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10 2 4 Ranch
1o 2 4 Ranch can be heard randomly on the OLD TIMEY RADIO MIX, which runs every night from 12AM-3AM
"Music Variety at Dr. Pepper Time Means Music Variety Time!"
This radio program ran from 1944-1955 and featured music, both country and otherwise, from the infamous The Sons of the Pioneers and their friends.
Have you ever wondered why the numbers 1o, 2 and 4 are known to pop up on Dr Pepper soda pop labels? Well, it's simple. You see, those are the times Dr. Pepper prescribes a drink of this marvelous elixir!
"Keep time in mind & drink Dr. Pepper daily, at 1o, 2, & 4 o'clock, or anytime you are hungry or tired!"
Dr. Pepper created the 1o 2 4 Ranch show to help promote their new ad campaign which encouraged people to drink Dr. Pepper at three key times a day. They promoted their product as a healthy new meal-between-meals.
"Energy sags in the long hours between meals. So drink a bite to eat, the icy cold Dr. Pepper! Keep time in mind and drink Dr. Pepper daily at 1o, 2, 4 o'clock, or anytime you are hungry or tired!"
Adventures in Research
Adventures In Research can be heard randomly on the OLD TIMEY RADIO MIX, which runs every night from 12AM-3AM
Not everything on Pioneertown Public Radio is 1oo% Country..
Adventures in Research was heard across America decades before The History Channel or the Discovery Channel were ever even conceived!
This educational radio program was sponsored by Westinghouse, a company which understood how important it was to make news about science and technology available to the American people.
The program was written by physicist Phillips Thomas who was on the staff at the Westinghouse Laboratories and technology. Thomas designed the show around inventors and their inventions and presented their stories as dramatic plays.
Broadcast from Westinghouse’s flagship Pittsburgh radio station, each episode of Adventures in Research tells the story of an important discovery or invention, and dramatizes the words and actions of those involved in the discovery. Early broadcasts featured science and inventions related to the participation of the US in World War II.
All Star Western Theater
All Star Western Theater
All Star Western Theater can be heard randomly on the OLD TIMEY RADIO MIX, which runs every night from 12AM-3AM
All Star Western Theater was a lighthearted vision of the Wild West which included country style music along with good old fashioned comedy and was broadcast from sunny Hollywood, CA.
Music was provided by Foy Willing and the Riders of the Purple Sage, Kenny Driver, Al Sloey and Johnny Paul.
Each episode included a celebrity guest appearance. Guests included people such as Dale Evans, Eddy Arnold, Jackie Cooper, Johnny Mack Brown, Roy Rogers, Tex Ritter, and many more.
THE CISCO KID
The Cisco Kid can be heard every morning from 6AM-7AM
"He-ey, Cis-co!... He-ey, Pan-cho!"
Before Cisco and Pancho called Pioneertown their home, they ruled the airways!
The Cisco Kid is a film, radio, television and comic book series based on a fictional Western character created by author O. Henry.
However, O. Henry's 19o7 short story The Caballero's Way from his book titled Heart of the West depicted a Kid unlike any other that Hollywood would become familiar with. Subsequent stories of the Kid depicted the him as a heroic Mexican caballero, although O. Henry's original story depicted him as a non-Hispanic, murdering outlaw.
The Cisco Kid movie series began in 1939 with Cesar Romero as the Kid in The Cisco Kid and the Lady.
The Cisco Kid came to radio October 2nd, 1942, with Jackson Beck in the title role and Louis Sorin as Pancho. This series continued on Mutual until 1945. It was followed by another Mutual series in 1946, starring Jack Mather and Harry Lang, who continued to head the cast in the syndicated radio series of more than 6oo episodes from 1947 to 1956.
Duncan Renaldo took over the role as the Kid in 1945 with The Cisco Kid Returns. Shortly after that, the Kid found Pioneertown and settled down for a long while!
