I and Ken Latimore sang the lyrics as we remembered them. I would also like the words to Rex Allen's, "Who shot the hole in my sombrero." Thanks for your good work. If I ever find the lyrics to "Lonesome", I'll yell.
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January 27, 2008
Were the Smokey the Bear programs of the 1950s 5 minutes long?
Bob
I don't know, Bob. We have only the radio programs the Sons of the Pioneers made when Bob Nolan was with them. Perhaps a reader will let you know and then you can tell us!
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January 27, 2008
I found your site by accident while looking for information about Roy Rogers. This is a wonderful site. And what a tribute to your grandfather. I commend the wonderful work you have done on this site.
Thank you very much, Sharon. Keep watching. There will be more coming!
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January 28, 2008
Of course I'm agreeable to having a blurb about my book on your Bob Nolan site...who wouldn't? Bob Nolan was one of Foy's idols. You may check out my site at www.sharonwilling.com and my book is available through there (although it's less expensive through Amazon). Are you familiar with Larry Hopper? He wrote a Bob Nolan book, too. Let me know, and if you have any questions, please don't hesitate to write me again. Thanks so much for getting in touch with me!
Best regards,
Sharon
sharonfoywilling@aol.com
www.sharonwilling.com
Hi, Sharon.
We are very pleased to point our readers to your book! You'll see the little ad at the bottom of this page: http://bobnolan-sop.net/Books/Books.htm Good luck!
Yes, I know Larry Hopper. He wrote the Bob Nolan book based on the collection I donated to the Southern Folklife Collection at the University of North Carolina. He helped me tremendously in those early years and we owe him a great deal.
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January 28, 2008
Hi Abe and Elizabeth,
I started collecting lyrics of my favorite songs back when I was 13 years old (1950) by clipping them out of song books, i.e. "Country Song Roundup", "Hit Parade", etc. I continued until about 1972 when it got to the point that I lost interest in what music I was hearing. So now I have 8 scrap books of lyrics. On page 3 of my very first scrap book I have the lyrics to "You Don't Know What Lonesome Is" by Foster Carling & Country Washburne written in 1947. Following are the lyrics...
When the hoot-owl toots his "too-loo"
To the wail of the "nip-wick" hen
And the "ching-fung" chirps in the chilly night
It's mighty lonesome then
And it's mighty lonesome when the wind
Howls thru the jack pine boughs
But you don't know what lonesome is
Till you git to herdin' cows.
Do-me ah-ma-do, do-me-ah-ma day,
All alone, all alone.
Now the ordinary feller,
Gits off on a Saturday night,
And he gits a chance to see his pals
Which ain't no more than right
But when the saddle is your life
There's no time to carouse,
And you don't know what lonesome is
Till you git to herdin' cows.
Do-me ah-ma-do, do-me ah-ma day,
By myself, by myself.
Now the keeper of the lighthouse
And the sailorman at sea
And the lookout on the mountain top
Ain't got a thing on me
"Cause I've got all the lonesomeness
The common law allows
And you don't know what lonesome is
Till you git to herdin' cow.
Do-me ah-ma-do, do-me ah-ma-day
Cowboy blues, cowboy blues.
Now you may often wonder
Why a cowboy sings so sad
He's thinkin' of the many things
In life he never had
No pal, no gal for company
Just the cattle as they browse
Man, you don't know what lonesome is
Till you git to herdin' cows.
Do-me ah-ma-do, do-me ah-my-day
All alone, by myself, cowboy blues, doggone cows.
All the best,
Roy Bodden, Tampa, FL
Thanks from all of us, Roy. Keep those scrapbooks handy. What an excellent reference source!
