Carl Cole
Does anyone other there have some biographical information on this performer and/or his group?
Carl Cole and his Western swing band in 1940.
They were based in Enid, OK.
A former feature writer for Pittsburgh newspapers, Jane Coleman raised appaloosa horses while living near Rodeo, New Mexico. She now lives in Tucson, Arizona.
Tom Cole
At 6'6" tall, Tom Cole may be Texas-sized but he lives in Canada. He sings cowboy and Western songs with his own stamp, a rich baritone voice.Tom grew up in Northern British Columbia in a place called Rose Prairie. His father ran a Community Pasture for the Forestry while raising his own cattle on their ranch beside the Beatton River. He tried his hand at the rodeo circuit, but found out that eight seconds can be a very long time.
After traveling to the city to do his country music recordings Cole decided to move to Calgary to be closer to the industry and perform with his band, called "Cole Cole Heart." In 1992 Tom garnered "The CMAC Most Promising Artist" award and in 1994 the band took away "Group Of The Year."
After almost seven years of touring Tom Cole moved back to British Columbia and is spending more time with his wife, daughter and son. He still performs at the festival and convention circuit during the summer, along with the western music circuit of Cowboy Gathering and Festivals. Tom and his wife Margie often work together in writing songs.
Tom has spent the past few years working with his friend and fellow entertainer, Brian Salmond. Each of them lives in the Charlie Lake region. Tom says about his performances with Salmond, “Brian recites a few cowboy poems. I sing a few cowboy songs. We tell a few cowboy jokes. And we all have a bunch of fun.”
Tom Cole is a giver. We always appreciate folks who are not only willing to help others, but actually do it. That's a rare breed. And we salute him for setting up a whole series of free guitar lessons on his web site. No charge at all.
So mosey on over and take a look at this Canadian cowboy's web site: www.tomcole.net .
Jane Coleman
Jane Coleman's articles have appeared in such magazines as Gila Review, Plainswoman and West Branch. Her book The Voices of Doves (Ocotillo Press) won the Gila Review Western Fiction Award in 1986.
Other books by Jane Coleman include Pearl Hart; The O'Keefe Empire : A Western Story; Moving on : Stories of the West; Doc Holliday's Gone: A Western Duo; Borderlands: Western Stories; Stories from Mesa Country; Discovering Eve : Short Stories; Doc Holliday's Woman.
She also has two books of western poetry: No Roof But Sky : Poetry of the American West; and The Red Drum : Poetry of the American West.
Peggy Coleman
Peggy Coleman, Western singer and musician, has appeared all over the United States and in May of 2000 toured the country of Japan performing cowboy songs and doing her puppet show and comedy routine.
Peggy Coleman is a director of the Western Music Association. She is the founding president of the Oklahoma chapter of the Western Music Association. She has organized both cowboy poetry events and rodeos. She lives in Pawnee, Oklahoma, where she helped resurrect annual summer performances of the "Pawnee Bill Wild West Show".
Don Collier
Don Collier was born as Donald H. Mounger on Oct. 17, 1928 in Santa Monica, CA. When he graduated from high school, Don enlisted in the Navy.
After his tour with the Navy, he returned to find that he father had taken a job down in Canoga Park, CA., as a cowboy on the cattle ranch of actor Francis Lederer. So Don went to work there, too.
As luck would have it, Francis Lederer and Virginia Grey started giving acting lessons each Saturday afternoon to a small group of people. And they met there at the ranch. One day they asked the shy young cowboy if he would like to join the group. He said yes and it changed his life.
His first onscreen work was in 1948 as an extra in the Western movie "Massacre River" (1949), which starred Rory Calhoun and Guy Madison. He also had parts in "Davy Crockett, Indian Scout" (1950), with George Montgomery, and in "Fort Apache" (1949), with John Wayne.
Collier decided, then, that he would like to play football in college. And he received a football scholarship at Hardin-Simmons University in Abilene, Texas. A year later he transferred to Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, to play football.
After Collier graduated from college, he went into business. But in 1956 the acting bug bit him, again. So he started doing local theater and working as extras in movies, anything to gain more experience. And in 1959 he auditioned for and got the part of United States Deputy Marshal Will Foreman in the NBC television western "Outlaws".