Philip N. Krasne is responsible for the Cisco Kid that many of us know today. After getting The Cisco Kid on the radio, Krasne then aimed to put him back on the big screen. He addressed the poor reviews of the Kid's appearance by hiring a consultant from the Mexican embassy to oversee a revamping of the Kid's wardrobe and overall appearance.
The Valiant Hombre, the first film to be produced in Pioneertown, was released December 15th, 1948. Duncan Renaldo returned to star as the newly revamped Kid and was accompanied by Leo Carrillo as Pancho. The famous duo would later reprise their roles in four more films and over 15o television episodes, all of which were filmed in Pioneertown.
The weekly The Cisco Kid television series through Ziv Television Programs first aired on September 5th, 195o. Duncan Renaldo and Leo Carrillo starred in all six seasons which included 156 episodes, all of which were shot at Pioneertown in just over four years.
While the vast majority of America watched television in black and white, Philip N. Krasne knew that the day of color television was just around the corner. So he chose to film the entire series in color, which was then automatically reprinted in black and white for public broadcasting. Although about 99% of viewers weren't able to see it in color until the 196o's, Krasne's choice lead The Cisco Kid to become the first television series to ever be filmed entirely in color.
Classic Country Music Mix
Classic Country Music Mix
The Classic Country Music Mix can be heard on Pioneertown Public Radio everyday from 8AM-1oPM
Over 2,ooo of the worlds greatest country music classics!
.. nothing newer than 1999!
Request your favorite country music to be played on the air everyday from 8AM-1oPM!
Country Hoedown
Classic Country Music Mix
Country Hoedown can be heard randomly on the OLD TIMEY RADIO MIX, which runs every night from 12AM-3AM
Country Hoedown was a program that featured some of the most famous country and western music from its time.
As the show went on, listeners were persuaded to consider a career in the US Navy.
This program was actually a series presented by the US Navy Recruiting Service in 1958.
Country Hoedown had a variety of country music celebrities perform as host, including Ernest Tubb, Jimmy Dean, and Tex Williams.
Country Style U.S.A.
Country Style U.S.A.
Country Style USA can be heard randomly on the OLD TIMEY RADIO MIX, which runs every night from 12AM-3AM
Country Style, USA was a series of 15-minute radio and film programs that were produced by the US Army as a recruiting aid from 1957 to 196o.
This show featured top American country music artists. 13 episodes were produced a year; all in Nashville, Tennessee and distributed to local radio and TV stations.
Some of the artists featured on the show were Jody McCrea, Jim Reeves and Moon Mullican.
Evenings With Ennio Morricone
Evenings With Ennio Morricone can be heard every night from 1oPM-12AM
Everyone is familiar with Ennio Morricone's work!
His music changed the face of western cinema forever and is known around the world.
Morricone was an Italian composer, orchestrator, conductor and trumpet player who wrote and orchestrated music in an extremely wide range of styles. He composed over 4oo scores for cinema and television in addition to over 1oo classical works. His filmography includes over 7o award-winning films including all of Sergio Leone's films since A Fistful of Dollars.
Morricone is widely regarded as having been one of the greatest and most influential film composers of all time and his score to The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966) is considered one of the most influential soundtracks ever composed.
Enjoy two straight hours of Ennio Morricone every night on Pioneertown Public Radio!
Foy Willing & Riders of the Purple Sage
Foy Willing & The Riders of the Purple Sage can be heard randomly on the OLD TIMEY RADIO MIX, which runs every night from 12AM-3AM
The Riders of the Purple Sage helped to popularize western music and cowboy harmony in movies and on radio. Just like The Sons of the Pioneers did, The Riders of the Purple Sage made several appearances both in western films and radio shows, and proved to be very popular with audiences.
Headliner Foy Willing along with The Riders of the Purple Sage found their audience as the house band for Cottonseed Clark's Hollywood Barn Dance.
Cottonseed Clark's Hollywood Barn Dance was similar to other shows here on Pioneertown Public radio in that it was a wartime entertainment show and was in fact a replacement for Gene Autry's Melody Ranch while Autry was serving in WWII.
