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The FIR Vault

TEX RITTER

By • Dec 10th, 2012 • Pages: 1 2 3 4

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With Brown in RAIDERS OF SAN JOAQUIN

The National Broadcasting Company telecast the ’52 Awards show and for seven years thereafter used Ritter as a regular on the series it called “Town Hall Party.” Red Foley used Ritter quite often as a guest star on his “Ozark Jubilee” teleseries, and as one of the co-stars of his summer replacement called “Five Star Jubilee (the other four stars: Rex Allen, Jimmy Wakely, Carl Smith and Snooky Lansen). Screen Gems contracted with Ritter in ’59 for the musical half hour, “Ranch Party,” which was on the air for four years. Thereafter Ritter appeared on other teleprograms and was featured in at least three tv-specials: ABC’s “Anatomy of Pop: The Music Explosion;” NBC’s award-winning “American Profile: Music from the Land;” and the NBC-Country Music Association production of the “The Second Annual Country Music Awards Show.”

In Ritter’s last two films to date – NASHVILLE REBEL and WHAT AM I BID? – he appears briefly as himself. He counsels a young singer and helps him find the solution to his problems. And in What Am / Bid? he sings “I Never Got to Kiss the Girl,” the song which spoofs the fact that at one time the scripts of Westerns never allowed the protagonist to become romantically involved with a woman.

Ritter’s bass-baritone rendition of Western folk music is liked outside the US and he has toured his Western Revue across Canada, in England, France and Germany; and in the Orient and South Africa. In the fall of ’68 our occupation forces in Germany made him an honorary provost marshal. He subsequently extended his Far East tour two weeks in order to entertain our forces in Vietnam.

With Guy Wilkerson, Dave O'Brien & Charles King in ENEMY OF THE LAW

It would be a mistake to regard Ritter as a singer of Western folk music only. Some of his most popular recordings have been in the category called “Country Soul,” e.g., “Some Sweet Day,” “Let Me Go, Devil” (which became the popular “Let Me Go, Lover”), “The Will,” “Strange Little Melody,” “She Loved This House,” “Take Him Fishin’,” “The Men in My Little Girl’s Life,” “Custody,” “Mommy, Daddy, Tell Me” and “Just Beyond the Moon,” which many of his fans think his most beautiful song. It was certainly the most popular of his Country Soul songs.

Ritter likes to experiment with sounds. He recorded the original “Wayward Wind” to the accompaniment of a French horn. He recorded a whole album of Western favorites with jazz-maestro Stan Kenton. He recorded an album in Mexico City of Western songs sung in Spanish – that were accompanied by marimbas and mariachis. His compositions, and the songs he has popularized, have often been performed by others, most notably Bing Crosby, Jan Garher, Lawrence Welk, Patti Page, Connie Francis, Roy Arcuff, Glen Campbell, Jerry Lee Lewis and Johnny Cash.

With Roy Arcuff in '68

Ritter moved from California to Nashville in ’65 to become a regular on Station WSM-Radio’s “Grand Ole Opry” programs. He is now the Nashville chairman of the National Committee for the Recording Arts and has been both president and vice president of the Country Music Association. He was, of course, elected to the Country Music Hall of Fame. Last year the Texas Legislature passed a resolution of appreciation for “the fame and praise he has brought to Texas.”

Tennessee is also proud to claim him. At the present moment there’s a movement in Tennessee to make him the Republican candidate who will endeavor next Fall to capture the Senatorial seat now occupied by Democrat Albert Gore.

*The other was making his first film, SONG OF THE GRINGO, in the cast of which was the legendary, but real-life, train robber, Al Jennings, who played edge. Says Ritter of Jennings: “He taught me how to handle a gun taught me the fast draw. I was with him for about a month -when I came to Hollywood, learning my gun work. I would see him around Hollywood after that, and we’d sometimes go to softball games.”

With Ray

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