"Outlaws" began on TV in the fall of 1960. It ran for two years.
Don Collier moved on to other parts in a wide range of TV shows and movies. In the mid-1960's he got the part of Sam Butler, the foreman of "The High Chaparral" ranch/TV show. As Sam Butler, Don achieved possibly his greatest fame with his fans.
After "The High Chaparral" ceased production, Collier did guest stints on "Bonanza," "Gunsmoke," "Little House on the Prairie," and many more TV shows. And he appeared in such Westerns as "How the West Was Won" and " The Undefeated", and many more.
He also was the spokesperson for dozens of products, such as Kerr-McGee Oil, Hubba Bubba Bubble Gum, Pace Picante Sauce and Ray-O-Vac Batteries.
During that time Collier moved to Southern Arizona, where he bought his own ranch and turned his artistic talents to sculpting.
In 1989 he got the part of William Tompkins, the shopkeeper in "The Young Riders" TV Western. This series loosely based itself upon the Pony Express, which existed just prior to the days of the telegraph and Civil War. As the shopkeeper, Don's role provided what is known as an indicator character. He was a key element, as he showed the general temperament and mood of the townspeople regarding the issues of the day. As with The High Chaparral, this series also filmed in the movie town of Old Tucson, right down the road from where Don lived.
CLICK HERE to view the home web page of actor Don Collier, featuring photos and information about the cast of "High Chapparal".
CLICK HERE to see the complete filmography of Don Collier.
Gaydell Collier
Gaydell Collier lives in a log house which was built in 1882, she heats and cooks with wood, milks two jersey cows and works full-time as a librarian in Sundance, Wyoming. She has written three books about horses, including Basic Horsemanship, English and Western, which has sold more than 50,000 copies since 1974. Collier and Eleanor Price co-authored Basic Horse Care (Doubleday, 1986).
Dabney Otis Collins
(Deceased)
"Doc" Collins was born in Alabama on a cotton plantation. He earned his master's degree in architecture at Auburn. He taught school for a year, then kicked the traces and traveled all the way across America as a hobo. He took on such odd jobs as digging sewers, building bridges, and washing dishes.
He went back East, this time to Washington, D.C., where he worked as an architectural draftsman. He suffered a hemorrhage of the lungs and was sent West to get better or die. He was soon up and working on a Wyoming ranch for $50 per month and found. Then he went to work as a clerk at a Denver hotel, and then as the advertising manager for a large department store in Denver. He held that job for 35 years, during which time he also served as vice-president of Galen E. Broyles advertising agency.
And he also started selling short stories to many of the pulp magazines, eventually selling more than 400 stories and articles. Collins was the author of such books as Great Western Rides and Land of the Tall Skies (Century One, 1977).
Dabney Collins died in about 1986.(See his photo and bio in the June, 1962 issue of The Roundup.)
The Collins Kids
Lorrie Collins and her younger brother, Larry Collins, were raised in a small community called Pretty Water, Oklahoma. She was born in Tahlequah on May 7, 1942. He was born in Tulsa on Oct. 4, 1944.
They were child geniuses, musically speaking. Their parents were urged by other entertainers to get the kids to some place where their talents would be better used. So their mom and pop sold the family farm and moved West. All the way to sunny southern California.
Starting in 1954, they appeared regularly as “The Collins Kids” on "Town Hall Party," a popular weekly Los Angeles television show hosted by country star Tex Ritter. This barn dance program was televised every Saturday night from Compton California. Screen Gems filmed 39 one-half hour shows as "Ranch Party".
Lorrie belted out the lyrics to country, western and “rock and roll” songs, while kid brother Larry sang along and dazzled audiences with his stage antics and his expert licks on his double-neck Mosrite guitar. Thanks to such exposure, a fellow named Ricky Nelson saw her and began dating her steadily. (Thanks goes to my sister, Roberta Fournier, for finding the photo at right and passing it along.)
