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Riders in the Sky | |
|---|---|
 Riders in the Sky appearing at the Ponca Theatre in Ponca City, Oklahoma on September 29, 2007 at a concert commemorating the 100th anniversary of the birth ofGene Autry. From left to right are Joey the Cow Polka King, Woody Paul, Ranger Doug and Too Slim. | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | Nashville, TN |
| Genres | |
| Years active | 1977–present |
| Labels | Rounder,MCA,CBS,Epic,Walt Disney,Rykodisc |
| Members | Douglas B. Green Woody Paul Fred LaBour Joey Miskulin |
| Past members | "Windy Bill" Collins Tumbleweed Tommy |
| Website | www |
Riders in the Sky is an AmericanWestern music and comedy group which began performing in 1977.[1] The band has released more than 40 albums, starred in a single-season self-titled television series onCBS, wrote and starred in anNPR syndicated radio dramaRiders Radio Theater, and appeared in television series and films including as featured contributors toKen Burns'Country Music.Theirfamily-friendly style also appeals to children, exemplified in their recordings forDisney andPixar. They have won twoGrammy Awards and have written and performed music for major motion pictures, including "Woody's Roundup" fromToy Story 2 andPixar's short film,For the Birds. The band also recorded companion albums forToy Story 2 andMonsters, Inc.
The Riders first performed on November 11, 1977 at Herr Harry's Frank N' Steins in Nashville, TN. For this first performance, the Riders consisted of Deputy Doug (Douglas B. Green), Windy Bill Collins, andFred LaBour. Happy with the crowds reaction, the Riders performed for the second time at Herr Harry's the next evening. Between the second and third performances, the band still didn't have a name, but that changed in December 1977, when Fred LaBour found a copy ofThe Sons of The Pioneers albumRiders in the Sky. When LaBour saw the album, he immediately called Green and told him that Riders In The Sky should be the band's name. Green agreed and from their third performance on, they were officially billed as Riders In The Sky. In 1978, Bill Collins left the Riders shortly after "Tumbleweed Tommy" Goldsmith joined. Shortly after Collins left, "Woody Paul" Chrisman also joined the band. In mid-1979, Tommy Goldsmith left the Riders shortly before the recording of their first album, which would becomeThree on the Trail. Goldsmith would perform on the Riders' second album,Cowboy Jubilee, in 1980, but not as a member of the band.
In 1982, Doug Green wrote a letter to Hal Durham, manager of theGrand Ole Opry, telling him the Riders would like to join. Durham responded favorably; western music was under-represented in the Opry, and it wouldn't conflict with the other materials and performances already in the Opry. After 26 appearances as a guest act, the Riders were officiallyinducted into the Opry on June 19, 1982.
In late 1982, the Riders were approached by Steve Arwood and Randy Hale to host a television show onThe Nashville Network (which had not begun broadcasting yet) calledTumbleweed Theater. The premise of the show was that their 90-minute program would show heavily editedpublic domain "B-Westerns" of the 1930s and 40s with Riders In The Sky performing skits and songs before, in between, and after the films. After screening the movie that would be featured in the episode, Arwood and Fred LaBour wrote the sketches that played between the films, with many of the skits carrying over to the Riders' live shows and albums.Tumbleweed Theater premiered March 12, 1983, and continued for five seasons overall, the last two consisting of repackaged skits and songs.
In 1985, the Riders made their Hollywood debut when the trio landed parts inSweet Dreams, abiographical film about the life ofPatsy Cline. The band playedThe Jordanaires, although in the film they are never mentioned by name. After filming their part for Sweet Dreams, the Riders appeared as themselves in the made-for-televisionKenny Rogers movieWild Horses, where they performed their original compositions "Here Comes The Santa Fe" and "Blue Bonnet Lady" during a party scene.
Beginning in 1988, Riders In The Sky were the stars ofRiders Radio Theater, a weekly radio show written by Fred LaBour and Steve Arwood (now going by the stagenameTexas Bix Bender) that was essentially theTumbleweed Theater television show minus the "B-Western" films. The half-hour show was taped at theTennessee Performing Arts Center in Nashville for the first year of episodes, but later moved to Cincinnati, Ohio beginning in 1989. The weekly show was canceled in 1995, but later came back as occasional specials beginning in 1998.
