Rusty Richards is a real cowboy who grew up in Modjeska Canyon, California, as well as a “reel” cowboy in Hollywood. Rusty sang tenor with the Sons of the Pioneers for a span of 20 years, beginning in 1963. He was the Pioneers’ first true yodeler since Roy Rogers. Jim Rorie is a north Mississippi Delta Blues man. Jerry Reed recorded a song that Jim and Billy had written called “Rooster Jones”, it was produced by Chet Atkins.
Rusty Richards is a cowboy who sings and a gifted writer of cowboy songs. Known for his recordings and appearances as a celebrity and headliner at many Western events, no one in Western music is more loved and appreciated than Rusty Richards. His career has been a long and fascinating one. He is a real cowboy growing up in Modjeska Canyon, California, as well as a reel cowboy. As a young man in Hollywood, Rusty worked as a “riding-shooting” cowboy and stuntman in many Western films and TV shows, e.g. Rawhide, Wagon Train, Gunsmoke, Bonanza, Have Gun-Will Travel, etc. He has won numerous rodeo awards, including buckles and the last Ben Johnson Saddle. In addition, he is widely known for his abilities as a horse trainer.
During his long career in Western music, Rusty sang tenor with the Sons of the Pioneers for a span of 20 years, beginning in 1963. He was the Pioneers’ first true yodeler since Roy Rogers. While with the group they performed worldwide garnering many awards. To mention just a few; they were inducted into the National Cowboy Hall of Fame, their star was placed on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, they were declared a National Treasure by the Smithsonian Institution, and they were awarded the Best Touring Band by the Academy of Country Music.Earlier.
At age 16, Rusty had a TV program in LA, Song Trails with Rusty Richards, which was followed by a stint in the Marines and he had his own all Japanese Band in Yokosuka, Japan. He met and married Amy Richards, from Silverado Canyon and they raised four children: Jenny, Jason, Molly and Amy Jo. Their marriage is in its 52nd year. He recorded his first solo LP for Shasta Records, and it was re-issued as A Country Pioneer on CD by Varese Sarabande in 2003.He has composed hundreds of outstanding Western songs, some of which have been recorded by the Sons of the Pioneers, the Reinsmen, Robert Wagoner, Dinah Shore and other leading artists.Rusty’s first solo all-Western CD, The American Cowboy, has long been recommended by critics as a “must” for any Western music collection. His latest album, Trails Old and New, features all original material written and beautifully performed by Rusty. These CDs are available at www.cdbaby.com.As a solo performer Rusty has received numerous awards and honors. The National Western Film Festival in Ogden, Utah presented The Golden Lariat Award to him. He was given the Pioneer Award by the California Country Music Association, the Cowboy Spirit Award by the National Festival of the West, and The Ben Johnson Award by the Western Film Festival in Sonora, California.
In 2002 Rusty received the prestigious Aguirre-Moiso Buckle awarded by the Portola Ride, in 2004 Rusty was inducted into the Western Music Hall of Fame. In April of 2004 the historic Portola Ride was dedicated to Rusty and August 15, 2009 was declared Rusty Richards Day in Modjeska Canyon.
Jenny – Sadly, June 1, 2005 brought the tragic death of Jenny Richards, Rusty’s beautiful, loving and talented daughter. Jenny lives on in the hearts and minds of Rusty, Amy and their family, friends and Jenny’s numerous fans. Click here if you wish to hear her beautiful voice performing The Human Rainbow, one of the many songs that she had written. Jenny was memorialized by Irvine Valley College with a vocal scholarship in her name.
Rusty has now written the life story of his close friend, the legendary rodeo superstar, Casey Tibbs. The book is available now as a hardbound limited edition!The reviews on Rusty’s book have been fantastic! The first reviewer, T. Jerome Fisher said, “CASEY TIBBS – Born to Ride (Moonlight Mesa Associates, Inc.) is, hands down, the best Western biography yet published. Expertly paced and beautifully written, this biography will be read for generations to come.”
To order a signed hardbound limited edition, go to CASEY TIBBS Born to Ride..Rusty’s songwriting has been equaled by his talent for book writing and as Baxter Black put it, “Casey Tibbs touched a lot of people, he was larger than life. That Rusty Richards has a way with words is like saying Casey Tibbs could ride a bronc. It’s appropriate that Casey’s biography has been written by a cowboy who is his equal.”~ Baxter Black, Cowboy, Poet, Humorist To contact Rusty Richards P.O. Box 807 Trabuco Canyon, CA 92678
Visit RustyRichards CDBaby “CASEY TIBBS – Born to Ride”
Jim Rorie is a north Mississippi Delta Blues man. The early years took him all over the country and after playing blues clubs in Chicago and Los Angeles, he settled in Memphis, the Home of the Blues.Jim Rorie
The nightclub scene in Memphis was thriving in the early 1960’s and Jim Rorie, as the leader of a group called “Daddy Rube and the Renegades”, played them all. His maverick mix of Blues, Rock & Roll and Country was a perfect fit. Jim Rorie, Memphis Blues
Some say you have to live the blues to understand them. Jim has paid his dues. Listen to the lyrics in the songs he has written and you can tell that he has lived them. He’s been a rebel without a cause, a renegade and a rounder. One thing has always been apparent….. Jim’s love for music, especially Country and Blues. Jim dropped out of music fulltime in the late 60’s due to marriage and raising kids and went to work in the airline industry but he always remained on the fringe of Memphis music. In 1971, he purchased an interest in a recording studio called Bloc-6 in the former Bill Black studio Lyn-Lou with Billy Wayne Herbert and Maurice McGhee. He also managed the great Memphis soul singer James Govan during this period. They never got the studio off the ground unfortunately but throughout all these years, Jim was writing songs either by himself or with Billy Wayne Herbert or Jerry Ward. In 1975, Jerry Reed recorded a song that Jim and Billy had written called “Rooster Jones”, it was produced by Chet Atkins. Several local artists around Memphis have recorded Jim’s songs as well. When he retired from the airlines, he devoted all of his time to music appearing at many well known clubs and venues around the country and appearing at many film and music festivals. Realizing that Nashville had passed him by on his songs that he had written. he started recording them himself on his own label JiRo Records.
The internet came along and he submitted one of his CD’s to CDBaby and they aired it out worldwide. Jim received an e-mail from a DJ in Antwerp, Belgium saying that he liked his music and would play it so Jim sent him one. 2 weeks later he gets another e-mail saying that he’s really getting good response and this DJ whose name was Ray Pieters included a global DJ list of people that played independent music. It wasn’t long before they were playing Jim Rorie music in 18 foreign countries. Scana Records in Sweden leased Jim’s CD, “One More For The Ditch” for Scandinavia and Europe and he also received good airplay in Australia and New Zealand. He has now released 9 CD’s and still has songs that haven’t been recorded yet. He’s working on a new CD with 6 songs done and 6 more to go.
Visit JimRorie CDBaby FaceBook
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