LASH LARUE Quote on Life

Cowboy star Lash told me this one when we were dining out at the Entre Cafeteria across from Capitol records years ago. The Entre was a favorite with character actors - musicians - stars- everybody. We used to meet there and as I mentioned when I blogged on Lash earlier, he was my favorite cowboy, as well as Elvis', and Tommy Smothers.

"I'm from an area of time and space that the human race ain't ready for yet!"
- Lash Larue

Here's a clip from a film Lash did on a YouTube presentation, a cowboy bullwhip contest! Welcome to my childhood!

Lash LaRue vs. El Azote! Lash is the cowboy in black without the mask!

(78) CHALLENGE RECORDS : COWBOY STAR GENE AUTRY'S LABEL

Jerry Cole, Jerry Fuller, and a number of other talents, had been recorded on Challenge Records which was owned by cowboy star-entrepreneur Gene Autry, before they came to American Music to be songwriters more or less full time.

Through the early 1960's this was still an era in which many small labels managed to succeed, though perhaps only a very few of their artists are known today. If a song was a hit in a regional market for one of the regional market favorites, another company in another region might try the same song with one of their singers. It was the cover tune era. Sometimes this worked for the songwriter, because the song was being recorded repeatedly and got a lot of regional airplay on the radio. Sometimes though it was a matter of chart wars just diluting the overall success of the song.

To those of us who grew up admiring the cowboys, the way me and Elvis and Tommy Smothers loved Lash LaRue, men like Gene Autry, who diversified and built empires, were important role models.

Gene went on to own radio stations as well and today he's behind a hugely successful museum in Griffith Park, Los Angeles. Once called the Gene Autry Western Heritage, it just goes by "The Autry National Center" now. It's the place where you can take in Westerns and silent films and check the movie version of Cowboys and Indians against reality, and attend Native American events.

http://koti.mbnet.fi/wdd/challenge.htm

RCS DISCOGRAPHY FOR CHALLENGE RECORDS, Gene's label, linked above!

GENE AUTRY's MUSEUM has grown to be THE AUTRY NATION CENTER and is collaborating with other museums that document Native American life.

http://www.autrynationalcenter.org/

(4) LASH LARUE - MY FAVORITE COWBOY STAR !

The greatest entertainment for kids in Murphy, North Carolina when I was growing up there in the Smokeys was when the cowboy shows came through town - a caravan of horses and cowboys - bad guys and good. They performed shoot outs and stunts. We loved to race to the stage to help the good guys take care of the bad ones.

My favorite cowboy was always LASH LARUE, who always dressed in black. He was Tommy Smothers and Elvis Presley's favorite cowboy too!

Lash LaRue and I became friends in Los Angeles in the late 1970's. He still wore all black, his pants embroidered with the initials L.L., but he left his hat at home when he was having lunch with his friends.

Lash had a speech impediment that he'd learned to tackle by talking out of one side of his mouth. Despite this, he was a gifted and clever voice-over artist in his later years, the voice behind many radio and television commercials. I enjoyed Lash thoroughly.

LASH LARUE Fan Club, P.O. Box 2484, Sanford, NC 27330.

Click on the title above to read about Lash in THE INDIAN READER

Here's a You-Tube video of a Lash LaRue


This "Trailer" that also shows Al "Fuzzy St. John, his side kick.

(3) THE SMOTHERS BROTHERS IN MURPHY NORTH CAROLINA and LASH LARUE

As a kid in Murphy, my older brother Junior and I ran around town playing Cowboys and Indians with two navy brats who lived in Murphy only a short while. We had shoot outs behind the Henn theatre! They were to become the folk singer comedians, The Smothers Brothers - Tommy and Dickie!

Tommy liked to dress all in black like his favorite cowboy, the same cowboy Elvis and I also idolized - LASH LARUE! All the kids in Murphy went around with brooms under them and ropes for whips!

The Smothers Brothers OFFICIAL WEB SITE is linked above!

Click below to hear a Real Audio OF A COUPLE OF THE BROTHERS ROUTINES

Including their famous Sibling Rivalry!

http://www.smothersbrothers.com/realaudio/bestof.html

Vintage Smothers Brothers from an undated You Tube presentation:



Tommy and Dick are still going strong!

UPDATED January 19, 2011