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Show . W Influence PcopW f v V ' WW ff THE SINGING COWBOY V Here is a thrilling story of a chap who "got the breaks" Gene Autry, the singing cowboy. 1 breakfasted with him in Charlotte, N. C, one morning and he told me of his boyhood on his father's cattle ranch near Tioga, Texas. Tex-as. He said he might still be on that ranch had he not got the breaks and been prepared for them when they came. Gene loved to play the guitar and sing cowboy songs. He threw himself into the study of song and guitar with as much intensity as if his living depended upon it. Finally he became telegraph agent at Chelsea, Oklahoma. One day a stranger walked into the railway station and handed him a telegram. Gene looked up and gasped. The signature was "Will Rogers." Gene looked up at the sender. Will Kogers himself 1 In the flesh ! Gene tingled with excitement. They both had been cowboys, cow-boys, so they reminisced, and Gene got out his guitar and sang cowboy cow-boy songs. Will Rogers' sister lived in Chelsea, so whenever Will came to visit her, he dropped in to see the railway station agent, and hear him sing and play., Will encouraged Gene to try for stage and radio. A year later Gene lost his job which he considered another break so he took Will's advice and went to New York. There, quite by accident, ran across Will. This incident proved another break. Will told him to go to a phonograph company and apply for a job makng records. Gene could never find the man in. But Gene being a natural born entertainer, liked to amuse people, se he unlimbered his guitar and sang to the girl at the switchboard. "Jennie, I Dream of Lilac Time." While singing Nat Shilkret, the author of the song, came in. He promsed to give the ex-cowboy a tryout. Gene was so excted that he could not sleep that night. He sat up in his room till dawn playing and singing. He was so nervous that he made a bad impression at the first audition. He tried again and clicked. He made records that caught on. A Chicago radio station engaged him to sing for four years. Then, in 1934, he suddenly got breaks that changed his life. "The League of Decency" was formed to clean up the movies. Hollywood Holly-wood producers decided to put on cowboy pictures. They wanted a new kind of cowboy, one who could sing. The man who owned the American Record Company, was also part owner of Republic Pictures. He said, "Well, if you want a singing cowboy, I've got one making records for us." Gene Autry soon was making $100,000 a year for making cowboy pictures, and $1,500 on a radio program. His royalty from records amounted to about $1,000 a month. Gene Autry told me that his success in life was due to being prepared pre-pared for breaks when they came. What are you doing in your spare time to prepare yourself for the breaks? What are you doing to bring the breaks about? |