Rex Allen - Arizona Cowboy

Rex Allen was truly the last of the movie "singing cowboys," the Arizona wrangler who rode and sang and won the gal in the final reel, taking down the bad guys wearin' his white hat and riding his trusty Morgan, Koko, the "Miracle Horse of the Movies." Allen went on to a long and illustrious career recording real western songs with his incredible deep baritone, which could be one of the most familiar voices in America. Allen passed away in 1999, and this collection is long overdue.

Rex Allen was one of those very rare birds, a true native Arizonan. He followed the path paved by the likes of Roy Rogers and Gene Autry to the Silver Screen as a movie cowboy, but didn't follow them into television, and as such, was slightly more obscure. He'd been a singer and a guitar player from an early age, though, and his music was popular while his films were on the big screen, from 1949 to 1953. But even though folks may not realize it, most of us in the late baby boom know his voice, because he was the narrator of over 100 "Wonderful World of Disney" films, including the original "Incredible Journey" and such films as "Charlie the Lonesome Cougar" and "The Legend of Lobo." I grew up with that voice. I love hearing it again, singing this time.

The fourteen songs on "The Arizona Cowboy" include a number of classic Western songs, some of which have been popularized by the likes of Riders in the Sky, as well as more mainstream country songs like "Just Call Me Lonesome" and "Catfish John." Allen's magnificent voice is well showcased here; but the basso depths he achieves on "Streets of Laredo," though impressive (and bone-shaking), don't seem to suit the song. Still, he brings a truism and heart to every song he does, a man who obviously loved the West he lived in.

"The Arizona Cowboy" is a collection of songs I didn't know I was missing. It touches a place deep inside my own Arizona soul. The town of Willcox is still very proud of its native son.