Rex Allen was one of the later era of Singing Cowboys, whose career encompassed not only being a recording artist but also having a high profile as a star of western movies and TV series, and later as a narrator on many Disney productions.

Born in Arizona, he made his start as a singer, Allen began his singing career on radio station KOY in Phoenix, Arizona, after which he became better known as a performer on the National Barn Dance on WLS in Chicago. When singing cowboys such as Roy Rogers and Gene Autry were very much in vogue in American film, Republic Pictures gave him a screen test and put him under contract in 1949. Becoming known as “The Arizona Cowboy”, which became the title of one of his first films after signing to Republic, Allen received a motion pictures star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1975.

Although most of his hits were in his early career he maintained his popularity and visibility to have more hits at the beginning of the 1960s.

This 55-track collection comprises selected A- and B-sides of his singles on the Mercury, Decca & Buena Vista labels from these years. Initially recording with his groups The Dawn Busters, The Prairie Ramblers and The Arizona Cowboys, he later recorded solo, in a duet with Tex Williams, with The Anita Kerr Singers and with various orchestras in later times. It features his 1953 No.4 Crying In The Chapel, and 1962 No.4 Don’t Go Near The Indians, along with his other hits from this era: Sparrow In The Treetop, a No.10, Afraid, a No. 14 and the movie song Marines, Let’s Go, a No.21.

He was a versatile and distinctive artist, a talented writer as well as performer, and this collection offers an entertaining showcase for his varied output across the most significant 15 years of his career.

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