Terry Sneed
Terry Sneed and his Up the Creek band are making their mark with the Texas dance scene. Since Sneed formed the band in late 1991. Current band members are Glendell Williams, fiddle; Gary Clark, steel guitar; Bobby Rountree, guitar; Slim Hodge, bass guitar; and Rip Willis, drums.
The entire band has a great appreciation for all types of country music and entertains with a variety of western swing, traditional country, and Top 40 hits. The band has been crowd pleasers to such places as the legendary London Hall in London, the Stampede in Big Spring, the Cabaret in Bandera, and the Farmer's Daughter in San Antonio. For the fifth year they have been invited to perform along with such greats as Johnny Bush, Hank Thompson, Asleep at the Wheel and Ray Price at the four-day Legends of Western Swing Festival in Snyder, Texas.
Quincy Snodgrass
(Deceased)
Quincy Snodgrass, country comedian and entertainer, was born as Leon Silby. He performed on The Town Hall Party TV show in Los Angeles during the 1950's.
Quincy Snodgrass's son, Lee Silby, sent this information to me via email on Sept. 1, 2002: "
Stan, we lost pop last Dec. 8, 2001. He went out the way he had always wanted to. I went to pick him up in Nevada and on the way home , about a half mile from Nowhere AZ., he left us. I had told him I was finally going to do my album/CD. And he said, 'Its about time' and started laughing. And took his last breath. Well , #1 , he always wanted to die on the road, laughing. #2 he did!!! And with his only child! So he did get what he wanted, plus he had me with him. He just was gone , and did not suffer at all."
CLICK HERE to see a large group photo of the Town Hall Party cast, including Quincy Snodgrass ( Leon Silby ).
CLICK HERE to go to a web site featuing Quincy Snodgrass. It was done by his son, Lee Silby, and there are some great photos of many Western entertainers from the 1950's and 1960's.
Charles Snow
(Deceased)
Charles Snow stood 6 ft. 2 in. and in his prime weighed 200 pounds. He was a crack shot with a rifle. And early on he ran a "auto stage"--sort of an overland taxi service. Then, just like his elder brother, Charley took up mining as a career. He helped his brother develop extensive properties in South America and in British Columbia. However, he was blinded at the age of 37, in an explosion of babbitt.
Charles Snow died in either late 1967 or early 1968, well into his 80's. Fellow WWA member and friend L.P. Holmes paid this tribute to Snow in the Feb., 1968 issue of The Roundup:
"To all who knew him, the name Charles Snow is synonymous with courage. He had the guts of a grizzly bear. An active, vigorous type, he was struck blind in the prime of life by a tragic accident. Did he fold, did he quit, as others might? Not Charley Snow. That was when he started!
"With no previous experience of any kind in the writing game, and despite the bitter handicap a savage fate had inflicted, he advanced to the wars. He had bits of dried mucilage applied to the keys of an old Oliver typewriter in various shapes that would identify the keys by feel, and so began a career of fiction writing that stands--and will stand--unique and inspiring as long as men build dreams on paper.
"With characteristic tenacity he tossed off the first inevitable rejection slips and one great day made his initial sale. As I recall, it was a dog story, sold to Holland's Magazine. After that there was no stopping him, and his output of published work over the years has been staggering. To anyone who has sweated out the pages of a single novel, the sheer fact of Charley Snow's record of near half a thousand published books becomes fantastic."
Snow sometimes had four secretaries helping him, and had as many as 20 manuscripts backlogged and ready for publishers. His books were published by six different firms in London (among them William Collins & Sons), because the market for his kind of Westerns was better there. At least through 1956--he had never received a rejection slip! He wrote under his own name and at least five pen names. He once said, "Sometimes I don't know my real name until about 10 o'clock in the forenoon." Snow also wrote his autobiography. (See his photo and bio in the July, 1954 issue, and his photo in the Sept., 1956 issue of The Roundup.)
Henry Lee Somerville
Lt. Colonel Lee Somerville (USAF Retired) has written for Roundup and True West. He was born on June 4, 1915 and married Emily on June 10, 1961. Reared in a rural area of Texas, Somerville sold his first story at the age of 14, and is still at it after more than 60 years.