In 1990,CBS approached the Riders to do a Saturday morning television show that would later be described as "Pee-Wee's Playhouse meets the wild west". Only airing for one season (a total of 13 episodes) due to low ratings and weekly schedule changes, the show was written by George McGrath instead of the Riders themselves. Fred LaBour reflected on the show, saying "Everything we've had a hand in writing had been a success, we didn't have a hand in that, and it wasn't." The show premiered on September 14, 1991 asRiders In The Sky (although it has also been referred to asSaturday Mornings With Riders In The Sky).
In 1998,Ash Brannon recommended to Disney and Pixar executives that Riders In The Sky be the performers of "Woody's Round-Up" for their upcoming filmToy Story 2. The executives were so impressed with the Riders' performance, they had the Riders create a tie-in album around the characters ofToy Story 2 calledWoody's Roundup: A Rootin' Tootin' Collection of Woody's Favorite Songs. The album won theGrammy Award for Best Musical Album for Children at theGrammy Awards of 2001.
After the success of theWoody's Round-Up album, the Riders were called back into Pixar in 2002 to do another tie-in album, except based on Pixar's latest film:Monsters, Inc. The album, titledMonsters, Inc. Scream Factory Favorites, won the Riders a secondGrammy Award for Best Musical Album for Children at theGrammy Awards of 2003. In addition, the Riders wrote and performed the score of "For the Birds," an animated short that showed before "Monsters, Inc." in theaters. It won theAcademy Award for Best Animated Short Film in 2001.
The Riders made their animated debut in 2003, in theWarner Bros. animated seriesDuck Dodgers, where they played a robot band modeled after themselves. Their second animated appearance was in Disney'sdirect-to-DVDanimatedadventurechildren's film titledStanley's Dinosaur Round-Up. Their most recent animated role was in theKickstarter-funded filmCartoon Cowboys by WonderVista Studios.Cartoon Cowboys borrows heavily from Riders Radio Theater, including characters from the show and the Riders having the same personalities as their radio counterparts.
The Riders appeared as musical spokesmen in a series of YellaWood commercials, which re-united the Riders with Steve Arwood (once again playing Texas Bix Bender) and featured a set similar to the one seen onTumbleweed Theater (complete with a blue Studebaker pickup truck and the Riders performing on a Bunkhouse porch). The Riders also performed the theme song for YellaWood'sThe Adventures ofYella Fella and make cameos in the first episodes of seasons one and two.
The Riders in the Sky went on an extended hiatus during theCOVID-19 pandemic in 2020, in part because of Miskulin having extended health issues that prevented him from playing. The remaining members declined to make any of their usualOpry appearances during the pandemic; only Ranger Doug continued with any cowboy-related projects during the hiatus. The band resumed performing in 2021. As of 2022[update], they perform on theGrand Ole Opry several times per month.[2]
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Riders in the Sky were named Western Music Group of the Year during theAcademy of Western Artists 2006 Will Rogers Awards.
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | Twilight Theater | Guest Performers | Performer: "That's How The Yodel Was Born" Miscredited as: "The Rider's In The Sky" |
| 1983–1988 | Tumbleweed Theater | Themselves/Various Characters | TV series |
| 1985 | Sweet Dreams | The Jordanaires | Credited as "Opry Band" |
| 1985 | Wild Horses | Band at Dance | TV movie |
| 1989 | Hee Haw | Guest Performers | Season 22, episode 5 (10/14/1989) |
| 1990 | Christmas The Cowboy Way | Themselves/Various Characters | TV special |
| 1991 | Riders In The Sky | Themselves | TV series (13 episodes) |
| 1993 | A Riders In The Sky Christmas | Themselves/Various Characters | TV special |
| 1995–1996 | Riders Radio Theater: The Television Show | Themselves/Various Characters | Series of TV Specials (Four Episodes) |
| 1998 | Barney & Friends | Themselves | Performer: "How Does He Yodel" Episode: "Howdy, Friends!" |
| 1999 | Toy Story 2 | (No On-Screen Appearance) | Performer: "Woody's Round-Up" |
| 2001 | For The Birds | (No On-Screen Appearance) | Performer: "Big High Wire Hop" |
| 2003 | Country Music: The Spirit of America | Themselves | |
| 2003 | Duck Dodgers | Saloon Robot Band | Episode: "The Wrath of Canasta" |
| 2005 | Stanley's Dinosaur Round-Up | Themselves | Performer: "Stanley Rides Again" |
| 2015 | Music City U.S.A. | Themselves |
| International | |
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| National | |
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