Better-known as the Arizona Cowboy, Rex Allen was the last of
Hollywood's singing cowboys. Between 1950 and 1954, Allen starred
in 19 movies for Republic studios. The films launched a popular
recording career for Allen, as he had several hit singles and albums
in the early '50s, before the singing cowboys slowly disappeared
from the charts.

The son of a fiddle player, Rex Allen was given his first guitar when
he was 11 years old; his father intended Rex to support him at
dances. Shortly afterwards, Allen began singing. After he finished
high school, he was hired as a performer by a Phoenix radio station,
but he only stayed there for a brief time. Instead, Allen hit the rodeo
circuit. His career as a rodeo rider was short-lived, as he suffered
an injury from a bull. The injury led Allen back to singing, and he
was hired by WTTM in Trenton, NJ, in 1943.

After he left WTTM, Allen joined the Sleepy Hollow Ranch Gang in
Pennsylvania. During the summer of 1946, Allen was spotted by
Lulu Belle < Scotty; impressed, the duo recommended that he try
out for the National Barn Dance and WLS in Chicago. Allen became
a popular performer in the Windy City, which led him to become one
of the first country < western artists signed by Mercury Records.
Mercury released several of Allen's singles before he had a hit with
"Afraid" in 1949. That same year, Allen went to Hollywood.

Bringing along a CBS network radio program, Allen approached
Republic Pictures. The studio signed the singer to a star in a film,
The Arizona Cowboy, which was released in 1950. The movie was
a success, beginning a string of 19 pictures that ran until February
1954. All of the movies were musical Westerns, starring Allen with
a rotating cast of sidekicks. Frequently, he would star with Slim
Pickens, but Buddy Ebsen and Fuzzy Knight also made their
appearances in Allen's films.

Allen's film successes led to a hit record in 1951, "Sparrow in the
Tree Top." Released on Mercury Records, the single climbed into
the country Top Ten and made it into the pop Top 30. Soon after
its release, Allen signed with Decca Records, which released his
biggest hit, 1953's "Crying in the Chapel"; the song peaked in the
Top Five and reached the Top Ten pop charts. In the latter half of
the decade, he made a number of albums composed of Western
songs. During this time, he acted in 39 episodes of the television
program Frontier Doctor.

By the '60s, Rex Allen had re-signed with Mercury Records, which
led to several minor hits and one major success — 1962's "Don't Go
Near the Indians," which returned the singer to the country Top Ten
and the pop Top 20. On his '60s stint at Mercury, Allen had two other
significant hits — 1961's "Marines Let's Go" and "Tear After Tear" in
1964. In the late '60s, the singer went back to Decca Records, which
resulted in one minor hit in 1968, "Tiny Bubbles." During this time
and the early '70s, he recorded albums for Disneyland, Buena Vista,
and JMI. However, he was more prominent in this era as a narrator
for many Walt Disney films and television programs, as well as a
voice in several Disney cartoons.

In the '80s, Allen's oldest son, Rex Allen Jr., became a star in his
own right. A museum in his hometown, Willcox, AZ, was dedicated
to Rex Allen, and the Governor of Arizona honored him. Allen
occasionally appeared in Western film fare, where he remained
as popular as ever. He died December 17, 1999, after his caretaker
accidentally ran him over with a car; Allen was 78.

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