58 Facts About Gene Autry

Gene Autry was the founding owner of the California Angels franchise of Major League Baseball from 1961 to 1997.

From 1934 to 1953, Autry appeared in 93 films, and between 1950 and 1956 hosted The Gene Autry Show television series.

Gene Autry was one of the most important pioneering figures in the history of country music, considered the second major influential artist of the genre's development after Jimmie Rodgers.

Gene Autry's singing cowboy films were the first vehicle to carry country music to a national audience.

Gene Autry is a member of both the Country Music Hall of Fame and the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, and is the only person to be awarded stars in all five categories on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, for film, television, music, radio, and live performance.

The town of Gene Autry, Oklahoma, was named in his honor, as was the Gene Autry precinct in Mesa, Arizona.

Orvon Grover Gene Autry was born September 29,1907, near Tioga in Grayson County in north Texas, the grandson of a Methodist preacher.

Gene Autry worked on his father's ranch while growing up and going to school.

Gene Autry left with a letter of introduction from Shilkret and the advice to sing on radio to gain experience and to come back in a year or two.

In 1928, Gene Autry was singing on Tulsa radio station KVOO as "Oklahoma's Yodeling Cowboy".

Gene Autry signed a recording deal with Columbia Records in 1929.

Gene Autry worked in Chicago on the WLS-AM radio show National Barn Dance for four years, and with his own show, where he met singer-songwriter Smiley Burnette.

Gene Autry recorded many "hillbilly"-style records in 1930 and 1931 in New York City, which were certainly different in style and content from his later recordings.

Gene Autry's first hit was in 1932 with "That Silver-Haired Daddy of Mine", a duet with fellow railroad man Jimmy Long that Autry and Long co-wrote.

Gene Autry made 640 recordings, including more than 300 songs written or co-written by himself.

Gene Autry's records sold more than 100 million copies and he has more than a dozen gold and platinum records, including the first record ever certified gold.

Gene Autry wrote "Here Comes Santa Claus" after being the Grand Marshal of the 1946 Santa Claus Lane Parade.

Gene Autry recorded his version of the song in 1947 and it became an instant classic.

Gene Autry sold the label soon after, but the maroon label has the "GA" in a shield above the label name.

Gene Autry's films were tremendously successful, so much so that almost every other studio tried to compete by showcasing their own singing cowboys.

Gene Autry appeared in the similar Boxoffice poll from 1936 to 1955, holding first place from 1936 to 1942 and second place from 1943 to 1952.

Gene Autry served in the US Air Force during World War II.

Gene Autry's contract had been suspended for the duration of his military service, and he had tried to have it declared void after his discharge.

The courts found in Republic's favor, and Gene Autry returned to Republic after the war.

Gene Autry finished out his contract with four more features, with Autry now publicized as "King of the Singing Cowboys".

In 1947 Gene Autry left Republic for Columbia Pictures, which offered him his own production unit.

Gene Autry chose a new sidekick, Pat Buttram, recently returned from his World War II service.

In 1951, Gene Autry formed his own company to make westerns under his own control, and Columbia continued to distribute them through 1953.

Gene Autry purchased the 110-acre Monogram Ranch in 1953, in Placerita Canyon near Newhall, California, in the northern San Gabriel Mountains foothills.

Gene Autry renamed it the Melody Ranch after his movie Melody Ranch.

Gene Autry then sold 98 acres of the property, most of the original ranch.

In 1990, after his favorite horse Champion Three, which lived in retirement there, died, Gene Autry put the remaining 12-acre ranch up for sale.

In 1942, at the height of his screen popularity, Gene Autry had a string of rodeo stock based in Ardmore, Oklahoma.

Gene Autry moved the entire company to a 24,000-acre ranch near Fowler, Colorado, with Knight as the working partner in the operation.

Gene Autry was often portrayed in the comics, primarily during the heyday of Western-themed comics, the 1940s and 1950s.

From 1941 to 1943, Gene Autry was the subject of a comic book initially published by Fawcett Comics and then picked up by Dell Comics that ran 12 issues.

Meanwhile, Autry was the subject of an "Air-Western-Adventure Strip" comic strip syndicated by General Features from 1952 to 1955.

Gene Autry served as vice president of the American League from 1983 until his death.

Gene Autry sold several radio stations he owned, including KSFO in San Francisco, KMPC in Los Angeles, KOGO in San Diego, and other stations in the Golden West radio network.

Gene Autry invested in property, owning by 1964 the Mark Hopkins Hotel in San Francisco; the Hotel Continental in Hollywood; the Sahara Inn, a $12-million motel near Chicago; plus property in Palm Springs.

Gene Autry retired from show business in 1964, having made almost 100 films up to 1955 and over 600 records.

Gene Autry was elected to the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1969 and to the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1970.

Gene Autry invested in ownership of the KOOL-TV CBS-affiliate in Phoenix, Arizona, which created local shows such as the weekly bilingual children's show Ninos Contentos.

Gene Autry, correctly assessing the company's cash-poor situation, made a cash offer for the rights and negatives to his Republic films.

Gene Autry accepted Autry's terms, and Autry now controlled the film materials for home-movie reprints and home-video tapes and discs.

Gene Autry died of lymphoma on October 2,1998, three days after his 91st birthday at his home in Studio City, California.

Gene Autry was buried at the Forest Lawn, Hollywood Hills Cemetery in Los Angeles.

In 1932, Gene Autry married Ina Mae Spivey, the niece of Jimmy Long.

Gene Autry later became a 33rd degree Scottish Rite Mason, as recorded on his headstone.

Gene Autry was raised in the southern Oklahoma towns of Achille and Ravia.

Gene Autry joined the military in 1942 and sold the ranch after the war.

In 1977, Gene Autry was awarded the American Patriots Medal by Freedoms Foundation of Valley Forge, Pennsylvania.

In 1983, Gene Autry received the Golden Plate Award of the American Academy of Achievement.

Gene Autry was inducted into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame in 1991.

Gene Autry was inducted into the National Radio Hall of Fame in 2003.

Gene Autry is the only person to have five stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, one in each of the five categories defined by the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce.

All of Gene Autry's stars are located along Hollywood Boulevard: Recording at 6384, Radio at 6520, Motion pictures at 6644, Television at 6667, and Live theatre at 7000 Hollywood Boulevard.

From 1950 to 1955, he appeared in 91 episodes of The Gene Autry Show television series.