David McEnery (musician)
Encyclopedia
Red River Dave McEnery was a musician and writer of topic
al songs. He was born in San Antonio
, Texas
. He got the nickname "Red River Dave" because he enjoyed singing "Red River Valley"
in high school. He was the leader of The Swift Cowboys.
radio.
Dave began his career by singing, yodeling
, and performing rope trick
s at rodeo
s. In 1936, he broadcast a live singing performance from the Goodyear blimp
over CBS
AM radio station WQAM in Miami.
His career really took off with his song "Amelia Earhart's Last Flight
", broadcast in a pioneer television broadcast from the 1939 New York World's Fair
.
Her worked for radio station WOR (AM)
in New York City
. He was a radio personality
in border radio for station XERF.
He was a well known painter as well, he was known to paint nature on canvas as well as paint on the back of his guitars
, including Swing in the Saddle
(1944), Hidden Valley Days (1948) and Echo Ranch (1948).
and Tex Ritter
.
Topic
Topic or Topicality may refer to:* Topic , what is being talked about* Topic * Topic , a brand of confectionery bar* Topics , a work by Aristotle* Topical, a medication applied to body surfaces...
al songs. He was born in San Antonio
San Antonio, Texas
San Antonio is the seventh-largest city in the United States of America and the second-largest city within the state of Texas, with a population of 1.33 million. Located in the American Southwest and the south–central part of Texas, the city serves as the seat of Bexar County. In 2011,...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
. He got the nickname "Red River Dave" because he enjoyed singing "Red River Valley"
Red River Valley (song)
Red River Valley is a folk song and cowboy music standard of controversial origins that has gone by different names—e.g., "Cowboy Love Song", "Bright Sherman Valley", "Bright Laurel Valley", "In the Bright Mohawk Valley", and "Bright Little Valley"—depending on where it has been sung. ...
in high school. He was the leader of The Swift Cowboys.
Career
As a teenager, he appeared regularly on KABCKABC
KABC may refer to:* KABC , a radio station licensed to Los Angeles, California, United States* KABC-TV, a television station licensed to Los Angeles, California...
radio.
Dave began his career by singing, yodeling
Yodeling
Yodeling is a form of singing that involves singing an extended note which rapidly and repeatedly changes in pitch from the vocal or chest register to the falsetto/head register; making a high-low-high-low sound.The English word yodel is derived from a German word jodeln meaning "to...
, and performing rope trick
Trick roping
Trick roping is an entertainment or competitive art involving the spinning of a lasso or lariat. It is particularly associated with wild west shows or western arts in the United States....
s at rodeo
Rodeo
Rodeo is a competitive sport which arose out of the working practices of cattle herding in Spain, Mexico, and later the United States, Canada, South America and Australia. It was based on the skills required of the working vaqueros and later, cowboys, in what today is the western United States,...
s. In 1936, he broadcast a live singing performance from the Goodyear blimp
Goodyear Blimp
The Goodyear Blimp is the collective name for a fleet of blimps operated by Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company for advertising purposes and for use as a television camera platform for aerial views of sporting events...
over CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
AM radio station WQAM in Miami.
His career really took off with his song "Amelia Earhart's Last Flight
Amelia Earhart's Last Flight
"Amelia Earhart's Last Flight" is a song written by Red River Dave McEnery shortly after Amelia Earhart's disappearance.It was copyrighted in 1939, and was first performed by David McEnery on a pioneer television broadcast from the 1939 New York World's Fair.It has maintained continued popularity...
", broadcast in a pioneer television broadcast from the 1939 New York World's Fair
1939 New York World's Fair
The 1939–40 New York World's Fair, which covered the of Flushing Meadows-Corona Park , was the second largest American world's fair of all time, exceeded only by St. Louis's Louisiana Purchase Exposition of 1904. Many countries around the world participated in it, and over 44 million people...
.
Her worked for radio station WOR (AM)
WOR (AM)
WOR is a class A , AM radio station located in New York, New York, U.S., operating on 710 kHz. The station has a talk format and has been owned by Buckley Broadcasting since 1987, after the station was sold by RKO. The station has conservative, or right-of-center hosts.Its call letters have no...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. He was a radio personality
Radio personality
A radio personality is a person with an on-air position in radio broadcasting. A radio personality can be someone who introduces and discusses various genres of music, hosts a talk radio show that may take calls from listeners, or someone whose primary responsibility is to give news, weather,...
in border radio for station XERF.
He was a well known painter as well, he was known to paint nature on canvas as well as paint on the back of his guitars
Cinema
He worked in several westerns as a singing cowboySinging cowboy
A singing cowboy was a subtype of the archetypal cowboy hero of early Western films, popularized by many of the B-movies of the 1930s and 1940s...
, including Swing in the Saddle
Swing in the Saddle
Swing in the Saddle is a 1944 American Western film starring Jane Frazee....
(1944), Hidden Valley Days (1948) and Echo Ranch (1948).
Songs
Red River Dave's songs have been recorded by Hank SnowHank Snow
Clarence Eugene "Hank" Snow was a Canadian-American country music artist. He charted more than 70 singles on the Billboard country charts from 1950 until 1980...
and Tex Ritter
Tex Ritter
Woodward Maurice Ritter , better known as Tex Ritter, was an American country music singer and movie actor popular from the mid-1930s into the 1960s, and the patriarch of the Ritter family in acting...
.
- "Amelia Earhart's Last Flight" 1937
- "The Blind Boy's Dog" ("I'd Like To Give My Dog To Uncle Sam")
- "The Red Deck of Cards" 1954
- "Ballad Of Emmett TillEmmett TillEmmett Louis "Bobo" Till was an African-American boy who was murdered in Mississippi at the age of 14 after reportedly flirting with a white woman. Till was from Chicago, Illinois visiting his relatives in the Mississippi Delta region when he spoke to 21-year-old Carolyn Bryant, the married...
" - "The Ballad Of Francis Powers" 1960
- "Trial of Francis Powers" 1960
- "The Flight Of Apollo ElevenApollo 11In early 1969, Bill Anders accepted a job with the National Space Council effective in August 1969 and announced his retirement as an astronaut. At that point Ken Mattingly was moved from the support crew into parallel training with Anders as backup Command Module Pilot in case Apollo 11 was...
" 1969 - "The California Hippy MurdersCharles MansonCharles Milles Manson is an American criminal who led what became known as the Manson Family, a quasi-commune that arose in California in the late 1960s. He was found guilty of conspiracy to commit the Tate/LaBianca murders carried out by members of the group at his instruction...
" - "The Ballad Of Patty HearstPatty HearstPatricia Campbell Hearst , now known as Patricia Campbell Hearst Shaw, is an American newspaper heiress, socialite, actress, kidnap victim, and convicted bank robber....
" - "The Ballad of Three Mile IslandThree Mile Island accidentThe Three Mile Island accident was a core meltdown in Unit 2 of the Three Mile Island Nuclear Generating Station in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania near Harrisburg, United States in 1979....
" 1979 - "Shame is the Middle Name Of ExxonExxonExxon is a chain of gas stations as well as a brand of motor fuel and related products by ExxonMobil. From 1972 to 1999, Exxon was the corporate name of the company previously known as Standard Oil Company of New Jersey or Jersey Standard....
" - "Atlanta's Black Children" 1981
- "Ballad to Pine Tar" 1983
- "Night That Ronald ReaganRonald ReaganRonald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
Rode With Santa ClausSanta ClausSanta Claus is a folklore figure in various cultures who distributes gifts to children, normally on Christmas Eve. Each name is a variation of Saint Nicholas, but refers to Santa Claus...
" 1984