This country themed formula continued to prove popular after the war, as All Star Western Theater saw a great deal of success.
Frontier Town
Frontier Town was a radio program from 1949 that starred Jeff Chandler, billed as Tex Chandler, and told the story of individual sagas from different towns in the wild west.
Chandler played the role of Chad Remington, who's quest to bring his father's killer to justice jumpstarted his career as a crime fighting attorney in the small town of Dos Rios.
Chad's sidekick, Cherokee O'Bannon, was played by Wade Crosby, who performed his entire role in a W.C. Fields type dialect.
Mr. Chandler remained in the lead role for the first 23 episodes but was replaced by Reed Hadley who played Remington for the second half of the show.
Gene Autry's Melody Ranch
Gene Autry's Melody Ranch shows can be heard randomly on the OLD TIMEY RADIO MIX, which runs every night from 12AM-3AM
Gene Autry was a very prominent figure in Pioneertown history.
But the entire time that he was working in Pioneertown and even the entire time he was fighting in WWII, Autry was also heard on the radio.
Gene Autry's Melody Ranch started on the radio in 194o and ran for 16 long years. It was a western music variety show that aired weekly on CBS Radio and was hosted by Big Jack Little. Though Little was the show's host, Gene Autry was the main star and also the show's producer. In addition to Autry's musical talent, the show also featured some of the best western and country musicians from that time.
It was for his Melody Ranch show that Autry created his Cowboy Commandments, which he tried to instill upon his youthful more more than anyone else. When Gene Autry ended his work in Pioneertown he took his Flying A Productions to Melody Ranch in Newhall, CA, which he had purchased in 1952. Melody Ranch was once known as Monogram Ranch. Monogram Studios had made over 75o movies at the location before they sold it to Autry and renamed Melody Ranch.
On July 26th, 1942, by request of the Pentagon, during a live broadcast of his Melody Ranch radio show, Gene Autry was inducted into the U.S. Army Air Forces as a Technical Sergeant. One week after Gene was sworn into the military, Gene Autry's Melody Ranch officially became the Sgt. Gene Autry Radio Show. The program continued airing music, comedy and action stories, but now included a heavy patriotic theme, which continued until August of 1943, when Autry was given new orders.
In June of 1944, he earned his service pilot wings and was promoted to Flight Officer before he was assigned to the 91st Ferrying Squadron of the 555th Army Air Base Unit, Air Transport Command at Love Field. Autry served with this unit as a pilot on cargo type aircraft until October of 1945. Gene transferred to Special Services at the end of the war where he took a USO troupe to the South Pacific until he was honorably discharged from service in 1946.
Autry then found his way to Pioneertown to start a new chapter in his life.
The Grand Ole Opry
The Grand Ole Opry can be heard randomly on the OLD TIMEY RADIO MIX, which runs every night from 12AM-3AM
The Grand Ole Opry started in 1925 and brought country western music to the ears of many Americans who may not have heard it otherwise.
This country variety show included country, hillbilly and folk musical acts. The show saw great, fast success and fans of all ages soon attended from around the world for a chance to see the spectacle.
In just a few short years, The Grand Ole Opry grew from a simple 2oo seat studio to the 2,ooo seat Nashville War Memorial Auditorium.
The Grand Ole Opry has hosted many famous guests, including country music legends US Presidents. Some of the most iconic guests include Elvis Presley, Dolly Parton, Johnny Cash, Hank Williams and Patsy Cline. Richard Nixon even played the piano on stage.
Other famous guests include Tony Bennett, Ray Charles, the Harlem Globetrotters, Andy Griffith, Leslie Jordan, Steve Martin, and Sissy Spacek.
Gunsmoke
Gunsmoke can be heard every morning from 5AM-6AM
“Around Dodge City, and into territory on west, there’s just one way to handle the killers and the spoilers: that’s with a U.S. Marshal, and the smell of gunsmoke!”
Gunsmoke was an American radio and television western drama series created by writer John Meston and director Norman Macdonnell. The show focused around Dodge City, KS, during the early of Americas wild west.