The Collins Kids also appeared on many nation-wide TV shows, such as the Ed Sullivan Show, the Perry Como Show, the Arthur Godrey Hour, and The Steve Allen Show. They toured with many of the top country music stars of the day, such as Johnny Cash and Carl Perkins.
All that quickly halted when Lorrie got married in 1959. And then she had her first child in 1961. They not only stopped traveling but by 1962 the Collins Kids had quite recording.
Feeling a little betrayed, Larry Collins recorded some on his own. He eventually turned his musical skills to songwriting. And he had smash hits with two of them: “Delta Dawn” (a hit by Tanya Tucker) and "You're the Reason God Made Oklahoma" (a hit by David Frizzell and Shelly West). Each of those songs was nominated for a Grammy award. Other hits included “Texas Promenade” (a hit by Tanya Tucker). In 1982, “You’re the Reason God Made Oklahoma” was the Academy of Country Music Song of the Year. It was also chosen as the Nashville Songwriters Association as the “International Song of the Year”.
At last report, both Larry Collins and Lorrie Collins live in the Reno, Nevada area. And, with a revival of interest in rockabilly and old-time rock and roll, they are performing together, again, to not only new fans but a large following of folks who liked them since way back in the 1950's.
Miriam Colon
Miriam Colon, actress, was born on Aug. 20, 1936 in Ponce, Puerto Rico. She began acting in school plays at a very early age. Later, she studied drama at the University of Puerto Rico. That was until she won a scholarship to study at the Dramatic Workshop & Technical Insitute in New York City. And, as they say, the rest is history.
This talented actress is perhaps best known for her recurring role in the TV soap opera, "The Guiding Light".
She is the founder and artistic director of the Puerto Rican Traveling Theatre, a post she has held for over 30 years. She has helped produce over 100 plays. In 1993 she received an "Obie" Award for Lifetime Achievement in the acting field. She is also on the Board of Directors of the Actors Studio.
Miriam Colon's Western film credits include "One Eyed Jacks," "The Appaloosa," and "All the Pretty Horses".
In 2003 she told a reporter for the PUERTO RICO HERALD this regarding her work in "One Eyed Jacks" with the legendary Marlon Brando: "I was called and told that I had an interview for a movie called 'One-Eyed Jacks' in which Brando was playing the leading role. And I was very excited. But what I didn't know when I got there was that he was not only acting in it but he was directing in it, so that the person who interviewed me was him. And I was not prepared for that. So it was such a pleasant surprise. It was a nervous surprise, you know, because there he was and very nonchalant. I said, `Hey, listen, is this suppose'--and he said, `No, no, he's directing now. He's directing now.' So I realize that there had been a discussion--I don't know, some disagreement--and he wound up directing the movie. And it was wonderful. He was wonderful with the actors. It's a great joy to work with him."
Miriam Colon has appeared in over 250 TV shows, including such Western fare as The Virginian, High Chaparral, The Legend of Jesse James, The Overland Trail, Bronco, Bonanza, Have Gun - Will Travel, The Great Adventure, Wanted: Dead or Alive, The Tales of Wells Fargo, The Streets of Laredo (TV mini-series) and several episodes of Gunsmoke.
CLICK HERE to see the complete list of credits for Miriam Colon.
Robert J. Conley
Robert J. Conley, an enrolled member of the Cherokee Indian Tribe, was born in Cushing, Okla. on Dec. 29, 1940. He and Evelyn Snell were married in 1978. He received his B.A. (1966) and M.A. (1968) at Midwestern University.He taught English at Northern Illinois University in DeKalb from 1968 to 1971, then at Southwest Missouri State University from 1971 to 1974. From 1975 to 1977 he was coordinator of Indian culture at Eastern Montana College, then served from 1977 to 1978 as the assistant programs director with the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma. He then worked as an associate professor of English at Morningside College in Sioux City. He moved to Tahlequah in 1988, then to Norman, Oklahoma in 2006.
Conley is the author of Twenty-one Poems (1975), Adawosgi: Swimmer Wesley Snell, a Cherokee Memorial (1980), Back to Malaci (Doubleday, 1986), Rattlesnake Band and other Poems, The Witch of Goingsnake & Other Stories (University of Oklahoma Press), and The Actor(Doubleday, l987).
