Gene Autry - The Singing Cowboy: All The Hits And More 1933-52 (2023)

Gene Autry was the first of the Singing Cowboys, renowned as a pioneering figure in country music for his performances of country-flavoured songs in the western movies of the 1930s and ‘40s in which he starred. He wrote, co-wrote and performed many of the best-known songs associated with the particular style of easy-going cowboy country that evolved in parallel to the likes of Jimmie Rodgers and The Carter Family. He was also particularly famous for his introducing some of the best-known Christmas songs, which were also among his biggest hits in the latter era of his chart career. This 53-track 2-CD collection comprises all his 40 and more hits in the US pop and country charts on the Melotone, Vocalion, Okeh and Columbia labels, plus selected titles from his early pre-chart era with classic songs of the day. It features his pop and country No. 1 with “Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer”, plus a dozen country No. 1s, including “At Mail Call Today”, “South of The Border”, “Back In The Saddle Again”, “You Are My Sunshine” and more, along with his other seasonal classics “Here Comes Santa Claus” and “Frosty the Snowman”. It’s a thorough overview of his chart career, and in the process offers a fine cross-section of some of the great songs from the genre.