MONROE - The cowboy singing group, Sons of the Pioneers, will perform at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 2 at the Monroe High School Performing Arts Center, 1600 26th St. The performance is part of the Monroe Arts Center's 2013-14 Entertainment Season.
For more than 75 years, the Sons of the Pioneers have performed the music of the American West, celebrating its landscape, people and culture. Their signature songs such as "Tumbling Tumbleweed," "Cool Water," "Ghost Riders in the Sky," and "Happy Trails" have become entwined into the fabric of the West.
Over the years, the Pioneers have become the blueprint for generations of musicians in Western music and beyond. Their harmonies and style have become the standard by which all other western singing groups are measured. Although other musicians have followed them and emulated them, and subsequently added to the genre of Western music, the Pioneers were the first and the best. Songs from the Pioneer catalog have been recorded and used by a long list of who's who in the music industry ranging from Bing Crosby to Boston Pops, Frankie Laine, Johnny Cash, Riders in the Sky, Michael Martin Murphy, The Osmond Brothers, The Eagles and Elvis Presley. Their signature songs have been recorded so many times by so many different artists that some people lose track of the fact these songs "belong" to the Pioneers.
In 1934, the original Sons of the Pioneers members were Bob Nolan, Tim Spencer, and Roy Rogers (then known as Leonard Slye). The current "Trail Boss" of the Sons of the Pioneers is Luther Nallie (vocals), who joined the group in 1968. Other current band members are Tommy Nallie (guitar), Ken Lattimore (vocals), Randy Rudd (guitar), Mark Abbott (bass), and Ricky Boen (fiddle).
The West has always had its heroes but the public did not connect any separate genre of music to the West and the cowboy. Starting in the early 1930s the film and radio industry changed all that forever. Musical segments were added to broaden a movie's interest. This created mega stardom for people like Gene Autry, Roy Rogers, Tex Ritter, Rex Allen, and in 1934, the Sons of the Pioneers.
Sons of the Pioneers have recorded more than 70 albums and have accumulated more honors and awards than anyone in Western music, including those from the Country Music Association Hall of Fame, Western Music Association Hall of Fame, Academy of Country Music Awards, National Cowboy Hall of Fame, Grammy Hall of Fame, Texas Swing Hall of Fame, Smithsonian Institute "National Treasure" designation, a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and a Golden Boot Award for significant contributions to the genre of Western television and movies. All these have earned them the right to be called "true legends and icons of Western music."
From May through October, the Sons of the Pioneers perform regularly in Branson, Mo. at Shepherd of the Hills theater.
Reserved seat tickets for Sons of the Pioneers are $35, $25, $20, $15 and $10 for students 18 years of age and under. Tickets may be purchased at the box office, 1315 11th St.; by contacting MAC at 608-325-5700 or 888-596-1249; or online at www.monroeartscenter.com.
The performance has been underwritten by Corporate Underwriter Colony Brands, Inc., and Media Underwriters Monroe Publishing, LLC, and Big Radio. Additional underwriting for this presentation has been provided by Super 8-Monroe; AmericInn Lodge and Suites; Lee and Chris Knuteson; Precision Drive and Control; Ruda Chevrolet-Toyota; Wisconsin Bank and Trust; Don Amphlett; Jan Johnson; Helen Johnson; Bob and Nancy Faith; Harvey W. Kubly, CPA; Orchid Monroe; and Tom and Karen Vale.
For more than 75 years, the Sons of the Pioneers have performed the music of the American West, celebrating its landscape, people and culture. Their signature songs such as "Tumbling Tumbleweed," "Cool Water," "Ghost Riders in the Sky," and "Happy Trails" have become entwined into the fabric of the West.
Over the years, the Pioneers have become the blueprint for generations of musicians in Western music and beyond. Their harmonies and style have become the standard by which all other western singing groups are measured. Although other musicians have followed them and emulated them, and subsequently added to the genre of Western music, the Pioneers were the first and the best. Songs from the Pioneer catalog have been recorded and used by a long list of who's who in the music industry ranging from Bing Crosby to Boston Pops, Frankie Laine, Johnny Cash, Riders in the Sky, Michael Martin Murphy, The Osmond Brothers, The Eagles and Elvis Presley. Their signature songs have been recorded so many times by so many different artists that some people lose track of the fact these songs "belong" to the Pioneers.
In 1934, the original Sons of the Pioneers members were Bob Nolan, Tim Spencer, and Roy Rogers (then known as Leonard Slye). The current "Trail Boss" of the Sons of the Pioneers is Luther Nallie (vocals), who joined the group in 1968. Other current band members are Tommy Nallie (guitar), Ken Lattimore (vocals), Randy Rudd (guitar), Mark Abbott (bass), and Ricky Boen (fiddle).
The West has always had its heroes but the public did not connect any separate genre of music to the West and the cowboy. Starting in the early 1930s the film and radio industry changed all that forever. Musical segments were added to broaden a movie's interest. This created mega stardom for people like Gene Autry, Roy Rogers, Tex Ritter, Rex Allen, and in 1934, the Sons of the Pioneers.
Sons of the Pioneers have recorded more than 70 albums and have accumulated more honors and awards than anyone in Western music, including those from the Country Music Association Hall of Fame, Western Music Association Hall of Fame, Academy of Country Music Awards, National Cowboy Hall of Fame, Grammy Hall of Fame, Texas Swing Hall of Fame, Smithsonian Institute "National Treasure" designation, a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and a Golden Boot Award for significant contributions to the genre of Western television and movies. All these have earned them the right to be called "true legends and icons of Western music."
From May through October, the Sons of the Pioneers perform regularly in Branson, Mo. at Shepherd of the Hills theater.
Reserved seat tickets for Sons of the Pioneers are $35, $25, $20, $15 and $10 for students 18 years of age and under. Tickets may be purchased at the box office, 1315 11th St.; by contacting MAC at 608-325-5700 or 888-596-1249; or online at www.monroeartscenter.com.
The performance has been underwritten by Corporate Underwriter Colony Brands, Inc., and Media Underwriters Monroe Publishing, LLC, and Big Radio. Additional underwriting for this presentation has been provided by Super 8-Monroe; AmericInn Lodge and Suites; Lee and Chris Knuteson; Precision Drive and Control; Ruda Chevrolet-Toyota; Wisconsin Bank and Trust; Don Amphlett; Jan Johnson; Helen Johnson; Bob and Nancy Faith; Harvey W. Kubly, CPA; Orchid Monroe; and Tom and Karen Vale.