Sons of the Pioneers -- Ghost Riders In the Sky

[OKRhys]

There is a cloud formation that is called Ghost Riders in the Sky. My grandmother showed it to me in the Texas Panhandle when I was a small boy in the sixties. If you ever see you will know why it is called that.

[mediatorguy]

1949 - the week I was born, Vaughn Monroe's version was the #1 hit of the day. More than 50 performers have recorded versions of the song. Bing Crosby, Frankie Laine, Burl Ives, Marty Robbins, The Ramrods, Johnny Cash, Peggy Lee and Spike Jones and his City Slickers. Gene Autry sang it in the 1949 movie, Riders in the Sky. Jones himself recorded it for his 1957 album Creakin' Leather.[4] Children of Bodom, Impaled Nazarene and Die Apokalyptischen Reiter have also made covers.

[afrhspook]

The theme for the US Navy Fighter Squadron 193 and 142, GHOSTRIDERS, 1962-1965 aboard USS Bon Homme Richard (CVA-31) and USS Constellation (CVA-64), flying McDonnell F-3B Demons and later (transitioned to VF142) F-4B Phantom II off Vietnam.

[GeorgeVreelandHill]

This is GREAT!

Thank you.

George Vreeland Hill

[edddk12]

What a magnificient version. The original is always the best.

[azviking3]

RED1111111111 Every unit seemed to pick a song and make it theirs. Some changed the words some didn't. But when they went in country they all played the song. When we came screaming in with the F-4s and Napalm, we'd play ours over the radio. Command got real mad. Anyone who was pinned down and heard Ghost Riders in the Sky. That was us, write before the napalm hit.

[gto66solstice08]

Ya gotta wonder where in the history of the American West this legend began and grew from ..... In all myth there is an element of truth ....

[raeven1212]

this is the original. Johnny cash didn't do the original, this is it

[Kelt4ever]

@raeven1212 actually it was Burl Ives who sang the original.

[BuzCzar]

@Kelt4ever The Burl Ives version came out about 3 weeks before Vaughn Monroe's but the latter hit theBillboard charts a few days before Burl Ives version. One of those strange happenstances.

[sfbopp1]

Actually the name change came before the Farrs, when the trio was hired for a job they were billed as the Sons of the Pioneers because the guy thought they were to young to be pioneers.

[amumatxu]

Probably my favorite song of all time and I love rock and roll. I still get chills and goosebumps to this song like no other. Ever. Check out Len Sly. What a fox!! heeheehee

[Shadepuppy]

Love the Sons of the Pioneers! Thanks for uploading.

[MIKEISENBERG1]

And now, they are all Ghost Riders. What a better America when this was the entertainment of the day!

[runaround121runaroun]

@MIKEISENBERG1  I oh so agree with you!

[ancientastronomer]

FRONT ROW { Kneeling } All the way to the right. This is none other than Ken Curtiss! Don't know who I'm talking about? How about Deputy Festus Hagen?

Recognize him now? Yep. One & the same. Few outside of the Hollywood circles were aware that Ken Curtiss was one of the original,"Son's of the Pioneer's" singers.

[imanolanfan]

@ancientastronomer I beg your pardon but Ken Curtis was not one of the original Sons of The Pioneers! The original Pioneer Trio was Roy, Bob and Tim which was formed in 1933. By 1935 they had hired Hugh and Karl Farr and they became the Sons of the Pioneers. The next one to be hired was Lloyd Perryman and then Pat Brady was hired after Roy left the group in 1937. These are the original SOTP. I believe Ken Curtis was hired when Pat Brady and Lloyd Perryman were drafted in 1941 and served in WWII.

[winkieandleah]

listening ot this song again on a rainy eveing. Cheers to The Pioneers.

[dennisUVGHRG]

This is a picture of the Sons of The Pioneers and the Georgia Crackers. The Sons all have the cowboy hats except for who I think is Bob Nolan standing in the back row next Roy Rogers. L to R - Pat Brady, Hugh Farr, Tim Spencer, Bob Nolan (no hat), Roy Rogers, Karl Farr kneeling in the front row. At least this is my take, thanks, Dennis - ultimatevocalgroup

[mnestrt]

Is that Johnny Horton with the white hat kneeling in the first row?