He edited Echoes of Our Being (Indiana University Press, 1982). He and Richard Cherry and Bernard Hirsch edited two college textbooks, A Return to Vision (Houghton, 1971) and The Shadow Within (Houghton, 1973). He and Richard Cherry edited Poems for Comparison and Contrast (Macmillan, 1972).
Robert Conley captured a Spur at the 1989 Portland Convention in the "Best Western Short Fiction" category for his story, "Yellow Bird: An Imaginary Autobiography," in his book The Witch of Goingsnake and Other Stories.
His poems and articles have appeared in such magazines as Pembroke Magazine, Quetzal, Indian Voice, The Blackbird Circle, Cardinal Poetry Quarterly, The Blue Cloud Quarterly, Phantasm, The Beloit Poetry Journal, Sun Tracks,
Robert Conley is a member of the International Poetry Society and is listed in "The International Who's in Poetry".
His poems and short stories have been published in numerous periodicals and anthologies over the years, including some in Germany, France, Belgium, New Zealand, and Yugoslavia. His poems have been published in English, Cherokee, German, French and Macedonian versions.
Robert's most unusual publication may be the poem, "Some Lines in Commemeration of this site: Little Maquoketa River Mounds, May 15, 1981." The poem was commissioned by the Iowa State Department of Transportation and published on a permanent display board at the mound site near Dubuque.
His first novel, Back to Malachi, was published in 1986. Since that time he has had 34 novels published, a collection of short stories, several reprints, including 3 British editions, and 4 books which were recorded on tape. Robert also wrote the novelization of a screenplay, Geronimo: An American Legend, which was published in the U.S. by Pocketbooks and reprinted in translation in Italy.
In 1997 Robert was inducted into the Oklahoma Professional Writers Hall of Fame. He is an enrolled member of the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians in Oklahoma. He now lives in Tahlequah, Oklahoma, the historic capital of the Cherokee Nation, with his wife, Evelyn, where he writes full time.
CLICK HERE to see a site devoted to the work of Robert J. Conley.
Chuck Conners
(Deceased)Chuck Conners was born as Kevin Joseph Connors, on April 10, 1921, in Brooklyn, NY. By the time he entered college, he was 6'5" tall. Connors was educated at Seton Hall College, then played professional basketball. Then he switched to baseball and played for the Brooklyn Dodgers , the Chicago Cubs , and the Los Angeles Angels.
It was while playing baseball in Los Angeles that he started doing small parts in movies. He liked that a lot better, so in 1953 he became a full-time actor.
Then he got his signature TV role as Lucas McCain in "The Rifleman" TV series. That show ran for five years, from 1958 to 1963. Johnny Crawford played Conner's son, Mark, in the series.
Connors also starred in the western series "Branded," which ran only one season ( 1965 to 1966). He also played in ""Cowboy In Africa" (1967) and "The Yellow Rose" (1983-84).
His roles in Western movies included "The Big Country," "Geronimo" (1962), and "Ride Beyond Vengeance" (1966).
Chuck Conners died on Nov. 10, 1992 of lung cancer. He was buried in the San Fernando Mission Cemetery in Mission Hills , CA.
CLICK HERE to go to a nicely done web site honoring Chuck Conners and "The Rifleman" TV series.
William Conrad
(Deceased)
William Conrad was born on September 27, 1920 in Louisville, KY. Gifted with a deep baritone voice, he was the voice of Marshall Matt Dillon in the radio version of "Gunsmoke"
"Gunsmoke" premiered on radio in April 1952. It introduced to radio and television the longest running drama in the history of broadcast media. "Gunsmoke" radio star William Conrad also starred as television's "Cannon" (TV, 1971 to 1976) and the chubby end of "Jake and the Fat Man".
William F. Conrad's TV work included doing the narration of many shows, including "The Bullwinkle" animated TV cartoon (1963-73).
Conrad's Western movies included "Four Faces West" (1948), "Lone Star" (1951), "The Desert Song" (1953), "Cry of the Hunted" (1953), "The Cowboy" (1954), "Johnny Concho" (1956) and "The Ride Back" (1957).
