Red Steagall - Classic Western Swing & Honky Tonk (2014)

Russell Steagall, 22 December 1937, Gainesville, Texas, USA. In 1954, he contracted polio, which badly affected the use of his left hand and arm. Realizing his prospective football career was no longer a possibility, he turned his attention to music. During his convalescence, as part of the therapeutic treatment, he first began to play the mandolin and then, as his fingers strengthened, the guitar. By playing local dances and clubs, he financed his course at West Texas State University, where he gained a degree in Agriculture and Animal Science and then for five years worked for Sand Mark Oil as a soil analyst. He moved to California in 1965, sang locally and for a year worked as a salesman of industrial chemicals. Working first with his friend Don Lanier, he began to develop his songwriting and in 1966, Ray Charles recorded their song ‘Here We Go Again’. He concentrated on his writing, later claiming that by 1969 sixty of his songs had been recorded by other artists. In 1969, Ray Sanders had a hit with his song ‘Beer Drinkin’ Music’ and Steagall himself made his first recordings on Dot Records. In 1971, Del Reeves had a hit with ‘A Dozen Pairs Of Boots’ and the following year, having moved to Nashville and joined Capitol Records, Steagall gained his own first country chart hit with ‘Party Dolls And Wine’. During the 70s, later recording for ABC /Dot and Elektra Records and with his continued strong leaning towards western swing and honky tonk songs, Steagall charted a steady succession of country chart entries, though none made the Top 10. His biggest came with ‘Lone Star Beer And Bob Wills Music’ - a number 11 in 1976. His love for Bob Wills’ music also saw him chart a tribute song, ‘Bob’s Got A Swing Band In Heaven’.

For years, with his band the Coleman County Cowboys, he played dancehalls and rodeos all over the west. Steagall became a genuine singing cowboy with his own Texas ranch, and his keen interest in things western saw him become one of the top entertainers on the US rodeo circuit, playing some 250 dates a year for many years. In 1974, he was instrumental in Reba McEntire becoming a star, after hearing her sing the national anthem at the National Rodeo Finals. In the 80s, he cut down touring drastically but remained active in various ventures, including his publishing house. He also cut out most of his songwriting to concentrate on writing poetry about the west and breeding quarter-horses on his ranch. In 1987, he made his debut as an actor in a children’s film calledBenji, The Hunted - a dog story with the animal perhaps getting the best lines. Somewhat surprisingly, his last chart entry was ‘Hard Hat Days And Honky Tonk Nights’ back in 1980. He has released an excellent series of albums on the Warner Western label in the 90s and beyond. In 1994 he launched his own Cowboy Corner radio show. A book of his interviews with famous guests from the programme was published in 2004.

In 2003 he was inducted into the Hall of Great Westerners at Oklahomas’ National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum and a year later was inducted into the Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame.