Gene Autry (1907–1998)
Born 1907 CE, died 1998 CE.
Orvon Grover "Gene" Autry (September 29, 1907 – October 2, 1998), nicknamed the Singing Cowboy, was an American actor, musician, singer, composer, rodeo performer, and baseball team owner, who largely gained fame by singing in a crooning style on radio, in films, and on television for more than three decades, beginning in the early 1930s. During that time, he personified the straight-shooting hero—honest, brave, and true. Autry was the owner of a television station and several radio stations in Southern California. From 1961 to 1997, he was the founding owner of the California Angels franchise of Major League Baseball (MLB). From 1934 to 1953, Autry appeared in 93 motion pictures. Between 1950 and 1956, he hosted The Gene Autry Show television series. In many of them, he appeared with Champion, his Morgan horse. Autry was also one of the most important pioneering figures in the history of country music, considered the second major influential artist in the genre's development after Jimmie Rodgers in terms of chronology.
Text from the Wikipedia article Gene_Autry, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.