Singer and actor Maurice “Tex” Ritter was born this week in 1905.
Photo credit : country music hall of fame
Ritter became one of the most popular singing cowboys and pioneer of country music. He started acting in westerns in 1936 and by the time he came out with his last film 1945‘s The Texas Rangers, he had appeared in 85 films.
One of them was Hittin’ The Trail in 1937, where as Tex Randall he fought the bad guys and performed classics like Blood on The Saddle.
Ritter’s music career started to blossom in 1942 with a string of hits, one of his biggest was the theme song for the movie High Noon, Do Not Forsake Me, Oh My Darlin’, which won an Oscar for best song in 1953.
Tex Ritter also started an acting dynasty that included his wife Dorothy, and son John Ritter of Three’s Company and Hooperman fame and grandkids Jason, Stella and Tyler.
He hosted some TV music shows and served a two-year tenure as the president of the Country Music Association, and in 1965 he moved to Nashville to join the Grand Ole Opry.
I’ll celebrate Tex Ritter’s birthday with some of his classics on UNCLE ED’S COUNTRY DEN, brought to you by Fantasy Falls.