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February 01, 2008
The guy looking for Rex Allen's "Who Shot the Hole in My Sombrero" will be glad to know that the recording is available on a CD from British Archive of Country Music (BACM)
REX ALLEN Song of the Hills -- CD D 051
Hootin’ And Howlin’/ Afraid/ As Long As The River Flows On/ Cottage In
The Clouds/ Jambalaya/ Song Of The Hills/ No One Will Ever Know/ Miranda
Doaks/ Ragtime Melody/ Tennessee Tears/ Who Shot The Hole In My Sombrero/
Chime Bells/ Broken Down Merry Go Round/ Loaded Pistol/ Always You/ Till
The Well Goes Dry/ Tuck Me To Sleep In My Old Tucky Home/ Two Faced Clock/
Waltz Of The Roses/ Rack Up The Balls Boy/ Further Along/ Tag Along
Thanks pardner. I have the song but not the written lyrics. There are a few Mexican names I'm not sure of.
Abe
Have you tried OJ Sikes? osikes@nj.r.com He is fluent in Spanish and will know. He is familiar with the song. I've heard it on his Internet radio show: www.bostonpete.com/ojsikes/
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February 01, 2008
I enjoyed reading your new Q & A page. A great idea. I noted in this exchange that Herman King was looking for All Wild Things - no doubt the original version by the Pioneers, but thought I might let him know about my version as well. If you have an email for him, I'll contact him, or if not, I'll drop him a line at the address he's provided. Meantime, his message reminds me to get in touch with some animal rights and nature organizations about the song!
Thanks!
Rich
Another great song for animal rights and nature organizations is Marty Robbins' "Man Walks Among Us" which was one of Bob Nolan's favorites. He recorded it for his last LP, "Bob Nolan - The Sound of a Pioneer" by Elektra.
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February 01, 2008
Ahhhh....this is wonderful!! I "fell in love" with Bob Nolan's voice when I was very very young!!....When I heard "Cool Water" ....and...."Chant of the Wanderer" ...I was enchanted!! My father was already teaching me the songs of the Sons of the Pioneers...long before I actually heard any of their recordings.... Some of Dad's favorites that he passed on early to me were ..."Wind"... "When Pay Day Rolls Around".... "Chant of the Plains"...."Old Skybald Paint"...and my all time favorite.... "Song of the Bandit"!! Then I, in turn....taught them to my younger sisters! We styled our trio harmonies after that of the Sons of the Pioneers...and perform their songs to this very day!! They are still the Best of the Best!! Thank you so much for giving us this website....Bob Nolan is one of my Heroes!!!
Donna Guffey -of the-
"Sisters of the Silver Sage" http://sistersofthesilversage.com/
vFebruary 01, 2008
I've been visiting your website and I must say one again....it's remarkable. I doubt if anyone else has such a wonderful website devoted to them. The variety of the information and the thoroughness of each entry is remarkable.
Just read about You Are My Eyes and one line really caught me. The one about Lloyd Perryman and what a fine guy he was. Lloyd was one of the finest people I've ever had the pleasure of knowing. A gem of a guy. A gentleman. Humble. Down to earth. Truly a fine, fine gentleman and a wonderful friend.
While I still have lots more to look through on the website I do have a suggestion (if it's not already there somewhere)
My impression was that Lloyd and Bob were very close...at least as close as Bob would let anyone get. Sort or like a big brother and little brother relationship. Perhaps Lloyd's son could help clarify what I mean. I think it would be wonderful to go into this to whatever degree it could be done. I think that one o the reasons Bob was willing to walk away from the Pioneers was that he knew the group would be in Lloyd's hands and that was a comfort factor.
In the time I knew Lloyd I only had one criticism of him.....I wished he'd have quit smoking. He just couldn't quit and it took his life at much too early an age. I feel that his heart attacks were brought on by his smoking and it was such a waste of an fine guy and such an enormous talent.
And what a talent. The guy had it all. He could sing like an angel. He could do vocal arrangements better than anyone. And he loved the Pioneers with all his heart.
He was a gem and I hope you'll find someway to bring this to the attention of more people.
