Note:
Displayed on the half-round console table in my living room is a family artifact rich with memories of my beloved grandfather: a pair of his prescription glasses with accompanying leather case. Because these things are always there, most of the time they are no more and no less significant than any of the other decorative objects in the room; the throw pillows, the candles, the flowers and their vase, the pictures on the walls, etc. But then there are those times when my eyes are particularly drawn to the glasses, and that’s when the memories come flooding in again. In those precious and holy moments I am filled with a deep sense of yearning, melancholy, and love.
Such a moment happened to me just the other day and because, just prior to this, I’d been mentally tossing around a few possibilities for my next Patreon recording, this got me to thinking about the kind of music my Grandfather was particularly fond of.
The man loved vocal harmony (a love which he passed on to me), and vocal groups such as The Mills Brothers, The Andrew Sisters, The Drifters, and The Ink Spots were among the groups he most enjoyed. However, it was The Sons Of The Pioneers who were prominent on his list of favorites, and through him I learned to love them as well. Several decades back, while on a tour of the now torn-down Roy Rogers Museum in Victorville California, I purchased The Sons Of The Pioneers L.P. Cool Water at the gift shop. I still have that old vinyl record (still in good shape), and it has remained a family favorite throughout the years.
Grandpa loved Western movies and especially the ones featuring all the old Singing Cowboys, (the likes of Gene Autry, Dick Foran, and Roy Rogers), and the time in which Rogers was a member of The Sons Of The Pioneers was the period my Grandfather thought was Roy’s best; as far as he was concerned no one excelled in singing exquisitely beautiful harmonies more than did Roy Rogers and The Sons Of The Pioneers.
So it is that our song today was inspired by Grandpa's old prescription glasses and the memories they evoke
This is for you Grandpa. Enjoy the harmonies!
lyrics
An old cowpoke went ridin' out one dark and windy day
Upon a ridge he rested as he went along his way
When all at once a mighty herd of red eyed cows, he saw
Plowing through the ragged skies and up a cloudy draw
I ay, yipie I oh, yipie I ay, ghost herd in the sky
Their brands were still on fire and their hooves were made of steel
Their horns were black and shiny and their hot breath you could feel
A bolt of fear went through him as they thundered through the sky
For he saw the riders coming hard and he heard their mournful cry
I ay, yipie I oh, ghost riders in the sky
Their face is gaunt, their eyes were blurred
As the riders leaned on by him, he heard one call his name
If you want to save your soul from hell a riding on our range
Then cowboy change your ways today or with us you will ride
Tryin' to catch the devil's herd across these endless skies
I ay, yipie I oh, yipie I ay,
Ghost riders in the sky
Ghost riders in the sky
Ghost riders in the sky
credits
from Bedroom Demos- Vol. 36,
released July 13, 2021
Ghost Riders In The Sky
written by Stan Jones
arranged by: Terry Scott Taylor
The London band's new album is a vibrant postcard from southern Italy, boosted by brass, strings, and pizzica percussion from local players. Bandcamp New & Notable Apr 14, 2024
A hushed and low-lit EP from this Melbourne musician, where dreamlike melodies drift across a bed of tender guitar. Bandcamp New & Notable Aug 19, 2023