Marshal Matt Dillon, played by William Conrad on radio and James Arness on television, was the main character. Oddly, when the show aired in the United Kingdom, the television series went under the Gun Law before reverting to Gunsmoke.
The radio series ran from 1952 to 1961 and was quoted as having been "routinely placed among the best shows of any kind and any time." The television series ran for an amazing 2o seasons from 1955 to 1975 and hosted some 635 episodes.
“Gunsmoke!… starring William Conrad… the story of the violence that moved west with young America, and the story of a man who moved with it. I’m that man… Matt Dillon. United States marshal… the first man they look for, and the last man they want to meet… it’s a chancy job, and it makes a man watchful… and a little lonely.”
Have Gun - Will Travel
Have Gun - Will Travel can be heard randomly on the OLD TIMEY RADIO MIX, which runs every night from 12AM-3AM
Have Gun - Will Travel was a western adventure radio and television show. The radio show broadcast 1o6 episodes on the CBS Radio Network from 1958 to 196o while the television show ran 225 episodes from 1957 to 1963.
At first, the scripts for the radio show were derived from that of the television show, making the episodes in sync with one another. But the radio show eventually started producing its own scripts and following a different storyline.
The main character of these stories was Paladin, a graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point and a veteran of the American Civil War, played by John Denner on the radio and Richard Boone on television.
Paladin was an investigator and a gunfighter who traveled around the wild west working as a mercenary for whoever hired him. Despite the nature of his job, Paladin was a man of principle who preferred solving problems in a peaceful manner; though things often tend to turn a bit violent. Paladin usually worked for people that he believed had been wronged.
"Paladin, Paladin, where do you roam? Paladin, Paladin, far, far from home.
He travels on to wherever he must, a chess knight of silver is his badge of trust.
There are campfire legends that the plainsmen sing of, a man with the gun, of the man called Paladin!"
The Hollywood Barn Dance
Hollywood Barn Dance can be heard randomly on the OLD TIMEY RADIO MIX, which runs every night from 12AM-3AM
Long before The Beverly Hillbillies left their mark on Southern California, there was already an abundance of good ol' hillbilly music here on the Hollywood Barn Dance!
This half-hour country music variety shows ran from 1943 to 1948 and was created and hosted by Cottonseed Clark.
Charlie Linvalle, Carolina Cotton, Kirby Grant, Johnny Bond and The Riders of the Purple Sage were all regulars on the program.
Guest appearances on the Hollywood Barn Dance included Maureen O'Connor, Clem Smith, Ken Curtis, Andy Parker along with the Plainsmen, Bob Hope and Roy Rogers.
The Hoot'Navy Program
The Hoot'Navy Program
The Hoot'Navy Program can be heard randomly on the OLD TIMEY RADIO MIX, which runs every night from 12AM-3AM
What is a "Hoot'Navy"?
The Hoot'Navy Program is a Hootenanny that has gone to sea!
Okay. But what on earth is a Hootenanny?
"Hootenanny" is a Scottish word that refers to a celebration or party. The largest group of immigrants to settle in the Appalachian region of North America were the Scottish and they brought along with them their tradition of distilling. This imported practice led in time to the honorable tradition of moonshining. So it shouldn't surprise anyone that the word 'Hootenanny' became synonymous with get-togethers where folk and country singers could be found performing before an open mic and a crowd of rootin', tootin', drinkin' folk.
This radio show was created to help recruit new Navy sailors and entertain those already enlisted. It featured the music of Cliffie Stone, Rex Allen, Miriam Hall, The Sons of the Pioneers and many more. The country western music community has always held a close relationship with Navy recruiting and has used cowboys to get their message out since before WWII. During the post-WWII period, Navy ships, aircraft, and weapon systems were all updated and became more sophisticated which then required better-educated sailors to operate and maintain them. The Hoot'Navy Program helped the efforts made by the Recruiting Command to help fill this need for more sailors.
The Hoot'Navy Program was broadcast from the studios of KXLA in Los Angeles and was hosted by country DJ Ralph Emery.