Best regards,
Laurence Zwisohn
Yes. Your suggestion is a good one. I think the best thing to do is to Spotlight Lloyd Perryman next month. That will be found faster than the way our site is set up now. Thanks! Perhaps some of our readers could tell us more about Lloyd.
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February 01, 2008
Big Favor to Ask - Could your web site add a note about the Honoring of Roy Rogers and Dale Evans at the Cowtown Opry Gala on Mar. 1 in Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame in Fort Worth? We would really appreciate your help as he and Bob and the Sons of the P. were real close and we need to let the people across the world know about this chance to HONOR ROY and DALE-their daughter Cheryl Rogers Barnett will stand in for Mom and Dad.
Great job and hope you can help on this getting the word out.
SINCE I THOUGHT I COULD BE ROY'S REPLACEMENT-- THIS IS MUCH MORE THAN JUST ANOTHER FUN RAISER, IT IS MY CHRISTMAS GIFT I NEVER THOUGHT I WOULD RECEIVE - PROMOTING MY CHILDHOOD HERO AROUND THE WORLD INCLUDING THE SONS OF THE PIONEERS - ESPECIAL BOB. THANKS FOR YOUR HELP.
Richard Linnartz- Publicity Cowtown Opry, Historic Fort Worth Stockyards, Cowtown USA
Glad to help!
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February 02, 2008
Bob and dad were very close. They worked on songs together, drank beer together, fished together. Bob was a pretty reclusive guy but he and my dad were very good friends. Bob would come to our house often. I remember him speaking Spanish with my grandmother. Bob was an exceptional human and his friendship was very important to my dad. I have recently found some old pictures of dad and Bob drinking beer in Pioneertown. I am in the field now counting gray whales. When I get back to the lab I will send you some.
Wayne Perryman
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February 05, 2008
I have been a fan of the Sons of the Pioneers since the 1940s. Since these questions are to be brief, I will get to the point.
Around 1995 I bought a video tape called The Singing Cowboys. It contains movie clips of these various artists singing, such as Gene Autry, Roy Rogers, (Roy's clips also included the Sons of the Pioneers). There were all of the usual ones shown, but near the end of the tape was a song supposedly sung by Ken Maynard. The name of the movie was In Old Santa Fe made in 1934. The recordings I heard on music samples on the internet do not sound at all the same as was on the video tape. On the music samples, he has a high squeaky voice, where on the video his voice is rather deep. I told my daughter at the time that it sounded like Bob
Nolan dubbing his singing. Is there any way you could find out whether this is indeed Bob singing? I do not know the name of the song.
I would like to, later on, write you and tell you about how much I have loved the Pioneer's music since the mid l940's. I still love them to this day.
Thank you for having all this information on your web site. I enjoy reading everything on it.
Martha Rosser
Hello, Martha.
Good to hear from you again. You are quite correct. Bob Nolan's voice was dubbed in for Ken Maynard's in a little song called "That's Why I Like My Dog" (aka "As Long as I've Got My Dog".) It amused Bob to think that Columbia Pictures was dubbing different baritones over his voice in the Charles Starrett pictures when his own voice was being used in other movies like "Song of the Saddle" and the Ken Maynard picture you mention, "In Old Santa Fe".
For a little more information on "In Old Santa Fe", go to our Filmography page and select Various Films& Bit Parts. You'll hear Bob singing the song from that movie when you open the page.
We would love to hear in full about your reflections on the Sons of the Pioneers. Thank you for writing today.
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February 06, 2008
Hello Calin,
Our names are Anne & Peter and we come from Germany. We are collecting Country Music records for more than 40 years now and the Sons of the Pioneers are our very favorite Western group. We nearly have all their commercially available recordings and copies of some of their transcriptions. We discovered your wonderful website about your granddad recently, while searching for some up to date information about the group. There are some special anniversaries ahead. 75 Years of the Sons of the Pioneers, Bob Nolan’s 100th birthday and also Tim Spencer’s 100th birthday. We are planning to do a special radio program and a podcast in memory of Bob Nolan and the SOP in April for the fans and western music lovers here in Germany.