[imanolanfan]

@mnestrt No. That is Karl Farr the best guitar picker ever!

[mnestrt]

@imanolanfan Thanks for that tip. I just checked him out on YouTube. He definitly has his own style but It's as if Django was born state side. Great picker.

[imanolanfan]

@mnestrt I should have said the best guitar picker I have ever heard. Somewhere in my 64 years I had heard the name of Jean Reinhardt aka "Django" but had never heard his music. Maybe their paths crossed somewhere and Django's music had an influence on Karl Farr. Karl was born April 1909 and died Sept. 1961 so the time frame fits. Check out Kilocycle Stomp, Millenburg Joys, Texas Skiparoo and others. Type The Farr Brothers in the search box. Hugh played fiddle in the SOTPand he was great, also.

[budhempfeld]

@imanolanfan listen to fishtank ensemble 'after you've gone' django style

[imanolanfan]

@budhempfeld I never said I preferred "Django's" style. I've never even heard his music. The person @mnestrt replied to my comment and compared the guitar playing styles of Karl Farr of the SOTP with that of Jean Reinhardt aka "Django". Frankly, I much prefer the Sons of The Pioneers music over all the others. But thanks for your comment.

[imanolanfan]

@mnestrt The man standing just to the left of and behind Karl Farr is his brother Hugh Farr - the fiddle player for the SOTP.

[Kelt4ever]

Not Ford...

[MrParadeRain]

Question. On the far right of the photo, I recognize Roy Rogers. But the person kneeling beneath him for the photo looks an awful lot like Tennessee Ernie Ford. True???

[airmojo]

@MrParadeRain I think that is Ken Curtis who played Festus on Gunsmoke... he was a member of the "Sons of the Pioneers".

[Thesactokid]

@MrParadeRain

No not Tennessee Ernie Ford. He never sang with them and it really does not look like him except for the dark hair and mustache. Loved Tennessee Ernie Ford.

[NancyinColorado]

hands down the best version. .. but it is Sons of the Pioneers after all!.

[smokeyone63]

I remember seeing the Son's of the Pioneers in Madison Square Garden when they toured with Roy Rogers. I was just a young buckaroo back then but I knew I liked their music. They'd dim the lights and all us kids would swing these little flip up flashlights on a vinyl string. Had a pair of shooting irons just like Roy.

[DICSPICS1207]

This is the one I remember from being stationed in Florida in the fifties. Iv'e heard alot of versions, but for some reason I still think this is the best.

[VikingThor1]

If i ever become a Naval Top Gun fighter pilot i'm definately playing this song in my jet

[mudspud01]

these guys are badass mother fos. I just found a record of them the other day.

One of the definitions to music

[payaso4201]

My great uncle is Tommy Doss

[jmparkhill3]

Nothing like the Sons of the Pioneers

[RED1111111111]

This music was the theme music of the 16TH SPECIAL OPERATIONS SQUADRON IN UBON THAILAND FOR THE SPECTRE GUNSHIPS!! DIFFERENT WORDS, BUT SAME MUSIC.. AC130 GUNSHIPS ARE STILL FLYING HIGH AND GOD REST THE SOULS OF THOSE BRAVE MEN WHO PAID THE ULTIMATE PRICE!!

[pzkphw]

@RED1111111111 This would would be a good song for a squadron of Spectre gunships!

[aseeker2010]

@RED1111111111 I'm sorry your capslock key got stuck.

[sfgiantpoet]

from my first record. i was but 4 years old. the original.

[GayleFaline]

it is nice to see good music on here, something that is always a favorite by quite a few. thanks for uploading. =^.^=

[GGMelodicMaster]

GIVES ME CHILLS EVEN TO THIS DAY, 25 years i have been listening to this song!! ROCK ON OLD DUDES!!! HEY EVEN IF YOUR ALL DEAD ROCK THE HEAVENS!!!!!

[GaussTruth]

Excellent.