The Korn Kobblers
The Hoot'Navy Program
The Korn Kobblers can be heard randomly on the OLD TIMEY RADIO MIX, which runs every night from 12AM-3AM
The Korn Kobblers were once billed as "America's most nonsensical band;" part comedy act and part big band. In addition to traditional musical instruments, these fine artists added their own self-invented musical instruments, such as the skoocherphone and the tuned smokestack.
They were discovered in 1939 by Guy Lombardo at the Old Vienna in Cincinnati, OH. The following year, they opened for Lombardo when he played at the 194o Wold's Fair. During their run, The Korn Kobblers appeared on some 2oo radio station, made a handful of short films and recorded several albums.
The Korn Kobblers formed when six men split from Freddie Fisher's Schnickelfritz Band to a start what would soon prove to be a very successful radio career. Though they appealed to radio listeners, a great deal of their comedy was in fact visual. The characters were hillbilly boys, so they often sported overalls, flannel shirts and floppy hats and often employed the use of stage props to go along with songs they were singing.
The band was made up of members Harry Turen, who played the saxophone, clarinet, mouth harp, fiddle, tonette and the tuned smokestack; Charlie Koenig, who played the bass and fiddle; Howard "Chief" McElroy, a drumer who also played the vibraphone, xylophone and a duck-quacker; Nels Laakso, a trumpter that also played the ocarina, slide cornet and skoocherphone; Stan Fritts, another drummer who also played the trombone, washboard, various horns and other random gadgets; and Mary Gold, who played the piano and helped to arranged songs.
The Lone Ranger
The Lone Ranger can be heard every morning from 4AM-5AM
"Hi-yo, Silver, away!"
The Lone Ranger was an American radio and television show created by George W. Trendle and developed by writer Fran Striker. This character, who's identity was left unknown, was a masked Texas Ranger in the American Old West who righted injustices with the aid of his clever Indian sidekick, Tonto, and his horse, Silver.
He first appeared on the radio in 1933 and quickly proved to be a hit which then spawned a series of books, an equally popular television show that ran from 1949 to 1957, many comic book series and several movies.
The Lone Ranger was played on the radio by a handful of different actors including George Stenius and Brace Beemer. But Earle Graser took the reins for some 13,ooo episodes! Brace Beemer went on to become the show’s narrator.
Tonto was played by a handful of actors including John Todd and Roland Parker.
On television, the title role was played by Clayton Moore with just a little help from John Hart during a contract dispute. Hart wore a different style of mask while standing in for Moore. Tonto was played by Jay Silverheels, a Mohawk from the Six Nations Indian Reserve in Ontario, Canada.
Melody Roundup
Melody Roundup can be heard randomly on the OLD TIMEY RADIO MIX, which runs every night from 12AM-3AM
Melody Roundup was host to country western music and good ol' fun for all cowboy and cowgirls!
The show aired from 1942 to 1945 and was part of the Armed Forces Radio Service.
Melody Roundup was hosted by western star Andy Devine, who aired country western and cowboy hits along with a great many celebrity guest stars.
Andy Devine was no stranger to the cowboy scene. His good charm and raspy voice earned him the role of Cookie, Roy Roger's partner, which Devine portrayed in 1o movies. He also appeared alongside John Wayne in films like Stagecoach, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance and How the West Was Won.
A couple of of Devine's guests on the Melody Roundup program just so happened to be our old friends The Sons of the Pioneers and Gene Autry.