We love Bob’s singing and songwriting. We even used “Cool Water” as a lullaby for or two daughters, when they were babies and small kids. They are 17 and 19 now and still remember and love the song. And it was on a trip through the southwestern states of the US in 1982 when we learnt that “tumbleweeds” are real and not an invention of some movie directors.
The website you put together is really a gem. We’ve spend hours in reading, looking at the pictures and listening to the songs. Really interesting for us are the video clips. It’s so nice to see Bob and the boys in action as we never had the chance to see the old B-Western on TV. Since there are DVDs things have changed. Now a lot of the old movies are available again but only in the US.
You are collecting versions of Cool Water and Tumbling Tumbleweeds by other artists. Do you know if these two songs have been recorded in other languages – perhaps in Spanish? We are just trying to find out, if there are versions of one of the songs in German. And we were lucky. There is a German version of “Cool Water” . Now the song is called “Charlie” and it is sung by a guy named “Ronny”. He was famous for covering Country and Western songs in German in the 50s. There’s also another version of “Charlie” by a group called “The Rangers, Vocal perhaps by Ralph Paulsen”. We’ve attached these two version to this email – just for your interest.
We are also putting together a list of Bob Nolan’s composition sung by other artist. We have already more than 40 of his songs sung by different artists in our database.
We also enjoyed your “Spotlight on Ken Curtis” last month. Did you know that Ken Curtis has made an LP with some songs in German in 1978? If you like to have this for your collection, we can send you a copy on a CD as this LP is out of print for many years. While being in Germany Ken Curtis also appeared in a German TV Show “It’s Country Time”. There he sang “Tumbling Tumbleweeds”. We have an audio and video clip of this in our collection. If you like to have a copy of this – no problem.
Once again congratulations to your great website. It helps us a lot with “our Bob Nolan project”. Kind regards from Germany
ANNE & PETER GREB
Hello, Anne and Peter.
Greetings to Western Music lovers in Germany from both Canada and the USA! We are delighted to hear from you. Thank you very much for the German renditions of Cool Water. We've put them on the Bob Nolan website plus a link from the Home Page. "Ronny" has a beautiful voice, as I'm sure you'll agree.
Yes, we would very much like to add your Ken Curtis material to our collection. Ken was a friend of Bob Nolan's, as well as a co-worker, and we are doing what we can to let our visitors know more about him.
Again, thank you for your interest in Bob Nolan and the Sons of the Pioneers. I hope you manage to find some of the Charles Starrett movies they were in because those films were the best showcases of the Sons of the Pioneers' music.
If you would like us to add your website to our Links page, we will be very happy to do so.
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February 07, 2008
When you get the translation, please send it on. Will be interesting to read and compare. I could understand some of the words but they sure didn't 'keep a movin' Dan' in my limited experience.
Michelle
Here you are, the translation from Anne Greb.
