The King of the Cowboys reigns supreme in the December issue of Cowboys & Indians, The Premiere Magazine of the West, as C&I writer Steven Phelps pays eloquent tribute to the late, great Roy Rogers in a centennial celebration of Rogers’ birth.
Going all the way back to the 1930s, when Rogers first made his mark as a singer (and self-taught yodeler) with The Sons of the Pioneers, Phelps charts the many highlights of the iconic cowboy’s decades-long career, cataloguing the remarkable accomplishments that earned Rogers no fewer than four stars — three for his radio, television, and motion picture fame, one for his performances with The Sons of Pioneers — on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
“With 88 movies and 100 half-hour shows,” Phelps appreciatively notes, “Roy and his beloved steed Trigger took the stage night after night to the delight of audiences all over the world, earning a hallowed place in Western entertainment history.”
The December issue of Cowboys & Indians — on sale October 19 at fine newsstands everywhere — also features the annual C&I Holiday Gift Guide, filled with suggestions for presents sure to delight all the cowboys and cowgirls on your Christmas list, and a detailed rundown of what to wear, where to shop, and what to do at the 2011 National Finals Rodeo, December 1 – 10, in Las Vegas.
Elsewhere in the issue, readers can discover how American Indians are learning the art of cattle ranching on Padres Mesa Demonstration Ranch in northeast Arizona; tour the sportsman’s oasis that energy tycoon T. Boone Pickens has built at his Mesa Vista Ranch in the Texas Panhandle; preview Reel Injun, the award-winning documentary (set for a November 29 DVD release) about Native American characters in Hollywood and independent movies of the past century; and join British photographer Jane Hilton on her journey to capture the private lives of contemporary cowboys throughout the American West.
But wait, there’s more: Bareback rider Bobby Mote and tie-down roper Clint Cooper talk about their experiences as high-profile rodeo competitors, cowboy poet and In the Bunkhouse host Red Steagall chats with country music great Roy Clark, and C&I contributor David Hofstede returns to the golden days of ’50s television for a nostalgic look at the high-flying cowboy hero of Sky King.