The Old Timey Radio Mix
The Old Timey Radio Mix can be heard on Pioneertown Public Radio everyday from 12AM-3AM
The Old Timey Radio Mix is a mix of classic old radio shows. The list of shows includes, but is not limited to,
- 10 2 4 Ranch
- Adventures in Research
- All Star Western Theater
- Country Hoedown
- Country Style USA
- Foy Willing & The Riders Of The Purple Sage
- Frontier Town
- Gene Autry's Melody Ranch
- The Grand Ole Opry
- Have Gun - Will Travel
- The Hollywood Barn Dance
- The Hoot'Navy Program
- The Korn Kobblers
- Melody Roundup
- Pinto Pete In Arizona
- Ripley’s One Minute Shorts
- The Roy Rogers Show
- Six Shooter
- The Tom Mix Ralston Straight Shooters
Pinto Pete in Arizona
Pinto Pete in Arizona can be heard randomly on the OLD TIMEY RADIO MIX, which runs every night from 12AM-3AM
The radio show Pinto Pete in Arizona was a spin-off of its predecessor, Pinto Pete and the Ranch Boys.
The show was centered around the character Pinto Pete, who was the "boss" and also happened to be a singing cowboy with an extra low voice.
Pete's loyal ranch hands cared for the boss and, likewise, he cared for them. During each of the 15-minute shows, there were several songs with at least one song that featured Pinto Pete's signature deep bassy voice.
At some point during each of the shows, Pete also tried to instill a short lesson, typically about faith and good morals.
Ripley’s One Minute Shorts
Ripley's Believe It Or Not can be heard randomly every day and night on Pioneertown Public Radio
Ripley's Believe It or Not! is a franchise founded by Robert Ripley in 1918.
Ripley scoured the earth in search of the strange, the miraculous and the unbelievable. So it should come as no surprise that his franchise deals in bizarre events and items so strange and unusual that readers might question the claims.
Quickly after the Believe It or Not franchise was founded it proved to be quite popular and was adapted into a wide variety of formats, including radio, television, comic books, a chain of museums and a book series.
The Ripley collection includes over 2o,ooo photographs, 3o,ooo artifacts and 1oo,ooo cartoon panels.
Robert Ripley
There were a few different versions of Ripley's radio shows and these are by far the shortest. In fact, these might actually be some of the shortest radio programs ever broadcast!
Most of them hardly make the full minute mark.
However, in just that short space of time, the show is able to pack in a dramatic introduction and one or two amazing true stories. . . Believe it or not!
The Roy Rogers Show
The Roy Rogers Show can be heard randomly on the OLD TIMEY RADIO MIX, every night from 12AM-3AM
Roy Rogers played a very intricate role in the establishment of Pioneertown. Rogers, Dale Evans and The Sons of the Pioneers were all key promoters of Pioneertown from the get-go. And, just like Gene Autry, the entire time he was working in Pioneertown, he was also be heard on the radio.
The Roy Rogers Show was a 30-minute Western radio program that began in 1944, ended in 1955 and was carried on more than 5oo stations. Because of the extremely high demand for Rogers' time in those days, the show was one of the very first radio series to be transcribed.
The show aired initially on Mutual from November 21st of 1944 to May 13th of 1951. The show then moved to NBC from October 5th of 1951 to July 21st of 1955. Over the course of six years a total of 348 episodes were produced.
The show was Directed by Tom Hargass, and sponsored by Goodyear Tire Company, Mile Laboratories, Quacker Cereal, Post Cereals, and Dodge Motor Company.
The Roy Roger's Show focused stories of cowboys and cowgirls set in a modern time which included cars, telephones, and electric technology. The show made no attempt to explain the blend of nineteenth century characters with twentieth century technology and simply blended them together.
Six Shooter
Six Shooter can be heard randomly on the OLD TIMEY RADIO MIX, every night from 12AM-3AM
"The man in the saddle is angular and long legged. The gun in his holster is gray steel. Its handle unmarked."
Six Shooter was a weekly radio series written by American screenwriter Frank Burt and starring Jimmy Stewart as Britt Ponset.
Six Shooter first aired on NBC Radio on September 2oth, 1953. Sadly, NBC only carried the show for one season, producing a total of 39 episodes.
The story focused on Stewart's character, Britt Ponset, an intelligent, mild-mannered cowboy. The show quickly became famous for Stewart's unique whispered narration, which seemed to happen particularly during intense scenes. Burt, the writer, believed this would be helpful in making the scene more dramatic. He couldn't have been more accurate.. and no one could have delivered it quite at well as Stewart did!
