Otto Gray and his Oklahoma Cowboys
Encyclopedia
Otto Gray and his Oklahoma Cowboys were the first nationally-famous cowboy band in the United States, and the first cowboy band to appear on the cover of The Billboard
(June 6, 1931).
Formed in Ripley, Oklahoma
in the early 1920s, the band was first known as McGinty's Oklahoma Cowboy Band, for the leader, Billy McGinty, a well-known cowboy, former Rough Rider, and world champion rider with Buffalo Bill
's show.
The band members were authentic cowboys from ranches in and around Ripley. Their first promoter, George Youngblood, introduced them saying, "I wish to say of this bunch of cowboys that they are not only good fiddlers, but can ride or rope anything that has horns, hide or hair." After McGinty left to become the post master at Ripley, Otto Gray (1884–1967), took over as bandleader as well as manager. With the extensive traveling generated from their popularity, the original band member dropped out to stay with their jobs and families. Gray filled their places with professional musicians willing to spend most of their time on the road.
Playing on the vaudeville
circuits in the Midwest and Northeast, and nationwide over some 130 radio stations, they played the first cowboy music
most Americans outside of the West had ever heard.
One of their most popular tunes was "Midnight Special"
, performed by member Dave "Pistol Pete" Cutrell; Cutrell's "Pistol Pete's Midnight Special" with McGinty's band was also the first version of "Midnight Special" ever recorded.
The band lasted until the early 1930s when economic situations led them to disband.
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
(June 6, 1931).
Formed in Ripley, Oklahoma
Ripley, Oklahoma
Ripley is a town in Payne County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 444 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Ripley is located at . According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , all land.-Demographics:...
in the early 1920s, the band was first known as McGinty's Oklahoma Cowboy Band, for the leader, Billy McGinty, a well-known cowboy, former Rough Rider, and world champion rider with Buffalo Bill
Buffalo Bill
William Frederick "Buffalo Bill" Cody was a United States soldier, bison hunter and showman. He was born in the Iowa Territory , in LeClaire but lived several years in Canada before his family moved to the Kansas Territory. Buffalo Bill received the Medal of Honor in 1872 for service to the US...
's show.
The band members were authentic cowboys from ranches in and around Ripley. Their first promoter, George Youngblood, introduced them saying, "I wish to say of this bunch of cowboys that they are not only good fiddlers, but can ride or rope anything that has horns, hide or hair." After McGinty left to become the post master at Ripley, Otto Gray (1884–1967), took over as bandleader as well as manager. With the extensive traveling generated from their popularity, the original band member dropped out to stay with their jobs and families. Gray filled their places with professional musicians willing to spend most of their time on the road.
Playing on the vaudeville
Vaudeville
Vaudeville was a theatrical genre of variety entertainment in the United States and Canada from the early 1880s until the early 1930s. Each performance was made up of a series of separate, unrelated acts grouped together on a common bill...
circuits in the Midwest and Northeast, and nationwide over some 130 radio stations, they played the first cowboy music
Western music (North America)
Western music originated as a form of American folk music. Originally composed by and about the people who settled and worked throughout the Western United States and Western Canada. Directly related musically to old English, Scottish, and Irish folk ballads, Western music celebrates the life of...
most Americans outside of the West had ever heard.
One of their most popular tunes was "Midnight Special"
Midnight Special (song)
"Midnight Special" is a traditional folk song thought to have originated among prisoners in the American South. The title comes from the refrain which refers to the Midnight Special and its "ever-loving light" ....
, performed by member Dave "Pistol Pete" Cutrell; Cutrell's "Pistol Pete's Midnight Special" with McGinty's band was also the first version of "Midnight Special" ever recorded.
The band lasted until the early 1930s when economic situations led them to disband.
Selected discography
- Original recording dates.
Recording Date Matrix No. Title Record Label May 1926 9648-A "Cow Boy's Dream" OKeh Okeh RecordsOkeh Records began as an independent record label based in the United States of America in 1918. From 1926 on, it was a subsidiary of Columbia Records.-History:...
