Public Cowboy No. 1

The only performer to earn 5 stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame Gene Autry was the singing cowboy king of American entertainment. Now in Public Cowboy No.1 Holly George-Warren offers the first serious biography of this singular individual in a fascinating narrative that traces Autry's climb from small-town farm boy to multimillionaire. Here for the first time Autry the legend becomes a flesh-and-blood man--with all the passions triumphs and tragedies of a flawed icon. George-Warren recounts stories never before told including revelations about Autry's impoverished boyhood his adventures as an up-and-coming singer and the impact his unbelievable success had on his personal life. The book provides equally colorful details of Autry's lengthy radio and recording career which included such classics as Back in the Saddle Again and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer; his movie career where he breathed new life into the Western genre; and his role in early television. And along the way we see how he invested shrewdly in radio real-estate and television becoming the only entertainer listed among 1990's Fortune 400. Based on exclusive access to Gene Autry's personal papers as well as interviews with more than 100 relatives employees colleagues and friends this engaging biography brings to life a major Hollywood star--a man who more than anyone else put Western music and style on the American cultural map. <BR>