The original.

Notice the down at the chorus "ghost riders in the sky"

Most of the clones of this original do not have this.

Super emotive of the lonely cowhand

out on the range some 140 years ago.

[Lloydhl]

@GaussTruth

The original was done by Burl Ives, right behind him came Vaughn Monroe, who had the FIRST hit with this song #1) ! Peggy Lee also had a hit with it she had a #2 on the charts, all this in early 1949!

[RossM3838]

@GaussTruth the original recording was by Burl Ives (of all people) Vaughn Monroe's huge hit was released a few months later.

[zubidiya]

Brings tears to my eyes as I heard them sing this...live!

[GeneRoberts1961]

Only Marty Robbins and Johnny Cash could get it right...along with the Sons of course.

[ernstbecker1]

What a great surprise -- Roy Rodgers and Pat Burtum. Roy, Dale and Pat . They were my childhood heroes. Could I have had better? I doubt it.

[Harold4305]

thanks finaly music from the old west series, real music for a indian

[TXFuzzFace]

Best version I've heard. I think it is awesome!

[TheSciencefiend]

Isn't that Roy Rogers on the extreme right?

[Lloydhl]

@TheSciencefiend

It sure is, he was one of the originals mermbers!

[TheJediCharles]

@TheSciencefiend

Not only that, just below him is Festus from the tv show Gunsmoke! :)

[MrsKlein5]

Grew up listening to my Mom's records with my sisters and brothers and this favorite ! Mom loved music and especially her western and country music....we had all music, contemporary, Bach, Mozart, etc., to listen to (and play), however, her love of country was well-known and stemmed from her roots in S. Missouri and N. Arkansas..hurray for the Sons of Pioneers and the best song ever !

[xtremejohnny69]

Damn what happened to this America? Boys used to look up to guys who acted like men and worked hard like cowboys and soldiers. Anymore they look up to mtv sissies

[jimaroo100]

My favorite version...Sons of the Pioneers... they are the real thing.

[sharonb43]

Love this!!!

[randolph65]

what happen to bob nolan

[peteprof44]

Bob Nolan and the Sons of The Pioneers, including Roy Rogers, whose loyalty to them had them included in most of his movies. It is a fine rendition, second in my mind only to that of Vaughn Monroe's.

[Lloydhl]

@peteprof44 Agreed!

[Filmtrail]

“Ghost Riders in the Sky”, was the number one song on the Hit Parade in 1950. You couldn’t tune into a radio station without hearing it within 15 minutes, back then.

It sent shivers all over a 10 year old boy...it still does.

Would like to know the names of the men in the photo. Some I recognize, such as Roy Rogers. I think Bob Nolan was the lead singer on this recording?

Stan Jones wrote the song in 1949.

Dale

[joecoyote42]

I just came in from the barn after letting the horses out and just needed a fix of real music before I sat down to other work

[martha9113]

to the person who wanted to know if the pioneers recorded Grandfather's Clock. I have it on a cd which was recorded from their 1934-5 transcriptions. If you want to hear a lot of their old songs, get the 5 cd box set of Songs of the Prairie by them

[ConnerPlainLiving]

Good old stuff.

[yikescat56]

the guy on far right is roy rodgers

[lelu59]

@yikescat56 rogers no d

[lelu59]

@yikescat56 rogers no d

[higgme1ster]

the guy on the left is Pat Brady.

[winkieandleah]

Nothing like listening to the Pioneers on a cold fall morning. Thanks for the upload!

[TheDjswarm]

album - cool water

[ahitler1000]

@TheDjswarm got the original in vinyl,

[007LandShark]

300 million views for justin bieber...35 thousand for this song.......somthing is wrong there

[GraceOutlaw]

@007LandShark Ai.... I agree. It's a shame people no longer listen to actual TALENTED people. I hate the modern day. -.- It's also a shame that no one sends letters anymore, only text messages. I think it's a sad lost art. =/ Thank you for saying so. =)

[ahitler1000]

@007LandShark people who like this music are country folks, . . . who actually work for a living , not sit in front of the computer , . . thus explaining the invariance

[GraceOutlaw]

@ahitler1000 Aye, I lived in the middle of the woods, and well, it's a shame I'm stuck in a city.... City slickers is what they are, I'll tell ya.... Swattin' at bees, dun mess with em, and your good. And well... people no longer have a way with nature, and yes, I considered music apart of nature. =)

[sneakyrabbits]

@ahitler1000 not me, I love this song and I've lived in the suburbs all my life, but perhaps I have some country blood since my dad grew up in texas.