Lee Somerville has written more than 200 fiction stories and some 400 nonfiction articles, plus one novel that became a movie. He obtained his formal education piecemeal fashion, due to his career in the Air Force. He received his B.A. in English and Languages from Sam Houston University, then his Master of Education from Texas A&M, and work on a Ph.D. in Educational Administration--plus work at four other universities, including writing courses at the University of Oklahoma under Foster Harris and Dwight Swain.
Lee Somerville writes, "There were three ways to escape the farm--teaching, preaching and bootlegging. The whiskey bootlegging area was over-crowded, I was not called to preach, so in the 1930's I became a rural school teacher and principal".
That was interrupted by WW II, when he volunteered into the Army as a buck private and came out as a major. And he went back to teaching in 1946 as a high school principal and basketball coach. He was recalled to service in 1951, this time as a Major in the U.S. Air Force, and went to Korea and saw combat duty. He soon got staff duty with the Air Research & Development Command, because of his fluency with languages. He retired in 1964 with a service connected disability.
His articles and pieces of fiction have appeared in Reader's Digest, Farmer's Digest, American Legion Magazine, True, Blue Book, Argosy, Air Force Magazine, Our Army Magazine, Playboy, Valor, Writer's Digest, Hitchcock Mystery Magazine, Mike Shayne Mystery Magazine, Frontier Times, True West, Outdoor Life, Field and Stream, Outdoors, Texas Sportsman Magazine, Mr., Columbia, Progressive Farmer, Oklahoma Farmer-Stockman, Texas Farmer Stockman, Wild West Weekly, Crime Detective, New Age, Today's Health and dozens of others. He often wrote under pen names like Carter O'Brien, Frank LeVere, Henry Lee, H. Lee, Lee Hart, and Lee Sullivan.
Lee Somerville is the author of Charge of the Model T's (Naylor, 1972), which became a major movie starring Louis Nye, Artie Johnson, and Herb Edelman (McCullough Productions, 1977). He is the owner of Rocking Chair Ranch and Tree Farm in Red River County, Texas.
Sylvie Sommerfield
In 1978, Sylvie Sommerfield's husband challenges her to write a "better" romance novel that the ones she's eagerly devoured. She accepted the challenge. And now the six-time grandmother has written 19 historical romance novels which have sold more than 8,000,000 copies.
In fact, John Sommerfield had to retire from his successful career as an investment funds manager to run the business side of Sylvie F. Sommerfield Enterprises. Her books with western themes, all with Zebra, include Moonlit Magic, Tame My Wild Heart, Captive Embrace, Savage Rapture, Savage Kiss, Wild Wyoming Heart and Autumn Dove.
Dr. C.L. Sonnichsen
(Deceased)
Charles Leland Sonnichsen was born in Iowa in 1901. He graduated from the University of Minnesota in 1924. His first job was as the assistant Master at St. James School in Faribault, Minn. from 1924 to 1926. From 1927 to 1929 he was an instructor of English at the Carnegie Institute of Technology. He began teaching English at The University of Texas at El Paso in 1930 (when the school was called the Texas College of Mines). He served as Chairman of the English Department from 1933 to 1960, and as Dean of the Graduate School from 1960 to 1967. In 1968 he was appointed to the prestigious H.Y. Benedict Professorship and remained in that position until he retired in 1972. Upon his "retirement", he moved to Tucson and became senior editor of the Journal of Arizona History.
C.L. Sonnichsen's books include Billy King's Tombstone (1942), Roy Bean: Law West of the Pecos (1943, 1986), Cowboys and Cattle Kings (1950; 1980); Alias Billy the Kid (with W.V. Morrison,1955), Ten Texas Feuds (1957), The Mescalero Apaches (1958, 1982), Tularosa: Last of the Frontier West (1960; rev. ed., 1980), The El Paso Salt War (1961), I'll Die Before I Run (1951, 1961), The Southwest in Life and Literature (1962), Outlaw: Bill Mitchell, Alias Baldy Russell (1964), Pass of the North (2 vols., 1968,1980), The State National Bank of El Paso (with M.G. McKinney, 1971), White Oaks, New Mexico (1971), Colonel Green and the Copper Skyrocket (1974); San Augustine: First Cathedral Church in Arizona (with George W. Chambers, 1974), The Grave of John Wesley Hardin (1979), From Hopalong to Hud (1978), The Ambidextrous Historian (1981), Tucson: The Life and Times of an American City (1982), Pioneer Heritage: The First Century of the Arizona Historical Society (1984). He edited Billy King's Tombstone (1972), Clifford A. Perkins's A Border Patrol (1978), and From Rattlesnakes to Road Agents: Rough Times on the Frio by Frances Bramlette Farris(TCU Press, 1985).
