The Singing Cowboy “An entire generation of Americans has lost a beloved old friend from childhood. Gene Autry’s music and movies captured all that was good and inspiring about America’s Old West,” as said by President Bill Clinton. He was the perfect example of how chivalry should be shown. Through Gene Autry’s hard work, he was able to overcome an impoverished childhood and become one of the most successful “Singing Cowboys” of his generation, leaving a legacy for many singers to live up to. As a child, Gene Autry started out in poverty. Orvon Gene Autry was born in Tioga, Texas on September 19, 1908, to Delbert and Elnora Autry. His parents were poor tenant farmers and Gene was the eldest of four children. At only the age of 4, Autry
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During WWII, the already successful and wealthy Autry enlisted in the Army Air Force ferrying cargo from the Far East. It was during his absence overseas that his rival Roy Rogers rode into place and was promoted to the “King of Cowboys.” In 1961, Autry co-founded the MLB’s Anaheim Angels, who never made it to the World Series in Autry's lifetime, but in the 2002 World Series, the Angels won it and dedicated the win in part to Autry. Autry appeared on the Forbes Magazine many times of the four hundred richest men in America (“Gene Autry”). His estimated worth was $320 million, a fortune he amassed through entertainment, real estate, and ownership of radio and television stations, hotels, oil wells, and the Angles. He worked to preserve some of America’s past with the Autry Museum of Western Heritage, which was established in 1988 (“Gene Autry Biography”). Gene Autry will always be thought of as one of the most well-known cowboys of all time. For many men in his generation, he was the reason they showed chivalry.He was the hardest working “singing cowboy” of his generation, becoming very wealthy after overcoming his impoverished childhood and leaving a legacy for many singers to live up to. That is why Gene Autry will always be remembered as everyone's “old friend from
During WWII, the already successful and wealthy Autry enlisted in the Army Air Force ferrying cargo from the Far East. It was during his absence overseas that his rival Roy Rogers rode into place and was promoted to the “King of Cowboys.” In 1961, Autry co-founded the MLB’s Anaheim Angels, who never made it to the World Series in Autry's lifetime, but in the 2002 World Series, the Angels won it and dedicated the win in part to Autry. Autry appeared on the Forbes Magazine many times of the four hundred richest men in America (“Gene Autry”). His estimated worth was $320 million, a fortune he amassed through entertainment, real estate, and ownership of radio and television stations, hotels, oil wells, and the Angles. He worked to preserve some of America’s past with the Autry Museum of Western Heritage, which was established in 1988 (“Gene Autry Biography”). Gene Autry will always be thought of as one of the most well-known cowboys of all time. For many men in his generation, he was the reason they showed chivalry.He was the hardest working “singing cowboy” of his generation, becoming very wealthy after overcoming his impoverished childhood and leaving a legacy for many singers to live up to. That is why Gene Autry will always be remembered as everyone's “old friend from