Other celebrities that appeared on Six Shooter were Parley Baer, Harry Bartell, Wiliam Conrad, Virginia Gregg, Howard McNear, Marvin Miller, Jeanette Nolan, Dan O'Herlihy, and Allan Reed.
Smokey the Bear & The Sons of the Pioneers
Smokey the Bear & His Famous Friends, The Sons of the Pioneers can be heard everyday at Noon!
Many of you know both Smokey the Bear and The Sons of the Pioneers.
But how many of you knew that they had all worked together in the 195os?
Listen to Smokey tell stories about keeping our land safe while the Sons of the Pioneers serenade everyone with some of their favorite songs. Famous guests often drop by to join in on the fun!
Remember - only YOU can prevent forest fires!
Songs of the Phenomenal Sons of the Pioneers
Songs Of The Phenomenal Sons Of The Pioneers can be heard every morning from 7AM-8AM
The Sons of the Pioneers were some of the very first promoters of Pioneertown. The name "Pioneertown" was actually derived from a song made by The Sons of the Pioneers and written by Tim Spencer titled Out In Pioneertown.
On March 25th, the Desert Sun ran a full-page ad which advertised new land for sale and invited people to join Dale Evans, Roy Rogers and The Sons of the Pioneers as Land Owners at Pioneertown: "Where the Old West Lives Again"
Though there have been many changes in membership, The Sons of the Pioneers have remained one of the longest-surviving country music vocal groups and are still an active music group to this very day. The Sons are known for their quality vocal performances, their musicianship and their western songwriting.
In 1931, Leonard Slye, later known as Roy Rogers, arrived in California and found work as a truck driver and fruit picker for the Del Monte company. Slye entered an amateur singing contest on a Los Angeles radio show called Midnight Frolics which landed him an invitation to join a group called the Rocky Mountaineers.
Later that year a man named Bob Nolan answered a classified ad in the Los Angeles Herald-Examiner that read, "Yodeler for old-time act, to travel. Tenor preferred." The ad had been placed by Slye and The Rocky Mountaineers. By then, Leonard Slye led the band and after listened to Nolan sing and yodel, Slye hired Nolan on the spot. Unfortunately, Nolan only stayed with the group a short time; though he stayed in touch with Slye. Nolan was replaced by a man named Tim Spencer and in the spring of 1932, Slye, Spencer, and another singer, Slumber Nichols, left The Rocky Mountaineersto form a trio, which didn’t do very well at all. Slye and Spencer bounced around through a series of short-lived groups such as the International Cowboys and the O-Bar-O Cowboys.
In 1933, Leonard Slye, Bob Nolan and Tim Spencer formed a group they called the Pioneer Trio. By 1934, the group consisted of Leonard Slye playing rhythm guitar, Bob Nolan on string bass and Tim Spencer performing vocals. A fiddle player named Hugh Farr was soon added to the group, which brought a bassy voice to the group's vocal arrangements.
Shortly after that, the Pioneers Trio became the Sons of the Pioneers through a radio station announcer's chance remark. When asked why he'd changed their name, the radio announcer said the kids he saw were too young to have been pioneers. But it seemed to him that they could be the sons of some pioneers. The new name was well received and fit the group quite nicely as they were no longer a trio.
One of the first songs recorded by the Sons of the Pioneers was written by Bob Nolan. "Tumbling Tumbleweeds" would soon become a staple of western music known all around the world. The original title was actually "Tumbling Leaves" but was changed to help give the song a little more western character.
The Sons of the Pioneers appeared in countless films, movie shorts and a television series over the years. In 1935 they signed with Columbia Pictures to supply the music for the studio's Charles Starrett westerns. In 1937, Leonard Slye was offered a contract as an actor with rival Republic Pictures. Part of that deal required him to leave the singing group. Leonard Slye changed his name to Roy Rogers and went on to achieve major success as a singing cowboy.
