Gene Autry
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Orvon Grover "Gene" Autry (September 29, 1907 – October 2, 1998), nicknamed the Singing Cowboy, was an American actor, musician, singer, composer, rodeo performer, and baseball owner who gained fame largely by singing in a crooning style on radio, in films, and on television for more than three decades beginning in the early 1930s. Autry was the owner of a television station and several radio stations in Southern California. He was the founding owner of the California Angels franchise of Major League Baseball (MLB) 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. During the 1930s and 1940s, he personified the straight-shooting hero—honest, brave, and true. Autry was also 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. His singing cowboy films were the first vehicle to carry country music to a national audience. In addition to his signature song, "Back in the Saddle Again" and his hit "At Mail Call Today", Autry is still remembered for his Christmas songs, most especially his biggest hit "Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer" as well as "Frosty the Snowman", "Here Comes Santa Claus", and "Up on the House Top". 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. |
Birth and Death Data: Born Grayson County, Died October 2, 1998 (Studio City)
Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1925 - 1955
Roles Represented in DAHR: vocalist, guitar, songwriter, composer, lyricist, yodeling, Musical group, arranger
Notes: Listed on some Columbia labels as "Gene Autry (The Yodeling Cowboy)."
= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.
Recordings (Results 101-125 of 464 records)
| Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Columbia | [W]151321 | 10-in. | 2/17/1931 | A gangster's warning | Gene Autry | Male vocal solo, with guitar | vocalist, lyricist, composer, instrumentalist, guitar | |
| Columbia | [W]151322 | 10-in. | 2/17/1931 | Pictures of my mother | Gene Autry | Male vocal solo, with guitar | vocalist, composer, lyricist, instrumentalist, guitar | |
| Columbia | [W]151323 | 10-in. | 2/17/1931 | That's how I got my start | Gene Autry | Male vocal solo, with guitar | vocalist, composer, instrumentalist, guitar | |
| Columbia | [W]151324 | 10-in. | 2/17/1931 | True blue Bill | Gene Autry | Male vocal solo, with guitar | vocalist, lyricist, composer, instrumentalist, guitar | |
| Columbia | H315 | 10-in. | 6/18/1941 | You are my sunshine | Gene Autry | Male vocal solo, with string band | vocalist | |
| Columbia | H316 | 10-in. | 6/18/1941 | It makes no difference now | Gene Autry | Male vocal solo, with string band | vocalist | |
| Columbia | H318 | 10-in. | 6/18/1941 | A year ago tonight | Gene Autry | Male vocal solo, with string band | vocalist, composer, lyricist | |
| Columbia | H384 | 10-in. | 7/28/1941 | I'll never let you go (little darlin') | Gene Autry | Male vocal solo, with string band | vocalist, songwriter | |
| Columbia | H385 | 10-in. | 7/28/1941 | I'll be true while you're gone | Gene Autry | Male vocal solo, with string band | vocalist, composer, lyricist | |
| Columbia | H386 | 10-in. | 7/28/1941 | Under fiesta stars | Gene Autry | Male vocal solo, with string band | vocalist, songwriter | |
| Columbia | H387 | 10-in. | 7/28/1941 | Spend a night in Argentina | Gene Autry | Male vocal solo, with string band | vocalist, songwriter | |
| Columbia | H392 | 10-in. | 7/30/1941 | I'll wait for you | Gene Autry | Male vocal solo, with string band | vocalist, songwriter | |
| Columbia | H393 | 10-in. | 7/30/1941 | Too late | Gene Autry | Male vocal solo, with string band | vocalist | |
| Columbia | H394 | 10-in. | 7/30/1941 | Don't bite the hand that's feeding you | Gene Autry | Male vocal solo, with string band | vocalist | |
| Columbia | H395 | 10-in. | 7/30/1941 | After tomorrow | Gene Autry | Male vocal solo, with string band | vocalist, songwriter | |
| Columbia | H399 | 10-in. | 8/1/1941 | God must have loved America | Gene Autry | Male vocal solo, with string band | vocalist, songwriter | |
| Columbia | H400 | 10-in. | 8/1/1941 | You are the light of my life | Gene Autry | Male vocal solo, with string band | vocalist, songwriter | |
| Columbia | H401 | 10-in. | 8/1/1941 | Lonely river | Gene Autry | Male vocal solo, with string band | vocalist, songwriter | |
| Columbia | H402 | 10-in. | 8/1/1941 | Dear little dream girl of mine | Gene Autry | Male vocal solo, with string band | vocalist, songwriter | |
| Columbia | H423 | 10-in. | 8/11/1941 | Purple sage in the twilight | Gene Autry | Male vocal solo, with string band | vocalist, songwriter | |
| Columbia | H424 | 10-in. | 8/11/1941 | I wish all my children were babies again | Gene Autry | Male vocal solo, with string band | vocalist | |
| Columbia | H425 | 10-in. | 8/11/1941 | Dear old dad of mine | Gene Autry | Male vocal solo, with string band | vocalist, songwriter | |
| Columbia | H426 | 10-in. | 8/11/1941 | I'm comin' home, darlin' | Gene Autry | Male vocal solo, with string band | vocalist, songwriter | |
| Columbia | H486 | 10-in. | 8/27/1941 | If you only believed in me | Gene Autry | Male vocal solo, with string band | vocalist, composer, lyricist | |
| Columbia | H487 | 10-in. | 8/27/1941 | Keep rollin' lazy longhorns | Gene Autry | Male vocal solo, with string band | vocalist, songwriter |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Autry, Gene," accessed December 21, 2025, http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/103669.
Autry, Gene. (2025). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved December 21, 2025, from http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/103669.
"Autry, Gene." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2025. Web. 21 December 2025.
DAHR Persistent Identifier
External Sources
Wikipedia: Gene Autry
Discogs: Gene Autry
Allmusic: Gene Autry
Apple Music: Gene Autry
Grove: Gene Autry
RILM: Gene Autry
IMDb: Gene Autry
Britannica: Gene Autry
Linked Open Data Sources
LCNAR: Autry, Gene, 1907-1998 - http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n82077164
Wikidata: Gene Autry - http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q342723
VIAF: http://viaf.org/viaf/113310336
MusicBrainz: Gene Autry - https://musicbrainz.org/artist/675b7627-6b5d-4a46-a728-785cb24a299e
Fast: http://id.worldcat.org/fast/93533 - http://id.worldcat.org/fast/93533
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