"Doc" Sonnichsen won a "Wrangler Award" from the National Cowboy Hall of Fame in 1987 for "Best Magazine Article" for "The Remodeling of Geronimo," published in Arizona Highways. His articles have appeared in a wide range of scholarly and popular journals including NOLA Quarterly. His professional activities have included service as president of the Texas Folklore Society (1935), founder and president of the Western Literature Association (1966), president of the Association of Texas Graduate Schools (1966-67), and president of the WWA (1977). He was also one of the founders and later a president of the El Paso Remuda of the Westerners.
PERSONAL NOTE: My wife and I had the pleasure of knowing Doc Sonnichsen for several years, and usually saw him each year at the Western Writers of America convention. He was a witty, charming man who to the day before his death had a twinkle in his eye and a spring in his step.
C.L. Sonnichsen died on Saturday, June 29, 1991, one day after returning from the WWA Convention in Oklahoma City.
Sons of the Pioneers
The Sons of the Pioneers are generally recognized as the group that first introduced close Western harmony to the world.
The Sons of the Pioneers group got its start in 1933 as the Pioneer Trio. The trio consisted of Tim Spencer, Bob Nolan and Len Slye (Roy Rogers). The Pioneer Trio quickly distinguished its music from the Country-Western style popular in that day. Bob Nolan's original compositions gave members of the Trio a showcase for their wide range of vocal abilities and styles featuring its unique three-part harmony yodeling.
By 1934, the Pioneer Trio was performing live up to 20 times a week on Los Angeles radio station KFWB. Their voices strained by the pace of their performances, the group decided to add instrumentals to the repertoire. The Trio members convinced Hugh Farr, a well-known and highly respected fiddler, to join them. Hugh's fiddle blended perfectly with the harmony of the Trio members--who, with the addition of Hugh, began calling themselves the "Pioneers."
On a broadcast not long afterward, the announcer introduced members of the group as the Sons of the Pioneers, explaining to the bewildered quartet later that their youthful appearance made them look more like sons than original pioneers. And the name stuck.
Later that year, the group signed with Decca Records to record several of its songs.
The first recordings were so popular that a second session followed in 1935--the year Hugh Farr's brother, Karl Farr, became lead guitarist.
Over the years, members of the group departed and were replaced, but the legendary songs and sounds of the Sons of the Pioneers continued to delight movie and radio audiences.
The following men are considered to be the "original" Sons of the Pioneers: Hugh Farr (b Dec. 6, 1903; died Mar. 17, 1980); Karl Farr (b. Apr. 29, 1909; died Sept. 20, 1961); Bob Nolan (b. Apr. 1, 1908; died June 15, 1980); Lloyd Perryman (b. Jan. 29, 1917; died May 31, 1977); Roy Rogers (b. Nov. 5, 1911; died July 6, 1998; Tim Spencer (b. July 13, 1908; died Apr. 26, 1974).
The "Sons of the Pioneers" are shown here
in a publicity shot for one of their films, " THE
BIG SHOW" (Republic Pictures, 1936) starring
Gene Autry. From left to right are: Karl Farr,
Bob Nolan (bass), Tim Spencer, Hugh Farr and
Lenonard Slye.
Between 1934 and 1962, the Sons of the Pioneers appeared in more than 90 films, recorded dozens of records and made untold numbers of personal appearances.
The Sons of the Pioneers as they appeared
in the John Wayne movie, "Rio Grande,"
in 1950.
The Sons of the Pioneers got their own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Sept. 24, 1976 ( a fan, Diane Nestler, corrected the date I original listed here and added, "We were there.").
The Sons of the Pioneers were inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1980. They received a belated Grammy for the song "Cool Water" in 1986. And they were inducted into the Cowboy Hall of Fame in 1995.
The modern Sons of the Pioneers (circa 1995).
Dale Warren is at center, top. My wife and I
saw this group perform at Branson, Mo., and
they put on a great show.
