Initially planning to pursue a career in teaching, Stuart Hamblen instead became radio’s first-ever “singing cowboy.” He would enjoy success as a singer, actor, radio show host and songwriter, penning songs like “This Ole House”, which Rosemary Clooney took to No. 1 in 1954. Later converting to Christianity under the tutelage of evangelical minister Billy Graham, Hamblen became active in the anti-alcohol temperance movement, eventually making an unsuccessful bid for president.
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On this day (March 8) in 1989, Stuart Hamblen died at age 80 from brain cancer in Santa Monica, California. Today, 36 years later, we’re reflecting on his life and career.
Stuart Hamblen’s Life Was Shaped by Christianity and Cowboys
Neither his career in country music nor his later Christian activism came out of nowhere. Carl Stuart Hamblen was born Oct. 20, 1908, to the itinerant Methodist preacher J. H. Hamblen and his wife Ernestine. Growing up among the cowboys and field hands of West Texas, he learned to ride and rope. Hamblen would also practice singing in between rides, even writing his own songs.
After attending McMurry College in Abilene, Hamblen won a talent contest in Dallas, traveling to New Jersey to audition for the Victor Recording Company (later RCA). The company released four of his songs, and then Hamblen headed west for California. There, he landed a gig at Los Angeles radio station KFI as “Cowboy Joe,” possibly the earliest such act to air in L.A.
After a few successful years in that role, Hamblen became the first West Coast artist to sign with Decca Records in 1934. While there, he penned a string of hits, including My Mary,” “Texas Plains,” “Walking My Fortune,” “Ridin’ Ole Paint,” and “Golden River.”
Hamblen also starred in B-Western movies, often playing the villain to Gene Autry’s, John Wayne’s, or Roy Rogers’ hero.
Finding Religion and Politics
While enormously successful, Stuart Hamblen battled alcohol abuse and gambling addiction behind the scenes. His fame often shielded him from any dire consequences, with radio sponsors bailing him out of jail.
That changed entirely when he attended one of Billy Graham’s famous tent revivals in Los Angeles. Suddenly, the man who had once referred to himself as “the original juvenile delinquent” was publicly professing his devotion to Jesus Christ.
It wasn’t all talk, either. Much of Hamblen’s later songs reflected his newfound faith, including “This Ole House”, recorded by Rosemary Clooney and named the 1954 Song of the Year. Jimmy Dean, Elvis Presley, and Red Foley also turned Hamblen’s songs into hits.
A staunch supporter of the temperance movement, Hamblen ran for president on the Prohibition Party ticket in 1952.
Featured image by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
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