45057May 1926 9650-1 "Pistol Pete's Midnight Special" Midnight Special (song)"Midnight Special" is a traditional folk song thought to have originated among prisoners in the American South. The title comes from the refrain which refers to the Midnight Special and its "ever-loving light" ....OKeh 45057 January 17, 1928 13365-A "It Can't Be Done" Gennett Gennett RecordsGennett was a United States based record label which flourished in the 1920s.-Label history:Gennett records was founded in Richmond, Indiana by the Starr Piano Company, and released its first records in October 1917. The company took its name from its top managers: Harry, Fred and Clarence Gennett....
6376January 17, 1928 13366 "Adam And Eve" Gennett 6376 January 17, 1928 13367 "Lone Prairie" Gennett unissued January 17, 1928 13368 "Your Mother Still Prays For You, Jack" Gennett 6387 January 28, 1928 13407 "It Can't Be Done" Champion 15446 January 28, 1928 13408 "Adam and Eve" Gennett unissued January 28, 1928 13409 "Bury Me On The Lone Prairie Bury Me Not on the Lone Prairie"Bury Me Not on the Lone Prairie" is a cowboy folk song. Also known as "The Cowboy's Lament", "The Dying Cowboy" and "Bury Me Out on the Lone Prairie", the song is described as the most famous cowboy ballad...
"Gennett 6405 January 28, 1928 13411 "Drunkards Lone Child" Gennett 6405 January 28, 1928 13412 "In the Baggage Coach Ahead" Gennett 6387 September 17, 1928 C-2317 "It Can't Be Done" Vocalion Vocalion RecordsVocalion Records is a record label active for many years in the United States and in the United Kingdom.-History:Vocalion was founded in 1916 by the Aeolian Piano Company of New York City, which introduced a retail line of phonographs at the same time. The name was derived from one of their...
5250September 17, 1928 C-2318 "Adam and Eve" Vocalion 5250 September 17, 1928 C-2319 "Tom Cat Blues" Vocalion 5267 September 17, 1928 C-2320 "Coon Hunt" Vocalion 5267 October 1928 C-2435 "Your Mother Still Prays For You, Jack" Vocalion 5301 October 1928 C-2436 "Be Home Early Tonight My Dear Boy" Vocalion 5301 October 1928 C-2437 "Barefoot Boy With Boots On" Vocalion 5256 October 1928 C-2438 "I Had But Fifty Cents" Vocalion 5256 March 12 or 13, 1929 C-3108 "Plant A Watermelon On My Grave" Vocalion 5327 March 12 or 13, 1929 C-3109 "The Terrible Marriage" Vocalion 5327 March 12 or 13, 1929 C-3110 "I Can't Change It" Vocalion 5337 March 12 or 13, 1929 C-3111 "Midnight Special" Midnight Special (song)"Midnight Special" is a traditional folk song thought to have originated among prisoners in the American South. The title comes from the refrain which refers to the Midnight Special and its "ever-loving light" ....Vocalion 5337 May 20, 1930 g-16635 "Down Where the Swanee River Flows" Champion 16027 May 20, 1930 g-16636 "Gathering Up the Shells From the Seashore" Champion Champion RecordsThe name Champion Records has been used by at least four record labels.An early Champion label was produced by Gennett Records as an inexpensive label that featured country or "hillbilly" artists, as well as popular bands, hot jazz and blues...
16027February 16, 1931 E-35856 "Who Stole The Lock On The Henhouse Door" Melotone Melotone Records (US)Melotone Records was a United States based record label. In late 1930, Warner/Brunswick Records introduced the Melotone label in the U.S. and Canada as a budget subsidiary issuing 78 rpm disc records. It then became part of the American Record Corporation collection of labels in 1932. The label was...
M12182
Vocalion 5479February 16, 1931 E-35857 "Cat Came Back" Melotone M12127 February 16, 1931 E-35858 "Suckin' Cider" Melotone M12127 February 16, 1931 E-35859 "When You Come To the End of the Day" Melotone M12223 February 16, 1931 E-35860 "4000 Years Ago" Melotone M12182
Vocalion 5479February 16, 1931 E-35861 "Mammy's Little Coal Black Rose" Melotone M 12223
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