Roy Rogers and Trigger- they were my favorites. My fondest memories of youth have me sitting on the couch, eating a fudgesicle and watching Roy Rogers. My mom was in the kitchen making rice crispy squares; my dad was outside fixing something broken (probably by me.) We brought our lunch to school and recess was our favorite subject. We played four square, dodge ball and marbles. The restrooms were two outhouses with very deep holes. If you threw anything down there, chances were good it would never be seen again. My first grade teacher had also taught my mother and my grandmother. If I did something bad, she told my mom, my mom told my dad. End of problem. Life was safe and simple. The world made sense.

Fast forward to 1999. Turn on your TV set some Saturday morning. What are the kids watching these days? Where’s mom? Where’s dad? What kinds of video games are available? To win the game, does it involve killing something? Do the graphics show bullets and blood? Maybe killers dressed in black trench coats? The power of the Internet is a great resource that I often use. As a matter of fact, I used it just this morning. I checked the Associated Press archives for incidents that might have occurred during my school years. Not one single report of a teenager killing his fellow students. Makes me wonder if things are really that much better today than back then.

Back when Roy and Trigger rode across the silver screen, we all knew the difference between good and bad. We had respect for our parents and anyone of authority. Roy Rogers was everyone’s image of what a cowboy should be. His face was strong and handsome. He was honest and he had integrity. He could be counted on to stand up for what is right. He gave us high standards to live by and we loved and admired him for it. He lived his life off camera with the same decency and humility that he projected on television and in the movies. He was the hero who never let us down. With all of his success, he never lost sight of the fact that it was his fans who made it all possible.

Aptly titled "Happy Trails-The Roy Rogers Collection 1937 to 1990," this three CD set chronicles the incredible career of one of our best loved entertainers. Roy Rogers was one of good guys in a white hat. He used common sense and a Colt 45 to bring law and order to the Wild West. That’s the way it should be and that’s how it was, back when the West was wild and Roy Rogers was King. Throughout the set, you will be pleasantly surprised at the quality of Roy’s lead vocals and of his perfect harmonies when singing with The Sons of the Pioneers.

The idea for a Roy Rogers box set came in 1993 when Rhino Records A&R man James Austin contacted Lawrence Zwisohn, family friend of the Rogers family. That conversation led to the approval by Roy, Dale Evans and their son Dusty. The family allowed James and Lawrence to borrow the entire collection of vintage 16 inch records from the Roy Rogers Museum and transfer them onto DAT format. It would take two years to accomplish this feat. During the search for material to include in this box set, many rare items were discovered. Among them was a rare version of Roy singing lead vocals on "Cool Water." Bob Nolan of the Sons of the Pioneers had always performed the lead vocal on this song. Another rare find is Roy singing lead on "Tumbling Tumbleweeds", live on the Ralph Edwards "This Is Your Life" show. They also uncovered the old analog tape containing the version of "Happy Trails" that Dale and Roy used on their Saturday morning TV show. The box set was just released by Rhino and has 94 tracks spanning his remarkable career as the greatest singing cowboy of our time. Be sure to check out the website at www.royrogers.com.

Born Leonard Slye in Cincinnati, Ohio on Nov. 5, 1911, his family soon moved to Portsmouth where they lived on a houseboat. Eventually they bought a small farm in nearby Duck Run. It was on this farm that Roy learned his solid work ethics. Life on the farm was hard and offered little in the form of entertainment. The Slye family often invited neighbors over for square dances, where Roy would sing and play mandolin. It was during this time that Roy learned to play guitar and yodel. Due to hard times, Roy had to quit school after his sophomore year to work in a nearby shoe factory. Roy and his dad both worked there and found the work to be hot and unpleasant.

The family decided to visit Roy’s sister, Mary, who had married and moved to Lawndale, California. Somehow the old family Dodge held together for the trip. When they returned home, the Ohio winter convinced them to sell the farm and move to California. It was 1931 and the Depression was hitting the country very hard. Roy picked peaches for Del Monte in Tulare, California and lived in the same labor camps that John Steinbeck wrote about in "Grapes of Wrath." When Roy returned to Lawndale, his sister Mary convinced him to try out for a local radio show looking for singers. He overcame his shyness and got the job. Soon Bob Nolan and Bill Nichols joined him. They formed a trio called the Rocky Mountaineers.

After trying several bands and combinations, they finely hit paydirt with a band they called "The Pioneer Trio." They landed a job at KFWB radio station and had their own show. They were paid $35 a week and began attracting a wide variety of fans. More and more radio stations started

Broadcasting their show across the United States and Canada. Soon the boys, who had changed their name to The Sons of the Pioneers, were making guest appearances in western movies that were being filmed in southern California. Gene Autrey was the most famous movie cowboy at the time, but was unhappy with his current contract at Republic Pictures. He was threatening to walk out on his next movie. To prepare themselves, Republic started auditioning for a new singing cowboy. Roy snuck into the audition and got the part. In his first movie, "Wild Horse Rodeo," he used the name of Dick Weston. When Gene Autrey refused to show up for work on "Under Western Stars," they gave the part to the newly named "Roy Rogers." He became an instant star.

Since he was now a movie sensation, he was allowed to choose his horse. After patiently checking out two horses, a third one was brought in for him to see. It was a beautiful golden Palimino that handled smoothly and obeyed every command. Roy’s sidekick, Smiley Burnette, made the comment, "Roy, that horse can turn on a dime and give you back some change. He’s sure quick on the trigger." And so, Trigger was born and was a faithful companion to Roy for many years to come. He and Roy became inseparable and Roy demanded that Trigger live on his ranch with him and his wife Arline. Roy had met Arline at a show he had done in Dallas and they were married soon thereafter.

Roy was an excellent horseman and trained Trigger himself. He never whipped or spurred Trigger, preferring to use gentle nudges and tugs to get him to obey. Roy often bragged that in the 80 films and 101 TV episodes, Trigger was never injured and never disobeyed an order. Once Roy was taking Trigger to a film location and had the trailer hooked to his rear bumper. As they rounded a curve, another car swerved in their lane, forcing Roy into the ditch. The horse trailer overturned and a frantic Roy found Trigger lying motionless in the trailer. Speaking calmly to his beloved horse, Roy was able to pull him from the trailer with a rope. At that point his trusty mount opened his eyes and jumped to his feet. Roy realized Trigger must have thought this was just another movie stunt and he was supposed to play dead.

Just as things were going well for Roy, sadness struck. His wife died during the birth of their second child, Roy Rogers Jr. Roy was now a widower with three children. He and Arline had adopted one girl and had another girl before Roy Jr. was born. As time went on, Roy grew closer to his co-star, Dale Evans. A year later, on New Years Eve, Roy married her on his private ranch in Oklahoma. They celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in 1997. Before long, Dale and Roy had a daughter who was born with Downs-Syndrome. Ignoring doctors’ advice to have young Robin placed in an institution, they cared for her in their home until she died at the age of two. Shortly afterwards, Roy and Dale were scheduled to play at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

On opening night, Roy sang the religious "Peace in the Valley." When the Garden’s management frowned on this open display of religion, Roy insisted "Either I sing what I want, or Dale and I will go back home." They backed down and night after night, a hush fell on the huge New York crowd as Roy and Dale sang this beautiful hymn. Another little known fact about Roy is his Native American heritage. He’s part Choctaw Indian and in all of his films, Roy Rogers the cowboy is portrayed as a friend of the Indians. Throughout their lives, Roy and Dale adopted many children that came from battered, broken homes. They trusted in God, loved their family and their country.