Stan Jones and the Ranger Chorus

Artist: Stan Jones and the Ranger Chorus

LP: Walt Disney Presents Songs of the National Parks

Song: "Grand Canyon"

[ listen ]

Here's something I picked up in Bellingham for .50¢ during my New Years getaway a few weeks ago. Born in Douglas, Arizona in the summer of 1914, Stan Jones wrote more than 200 songs during his career, including well-known standards like "Ghost Riders In the Sky" and "Saddle Up!" as well as some not-so-standards like "My Gal Is Purple" and "Jim Marshall's Nugget." Stan appeared both on television and in a few motion pictures, and he wrote some of the music for John Ford's popular westerns RIO GRANDE and THE SEARCHERS. He made several records for Walt Disney, including this 1963 LP that features songs about various national parks in the USA. You can buy your own copy of the record here. Sadly, Stan Jones died of cancer at the young age of 49 the same year this record was released. You can read more about Stan's life and career here, where you'll also find some neat pictures, some links for listening to a bunch of Stan's songs as recorded by himself and various other artists, and there's even a link where you can listen to Stan telling an audience what inspired the writing of his hit song "Ghost Riders In the Sky."

 

 [ Stan Jones: June 5, 1914 — December 13, 1963 ]