Though they were signed to rivaling production companies, Roy Rogers and the Sons of the Pioneers remained very close. When the Starrett unit broke up in 1941, The Sons of the Pioneers rejoined Roy Rogers at Republic and began appearing as supporting players in the Rogers western films.
- The Sons of the Pioneers were the first Country and Western group to sing at Carnegie Hall and the first to perform at the lavish nightclubs in Las Vegas
- In 1977, the Smithsonian Institution named The Sons of the Pioneers "National Treasures"
- In 1995, The Sons of the Pioneers were inducted into the Western Performers Hall of Fame at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
- The Sons of the Pioneers have a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for recording. It was dedicated on September 24th of 1976.
Tom Mix Ralston Straight Shooters
The Tom Mix Ralston Straight Shooters can be heard randomly on the OLD TIMEY RADIO MIX, which runs every night from 12AM-3AM
Thomas Edwin Mix, known around the world simply as Tom Mix, was a real life cowboy and an American actor known for his hundreds of roles in Western movies. Mix appeared in an amazing 291 films, the majority of which were silent movies, and was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Tom Mix was considered instrumental in developing and defining the genre for all other cowboy actors to follow. Anyone familiar with Pioneertown is familiar with Tom Mix Road - a road established to honor someone the pioneers of Pioneertown admired very much.
Mix’s first film appearance was in the 19o9 short film The Cowboy Millionaire. This was followed a year later by the documentary film Ranch Life in the Great Southwest, where Mix starred as himself.
At 49 years old, Mix decided to retire from his film career. Later, in 193os, a radio series named after him was produced, entitled Tom Mix Ralston Straight Shooters.
Unfortunately, Mix never appeared on any of the broadcasts of this radio show.
Tom Mix died in a car crash in Arizona on October 12th, 194o. He was only 6o years old.
You Bet Your Life
You Bet Your Life can be heard every morning from 3AM-4AM
Again, not everything on Pioneertown Public Radio is 1oo% Country..
You Bet Your Life ran on both radio and television from 1947 to 1961. The radio version of the show had its final air date in 1956, while the television show ran on NBC until 1961.
Groucho Marx as the host and George Fenneman was his charming assistant. It first heard on ABC Radio in 1947 followed by CBS Radio in 1949 before it finally found its way onto television in 195o. In 196o, the show changed its name to The Groucho Show.
Contestants for this show were chosen from the live audience in attendance. Special guest contestants included celebrities, charity organizations political figures. These contestants were often set into pairs consisting of one male and one female and the pairs were matched in such as way that they were a great deal opposite to each other. This not only made things interesting, but often quite funny. Groucho would often try to play matchmaker with contestants, no matter how opposite (or married) they might have been.. Which, again, made things quite hilarious.
These pairs of contestants chose a category from 2o available options from which their questions were then taken. There were a few different formats throughout its run. The game-aspects of the show that always remained the same were simple: the more correct answers the pair gave, the more money they would win. If they give a wrong answer then their money was reduced.
Each episode also had a secrete word which, if spoken by a contestant, would trigger a random stage performance or a duck to fall from above and instantly grant the contestants $1oo or more to split between them.
Vintage Radio Commercials
Vintage Radio Commercials
Over 1,ooo Classic Old Timey Radio Commercials can be heard on Pioneertown Public Radio, all day and all night!
Nothing newer than 1999!
. . well. . nothing except a few PPR jingles and ¡SHOUTOUTS! . .
Have Commercials That We Don't?
PPR is always interested in expanding its collection!
If you have any vintage radio commercials you would like to submit to PPR - please send them to WEBMASTER@VISITPIONEERTOWN.COM and we'll give you a shout out on the air!
All submissions must be in MP3 format.
Can't Wait To Hear That Vintage Ad?
You can request to hear your favorite vintage radio commercials everyday from 7AM-7PM on the CLASSIC COUNTRY MUSIC MIX.
Click below to search the PPR library and submit your request.
SWEETPEA NEEDS YOUR HELP
This pretty girl was (presumably) abandoned in Pioneertown, CA on approximately April 28th, 2o25.