{"id":784,"date":"2023-02-26T18:42:55","date_gmt":"2023-02-26T23:42:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/unewhavendh.org\/music-of-texas-spring-2023\/?p=784"},"modified":"2023-03-05T19:41:08","modified_gmt":"2023-03-06T00:41:08","slug":"tex-ritter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/unewhavendh.org\/music-of-texas-spring-2023\/2023\/02\/26\/tex-ritter\/","title":{"rendered":"Tex Ritter"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Tex Ritter<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Tex Ritter (1905-1974)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

            Born \u201cWoodward Maurice Ritter\u201d in Panola County, TX in 1905, Tex Ritter was a famous \u201csinging cowboy.\u201d Ritter grew up on a ranch in Beaumont, TX and lived and worked there until he left to attend the University of Texas. It was there that Ritter met some of the noted authorities on cowboy music, including J. Frank Dobie, Oscar J. Fox, and John Lomax. Interestingly enough, Ritter attended the University not to study music, but to study law. During his time at the University, Ritter hosted a radio program playing cowboy songs on KPRC in Houston, TX.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            In 1928, Ritter moved to New York City where he had a brief stint working on Broadway productions. During this time, Ritter was active in the radio scene and even made his first commercial recordings, which flew under the radar at the time. In 1936, Ritter was signed by producer Edward Finney to make the movie Song of the Gringo<\/em> (1936) and moved to Hollywood. With this film, Ritter got his start as a \u201csinging cowboy.\u201d However, the films that Ritter starred in were made by Grand National and Monogram, two of what are called \u201cPoverty Row\u201d studios, and Ritter had very little success from them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPoverty Row\u201d studios are studios that made films very cheaply and quickly in order to turn a quick profit. These films were considered a \"lower\" form of film compared to the more prestigious films made by larger Hollywood studios.<\/pre>\n\n\n\n
            In 1942, Ritter was signed by the newly formed Capitol Records. With his talent, both he and the record label grew very successful and popular. In 1952, Ritter was asked to write the theme for a western film called High Noon<\/em> (1952). This song became immensely popular and made Ritter famous as a musician. His success with the theme for High Noon<\/em> made him a top choice for writing western themes, and he would go on to write themes for various other American westerns.<\/p>\n\n\n
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High Noon<\/em> (1952) by Tex Ritter<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
High Noon (1952) is an American western starring Gary Cooper and Grace Kelly about a town Marshal who must deal with interpersonal drama in his life while also preparing to face a band of killers, whose leader has just returned after being sent to prison by the Marshal.<\/pre>\n\n\n\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0When his Hollywood stardom began to fade, Ritter began to co-host a show called Town Hall Party, which became one of the most popular country music TV shows in the country. While he co-hosted the show, Ritter continued to write and record new music. In 1965, Ritter moved to Nashville where he would try his hand in politics, running for the US Senate. Ritter was unsuccessful politically and remained in Nashville until his death in 1974.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ritter’s legacy as one of Hollywood’s singing cowboys was survived by his son, John Ritter, who had a career in film and TV that was possibly more notable than that of his father. John Ritter became well-known from his role in the American sitcom Three’s Company<\/em> for which he received a Golden Globe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Texas Connection<\/h2>\n\n\n
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Panola County, TX<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
            Tex Ritter was born in Panola County, Texas, and grew up and worked on a ranch there until he left to go to University. Ritter also adopted a stage name, \u201cTex Ritter\u201d, as an homage to his home state upon entering the entertainment industry. Later in his career, Ritter would also play with his band \u201cthe Texans\u201d while he was recording music with Capitol Records.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
            Ritter\u2019s music and image is also clearly influenced by his home state of Texas. Ritter\u2019s style of music was directly influenced by his time in Texas and his interaction with the foremost authorities on cowboy music that he met at the University of Texas. Unlike other musicians that adopted the cowboy look or sound, Ritter had a history as a real-life working cowboy before he became the singing cowboy that he was for the rest of his life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Songs<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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