REFERENCES:
"Wagons West"--a four-CD set of the early Sons of the Pioneers music. Includes a booklet with many photos.
Ken Griffis. Hear My Song: The Story of the Celebrated Sons of the Pioneers (revised 1994).
CLICK HERE to go to another web site featuring several photos and general information about the Sons of the Pioneers.
Sons of the San Juaquin
The Sons of the San Joaquin may just be the best living translators of American cowboy music today. Cut of the same cloth as the legendary Sons of the Pioneers, this trio is a modern embodiment of the spirit that drives the American West. And it is a family affair that includes (graphic at left): Lon Hannah, his uncle Jack Hannah, and his father Joe Hannah.
On their third album with the Warner Western label, From Whence Came The Cowboy , the Sons of the San Joaquin have taken a major personal step in the creation of their own legend. From Whence Came The Cowboy represents a departure from the structure of the previous two efforts with 12 tracks of essentially original material.
Their debut on Warner Western, A Cowboy Has To Sing, and their second disc, Songs of the Silver Screen, were specific tributes to the greatness of the Sons of the Pioneers -- covers that included the hallowed standards and a wealth of old movie soundtrack material that had never been commercially released on record.
"It's a funny thing," Jack Hannah says now. "I guess we would have been content to have continued singing the old material. It was Warner Western that encouraged us to take this step forward and establish our own identity. Now, I've written songs before, some that gained attention in another era. They were primarily love songs and ballads -- no cowboy music. And I have written poetry and taught several creative writing classes over the years. But, this was something new, and surprisingly, I found out I was quite prolific at it.
"I mean, once I sat down and started writing them, they just poured out. Then Joe and Lon and I sat down and worked out the arrangements. It's been a wonderful experience...one that we're very proud of."
Lon agrees wholeheartedly. "It's really been a unique opportunity for us," he says. "I don't think we ever would have guessed we would have come this far when we started. I mean, I knew Joe and Jack were something special .I had to do a lot of convincing, especially with Jack, to get them to record initially. Then, I thought we could make a pretty good living performing and distributing out own tapes. But to get to this point and to have the following we have is so gratifying."
There is good reason. Fans flock to cowboy festivals all over the country -- all over the world -- to hear the Sons of the San Joaquin. The joy is evident in the music, as well as a profound respect for the American cowboy. It is no surprise that education walks hand-in-hand with their songs. Joe and Jack are both long-time school teachers, now in their early sixties, and the 39-year-old Lon taught several years of elementary school before they all retired to pursue their recording careers.
"The educational value in our work is a by-product more than by design though," Lon adds. "We are thriving because we are here to honor the cowboy. We love the way of life, and it is a life that still very much exists. Cowboys are still roping and riding -- working to put food on America's table. And, when you meet a genuine cowboy, and realize his determination and spirit, it's a phenomenal thing. From that standpoint, our work can't help but have an educational quality. Still, it's not a thing we set out to do."
In 2000 Jack Hannah won an award from the Western Music Association for his song,
"Out Where The Cowboys Rope And Ride" (co-written with popular western poet Baxter Black). And in 2000 he and Baxter Black won a Western Heritage Award from the National Cowboy Hall of Fame for their song, "He Just Can't Be Seen From the Road".
"These are exciting times for us," Joe says of their success and of the fact that they are creating their own music. "We've always loved the life. I remember me and Jack going, as kids in the 1930's, down to the barber shop at home to listen to the Sons of the Pioneers on the radio. My father loved them, and those men in the barber shop wouldn't make a sound...they'd just sit there and listen.
"My father would sort of claw the guitar and I would sing those cowboy songs at night with him, and we just loved it. But to actually think that we would make a living and touch so many people never crossed our minds."
CLICK HERE to go to the official web site for the Sons of the San Juaquin. There are several of their songs available, online, for your listening pleasure. It just doesn't get much better than this.
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 through his e-mail address.
"If anyone would come after me, he must
deny himself and take up his cross and
follow me. For whoever wants to save his
life will lose it, but whoever loses his life
for me will find it. What good will it be for
a man if he gains the whole world, yet
forfeits his soul?"
-- Jesus the Christ (The Bible: Matthew 16:24-26)
© 2003 by Stan Paregien, Sr.