He was elected to the Radio Hall of Fame in 1997.William Conrad died on Feb. 11, 1994, and his remains are buried in Forest Lawn Cemetery ( Lincoln Terrace plot 4448), in Los Angeles, CA.
CLICK HERE to see the complete filmography of William F. Conrad.
Roberto Contreras
(Deceased)
Roberto Contreras was born 19 December, and he always knew he would be an actor. Tall and lean with the rugged good looks of the Latin lover, he appeared in hundreds of television and movie roles, usually cast as a Mexican peasant or lovable villain. He came to The High Chaparral in 1967 as the jack-of-all-trades ranch hand named Pedro in the first episode and quickly captured hearts everywhere. Ironically, he first worked with Don Collier in an episode of Outlaws in 1961, which also guest-starred Ted Markland, who became Reno on The High Chaparral. Contreras remained on the show until 1971.
His credits in Western movies include The Beast of Hollow Mountain (1956), Ride A Violent Mile (1957), The Nine Lives of Elfego Baca (TV, 1958), The Flame Barrier (1958), The Magnificent Seven (1960), Gold of the Seven Saints (1961), California (1963), The Professionals (1966), Mara of the Wilderness (1966) and Barbarosa (1982).
Roberto Contreras died July 18, 2000 in Burbank, California, after a short illness.
CLICK HERE to see the complete filmography of Roberto Contreras.
James L. Conway
James L. Conway was born on Oct. 27, 1950. He and his wife, Rebecca, were married on Feb. 15, 1981. He received his B.A. from the University of Denver.
Conway is both a TV script writer and a producer/director. His writing credits include five scripts from the "Matt Houston" TV series on ABC (1982-84), and multiple scripts for the "Hollywood Beat" series for ABC. He also wrote the scripts for two pilot TV programs, "King of Clark County" for CBS in 1988 and "Piano Man" for ABC in 1987. In addition, he wrote six scripts for the 1988-89 season of the CBS Western series "Paradise" and four scripts for the 1989-90 season.
His Western credits as a director include two episodes of "Grizzly Adams" in 1980, three NBC "Movies of the Week" ("Last of the Mohicans," 1977; "The Incredible Rocky Mountain Race," 1977; and "Donner Pass: Road to Survival", 1988), and several episodes of "Paradise".
Conway also created "Greatest Heroes of the Bible", which aired as eight 30-minute NBC programs and 8-one hour episodes. He also created the "Classic Illustrated Presents" program involving 13 "Movies of the Week" for NBC, and "Mark Twain's America", involving four 60-minute episodes for NBC.
He was the Supervising Producer of Paradise, where he worked closely with fellow Western Writers of America member Joel J. Feigenbaum. He was a supervising producer on "Greatest Heroes of the Bible" and "Hollywood Beat," and a producer on "Matt Houston," "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" (which received an Emmy nomination), "The Capture of Grizzly Adams," "The Fall of the House of Usher," "The Adventures of Nelly Bly," "The California Gold Rush," and "Mark Twain's America".
His credits as a director include "Paradise," "Tour of Duty," "Star Trek: The Next Generation," "MacGyver," "Hunter," "Hotel," "Hardcastle & McCormick," "Hollywood Beat," "MacGrouder and Loud," "Grizzly Adams," and the mini-series "Greatest Heroes of the Bible" and such features as "The Boogins" and "Hangar 18".
He also directed these "Movies of the Week": "The Nashville Grab," "The Fall of the House of Usher," "Donner Pass: Road to Survival," "The Incredible Rocky Mountain Race," "The Last of the Mohicans," and "Earthbound."
He is also a member of the Mystery Writers of America (since 1982), the Writers Guild of America (since 1977), Director's Guild of America (since 1982) and Producers Guild of America (since 1983).
This listing is far from complete and may contain errors. Therefore, all Western entertainers and/or their agents are requested to submit recommended changes by contacting Stan Paregien.
Love your enemies, do good to those who curse you,
pray for those who mistreat you.
--- Jesus the Christ (Bible: Luke 6:24)
© 2007 by Stan Paregien, Sr.