[tammyloganbonnet]

Western Music is so peaceable and nobody does it better than the Sons of the Pioneers. Again, thank you.

What a great version of this song. I have never heard their version before. How I missed it? I'll never know. Thanks for placing it here.

[tammyloganbonnet]

What a great version of this song. I have never heard their version before. How I missed it? I'll never know. Thanks for placing it here.

[ThomasASwilling]

AHA!! REAL music--and on YouTube, yet!

[peaceloverforever]

great...

[sweetieskiss]

i havent heard this since i was a very young kid

[martha9113]

I receives 2 emails from anonomousone. I do not know what you want me to comment on. I already said what I had to say about the song Ghost Riders in the Sky. The original version, in my opinion, was the best recording of this by the Pioneers.

[rockabilly1138]

This is an absolutely haunting song. I love it!

[1Bandit455]

@javystrait - totally agree-the best !!!!!!

[martha9113]

this recording of Ghost Riders was made after 1950. That is Tommy Doss singing the solo part. The original version made in 1948 or 49 was sung by Bob Nolan and did not have the fancy orchestra playing. Tommy Doss, however, did sing in the original version. but not the solo part. I like the original version. I never liked the fancy orchestration the pioneers had in some of their music in the latter part of the 40'sand later on in the 50's. However, their singing was always superb

[anonomousone]

@martha9113

Burl Ives. 1949

[winkieandleah]

I absolutely love this version of Ghost Riders. It sends tingles up your spine.

[roudy1689]

@winkieandleah OH YEAH this is is the best version hands down!!

[N5IBM1]

@winkieandleah HA ! Yes it does.

[SPORTSNUTIM]

My mom and dad had this song on an album I remember listening to in the 60's.

[hdiylove]

An old favorite!!

[grannydyess]

loved roy rogers and the sons of the pioneers. they dont make music like this anymore. marty robbins roy rogers gene autry waylon jennings johnny cash. that is music!

[grannydyess]

good version of this great song!

[TheSoldierScholar]

I have an old Sons of the Pioneers record with a slightly different version that has more clasically western instrumentation. This version is nice though too, the Sons of the Pioneers add a lot to this song with their beautiful harmonies. That's something that's missing when Johnny Cash sang this song.

[samshbr]

You Guys are right! Best American song Ever. Notice the guy on the far right. Also listen to Cool Water.

[angelofbebop]

I have never heard this version - fantastic version and the French horns are fabulous! I agree with NYDutch, this is one of the best American songs ever written

[NYDutch1968]

This is one of the greatest American songs ever written in my opinion. I've heard numerous versions by a lot of artists, but this is the first time I've heard the Sons of The Pioneers version. My other favorite song by them "Ride Away" from the movie "The Searchers" was written by the same man (Stan Jones). Great post.

[spokes64]

These guys harmonized so well. In both of the Sons of the Pioneers versions of this song, I really love how their base singer slides down and gets that low note at the end.

[triforcenerd]

both versions of this song by them is great my favorite western song I am one of the ghost riders now. I ride that long sky waiting to catch the herd

[javystrait]

This is the best version of this song. No one can sing like these guys.

[wizzard1956]

the old west still exhists, here in Roswell NM, from a real cowboy range detective , . . . thanks for putting on some real music for men

[TheSunmanho]

@wizzard1956

Roswell, New Mexico? isn't that where the UFO landed? have you seen it?

[theherooftime4]

@wizzard1956

what really happened in Roswell, Wizard1956?

[hdiylove7]

Have always loved this song from childhood! Sharing National Sunday Law by A. Jan Marcussen=)