Old Charlie (deutscher Text)
Heut‘ reiten wir zum letzten Mal nach Laremie hinüber
Old Charlie
Den Felsenweg im Geiertal mit dir ritt ich hinüber
Good old Charlie
Pferde, Gin und Frau’n und dann auf im Morgengrauen
Ob es Ernst war oder Spaß
Stets den Colt bereit, ja das war Charlie
Doch eines Tages ritt er aus
Und sein Mustang kam am Abend
Ohne ihn nach Haus
Good old Charlie
Sie fanden ihn vor Laremie
Und manches Mädchen weinte
Old Charlie
Denn jede meint, er starb für sie
Drum schwiegen seine Freunde
Good old Charlie
Pferde, Gin und Frau’n und dann auf im Morgengrauen
Ob es Ernst war oder Spaß
Stets den Colt bereit
Ja, das war Charlie
Er lebte noch so manches Jahr
Und hatte nur das Pech, dass ein Anderer einmal schneller war
Good old Charlie
Charley (roughly translated)
We’re riding for the last time to Laramie today
Old Charlie
The rocky road through hawk valley I rode with you
Good old Charlie
Horses, gin and women and up at daybreak (dawn)
Serious or fun
Ready with the gun
Yes, that was Charlie
One day he rode away
and his mustang came home without him
good old Charlie
They found him next to Laramie
And some girls cried above him
Because they thought he died for them
But his friends were quite
Good old Charlie
Horses, gin and women, up at daybreak (dawn)
Serious or fun
Ready with the gun
Yes, that was Charlie
He still lives on for some more years
But his fate was that someone was faster
Good old Charlie
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February 08, 2008
Dear Elizabeth and Calin--
I have another question for you. On the 1940's transcriptions, made in Chicago in 1940 and 41, there are two songs I'm not sure if one of the Pioneers wrote them. They are: I Belong to the Range and Riding the Range with You. These transcriptions contained so many beautiful songs. I really do not know which songs I like the best. They were all sung superbly. I bought these from Jimmie Wilhelm. I accidentally got on his website last summer and I have gotten a lot of the Pioneer's music from him and also from Amazon.com. Amazon.com is where I purchased the first cd's which was a 5 CD set called Songs of the Prairie. These were all 1934 and 35 transcriptions . All of the LP records, CD's I have, I recorded them on cassette tapes and I play them all the time--even in my car. I never get tired of listening to their music. They were the greatest ever. Once I get started talking about them, it seems as though I can't stop. I am 75 years old and I thought I would never hear those old songs which I used to listen to back in the 40's Their music makes my day.
Martha
"Ridin' the Range with You" was written by Tim Spencer and "I Belong to the Range" was written by his brother, Glenn Spencer. Someday we will create a page for Glenn Spencer who wrote so many beautiful songs for the Sons of the Pioneers.
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February 12, 2008
Hi there. I am overjoyed to hear you are a grandson of Bob Nolan.. I simply LOVED the Sons of the Pioneers and looked forward to see film with Roy just to see and hear them. The first 45RPM record set that I bought was a collection of theirs including COOL WATER, CHANT OF THE WANDERER, etc. Played it over and over, and over...Tell me more about Bob, please. I will definitely check to see if I can locate an uncut copy with that song included...Derald Hendry
Well, Derald, the best I can do is to point you to the Bob Nolan website his grandson and I have created together. If you like singing, check out the Lyrics page where you can sing along with the Sons of the Pioneers. If you liked the movies, go to Filmography. Or if you want to know all about Bob, go to Biographies and click away till you find what you want. The site is huge and if you need help navigating, please let us know.
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February 17, 2008
TUMBLING TUMBLEWEEDS
When I hear this great old song I always tense up when the bridge arrives. There’s apparently a lot of individual interpretations of what the chords are supposed to be in the first two bars. It seems that most folks play it this way.
G7 C
I know when night has gone
D7 G7
that a new world’s born at dawn
I thought I took my version from the early Pioneer’s recording of it. My version…
G7 C
I know when night has gone
B7 Em
that a new world’s born at dawn
I came across an original copy of the sheet music from 1934. Nolan (or his publisher) has it this way.
Fm6 G7 C
I know when night has gone
Am6# B7 Em B7 G7
that a new world’s born at dawn
(Note The # on the Am6 chord would appear to be a misprint.)
I kind of dig the sheet music chords but I’m still satisfied with a straight B7 to Em, probably because I first heard it that way and have been doing it for over 50 years now.
Dave Bourne
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March 1, 2008
Interesting song(s) of the month! “Sky Ball Paint” was a song about a horse. “The Devil’s Great-Grandson” was a song about a man. For some reason, I’ve always liked Sky Ball Paint more than Devil’s Great Grandson, but I have no idea why. And I’ve heard Roy [Rogers] say Sky Ball was his favorite song.
