Western Writing

The Master’s Call is a song in Gunfighter Ballads and Trail Songs, an iconic album by Marty Robbins, first recorded and released in 1959. It was one of the most powerful tracks from the mentioned album, justifying Marty Robbin’s outstanding talent as a singer-songwriter through its vocals and instrumentation. The song falls under the Country music […]

“Oklahoma Hills” is a song written by singer-songwriters and cousins Jack Guthrie and Woody Guthrie. Jack Guthrie and His Oklahomans popularized “Oklahoma Hills” when they first recorded and released it as a single in 1945. Woody originally wrote the song, but they decided to share the copyright for it, as the changes made by Jack […]

Vivian Clark Gilbert and his wife Mary Margaret Hadler originally wrote the Western song and poem “Shifting Whispering Sands” in 1950. Billy Vaughn with Orchestra first recorded and released it as a single in 1955. It included a narration spoken by American voiceover and recording artist Ken Nordine. Additionally, Billy Vaughn released another version in […]

America’s Favorite Singing Cowboy Gene Autry and American country singer/songwriter/actor Smiley Burnett wrote and first performed the hit song “Ridin’ Down the Canyon” in 1935. They first released it on their 1935 single Ridin’ Down the Canyon and 1936 single I’m Looking For the Bully of the Town with the title “Ridin’ Down the Canyon (when the desert sun […]

Vaya con Dios was a popular song written in 1953 by Buddy Pepper, Inez James, and Larry Russell. Anita O’Day (with Orchestra conducted by Larry Russell) first recorded it in December 1952. Then, she released the song in April 1953 on her single, Ain’t This a Wonderful Day. Les Paul and his then-wife Mary Ford also recorded […]

American songwriter Billy Hill and composer Peter DeRose wrote the Western song “Wagon Wheels” in the early 1930s. Everett Marshall first performed the song live in the stage production Ziegfeld Follies of 1934. On the other hand, its first recording and release as a single were by Paul Whiteman and His Orchestra in 1934. It was […]