Faye Blackstone
Encyclopedia
Faye Blackstone was an American
rodeo
star, performer and elected member of the Cowgirl Hall of Fame.
She is credited with inventing three rodeo maneuvers, the reverse fender drag, the flyaway and the ballerina.
Blackstone was born Fayetta June Hudson in Diller, Nebraska
in 1915. She self taught herself to perform tricks on horses after watching a woman handle a flailing bronco
when she was eight years old. In 1937, Blackstone married her husband, the Texan
rodeo performer Vic Blackstone, in a ceremony held in the center of a rodeo arena
in Bladen, Nebraska
. Faye and Vic performed together throughout the United States
the 1940s and 1950s. She performed as far away from Nebraska as Havana
, Cuba
, and competed alongside well known celebrities, including Gene Autry
.
Vic Blackstone retired during the 1950s, while Faye Blackstone continued to perform until her retirement during the late 1960s. The couple moved to a home on the outskirts of Parrish, Florida
, in Manatee County during the 1951. They worked and raised cattle at a nearby ranch.
In 1978, Blackstone and her husband helped McEntire, the daughter of friends, launch her career, by arranging for her to perform at a county fair
in Florida
. McEntire recalled the performance as a breakthrough in her career in a 2003 interview
with the Bradenton Herald
saying, "That was my first big fair by myself. It was huge to me."
Faye Blackstone was elected into the Cowgirl Hall of Fame in 1982, the same year that her husband was inducted into the Rodeo Hall of Fame. The Blackstones became the namsakes of Blackstone Park in Palmetto, Florida
.
, aged 96, from cancer, on August 30, 2011. Her husband died in 1987.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
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,...
star, performer and elected member of the Cowgirl Hall of Fame.
She is credited with inventing three rodeo maneuvers, the reverse fender drag, the flyaway and the ballerina.
Blackstone was born Fayetta June Hudson in Diller, Nebraska
Diller, Nebraska
Diller is a village in Jefferson County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 287 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Diller is located at ....
in 1915. She self taught herself to perform tricks on horses after watching a woman handle a flailing bronco
Bronco
Bronco, or bronc is a term used in the United States, northern Mexico and Canada to refer to an untrained horse or one that habitually bucks. It may refer to a feral horse that has lived in the wild its entire life, but is also used to refer to domestic horses not yet fully trained to saddle, and...
when she was eight years old. In 1937, Blackstone married her husband, the Texan
Texan
Texan normally refers to someone who originated from, or who lives in, the state of Texas in the United States of America.Texan may also refer to:-Aircraft:* T-6 Texan, WWII era training plane...
rodeo performer Vic Blackstone, in a ceremony held in the center of a rodeo arena
Arena
An arena is an enclosed area, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theater, musical performances, or sporting events. It is composed of a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for spectators. The key feature of an arena is that the event space is the...
in Bladen, Nebraska
Bladen, Nebraska
Bladen is a village in Webster County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 291 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Bladen is located at ....
. Faye and Vic performed together throughout the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
the 1940s and 1950s. She performed as far away from Nebraska as Havana
Havana
Havana is the capital city, province, major port, and leading commercial centre of Cuba. The city proper has a population of 2.1 million inhabitants, and it spans a total of — making it the largest city in the Caribbean region, and the most populous...
, Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
, and competed alongside well known celebrities, including Gene Autry
Gene Autry
Orvon Grover Autry , better known as Gene Autry, was an American performer who gained fame as The Singing Cowboy on the radio, in movies and on television for more than three decades beginning in the 1930s...
.
Vic Blackstone retired during the 1950s, while Faye Blackstone continued to perform until her retirement during the late 1960s. The couple moved to a home on the outskirts of Parrish, Florida
Parrish, Florida
Parrish is an unincorporated community in Manatee County, Florida, United States. It is located near the intersection of US 301 and State Road 62...
, in Manatee County during the 1951. They worked and raised cattle at a nearby ranch.
In 1978, Blackstone and her husband helped McEntire, the daughter of friends, launch her career, by arranging for her to perform at a county fair
County Fair
"County Fair" is a song written by Brian Wilson and Gary Usher for the American rock band The Beach Boys. It was originally released as the second track on their 1962 album Surfin' Safari. On November 26th of that year, it was released as the B-side to The Beach Boys' third single, "Ten Little...
in Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
. McEntire recalled the performance as a breakthrough in her career in a 2003 interview
Interview
An interview is a conversation between two people where questions are asked by the interviewer to obtain information from the interviewee.- Interview as a Method for Qualitative Research:"Definition" -...
with the Bradenton Herald
Bradenton Herald
The Bradenton Herald is a McClatchy newspaper in Bradenton, Florida, in the United States. Since 2006, The Bradenton Herald has published an edition called the Lakewood Ranch Herald that focuses on local coverage of the rapidly growing eastern region of Manatee County.-History:* 1922: Founded...
saying, "That was my first big fair by myself. It was huge to me."
Faye Blackstone was elected into the Cowgirl Hall of Fame in 1982, the same year that her husband was inducted into the Rodeo Hall of Fame. The Blackstones became the namsakes of Blackstone Park in Palmetto, Florida
Palmetto, Florida
Palmetto is a city in Manatee County, Florida, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population was listed as 12,606 It is part of the Bradenton–Sarasota–Venice Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:Palmetto is located at ....
.
Death
Faye Blackstone died in Bradenton, FloridaBradenton, Florida
Bradenton is a city in Manatee County, Florida, United States. The U.S. Census Bureau estimated the city's 2007 population to be 53,471. Bradenton is the largest Principal City of the Bradenton-Sarasota-Venice, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area, which had a 2007 estimated population of 682,833...
, aged 96, from cancer, on August 30, 2011. Her husband died in 1987.