The song, “The Home Corral,” recorded by Patsy Montana (apparently in 1933 for the Bluebird label), is attributed to Bob Nolan. I don’t find it in Ken’s book. Can you confirm that Bob wrote it?
OJ Sikes
You are solving a mystery for us, I think. This title is in Bob Nolan's Music of the West catalog but we've never been able to find the song. I wonder if this is it. Is it from a 78rpm? If so, could the person who owns it scan the label for me, please? I wish I could understand Patsy Montana better. I can't get all the verses. To me it sounds more like Tim Spencer than Bob Nolan but then Bob did admit to writing some songs he wasn't proud of. I can confirm that Bob Nolan wrote a song called The Home Corral" which we have never found.
I don’t really know the source. It’s re-issued on a new Cattle (Germany) CD and credited to Bob with the following specifics: The Home Corral (Bob Nolan) Bluebird 5973 <77248-1>; rec. 33-12-06. I agree that it doesn’t sound much like him, but I can’t imagine where Cattle might have found Bob’s credit if it wasn’t on whatever source theirs came from. I’ve never heard another song like it. OJ
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March 1, 2008
By the way, do you know where I could get the guitar chords to Twilight on the Trail? The first part is easy but the second part?
Abe
Would ukulele chords do? All you need is the name of the chord, right? If so, the sheet music with ukulele chords is in Jim Bob Tinsley's book, "For a Cowboy Has to Sing" on pages 167-69. If you don't have the book already, we highly recommend it.
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March 2, 2008
Hello Calin and Elizabeth:
I came across your website over a year ago when surfing the Internet for information on Bob Nolan and the Sons of the Pioneers and I have enjoyed visiting it frequently since then. The website is a wonderful, informative tribute to Bob and the others. Thanks to you both for all your time and efforts in bringing it off.
I remember as a kid anxiously waiting for Saturdays to roll around so I could watch old Roy Rogers and the Pioneers movies on TV. When I started collecting copies of these old films a few years back, I also began collecting the music of the Pioneers, especially that from the group which includes Bob, Tim, Lloyd, Pat, Karl, and Hugh. They are by far my favorite Pioneer group. Although I like most everything that group played, nearly all favorite songs were written by Bob Nolan. His song-poems touch a part of my soul like no one else. He was an incredible talent.
I do have a question for you. On your most recent Song of the Month page, you have a link to a version of "The Devil's Great Grandson" that you show as recorded in 1940. I have a copy of a CD called the "Sons of the Pioneers, Columbia Historic Edition", released by CBS Inc., in 1982. That version of the song is on the album and the liner notes show the song was recorded in Los Angeles, CA on December 14, 1937. I'm pretty sure I recognize Roy Rogers voice (and his yodeling) on the recording from your webpage and I didn't think he was recording with the Pioneers after 1937 when he left the group and went to work for Republic Pictures. Do you know which date is correct?
Sincerely,
C. A. Robertson
You are absolutely correct and I thank you for pointing out the error. I hadn't finished linking the songs and I did link to the ARC version instead of to the Orthacoustic. I have made the corrections and completed the samples now. We are really happy when readers care enough to point out these things to us because we want our site to be accurate. Thank you very much for writing.
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March 3, 2008
You are doing wonders with the Nolan Website. I introduced three colleagues to the site last week and made three new Nolan fans for Bob. It's amazing how so many people have grown up loving his music yet never knew from whom the songs came. This a.m. I was watching a Rogers movie in which Ne Ha Nee was sung. Bob also plays a little bigger part in the movie, thereby making it a "keeper." The SOPs actually sing a song without Roy!!!!
Best regards,
Florence
The film was "Under Nevada Skies". And wasn't the last recording in the film excellent of Ne Ha Neé?