Happy Trails (song) facts for kids

"Happy Trails" is a very famous song. It was sung by the well-known cowboy star Roy Rogers and his wife, Dale Evans. This song became the special theme song for their popular The Roy Rogers Show. This show was on both radio in the 1940s and television in the 1950s. Dale Evans herself wrote the song. Roy and Dale always sang it together at the end of their shows.

The song Happy Trails was first released in 1952. It came out as a record from RCA Records. Later, in 1957, it was released again. People loved the song so much that members of the Western Writers of America group chose it. They said it was one of the Top 100 Western songs ever made.

The First "Happy Trails" Song

Before Dale Evans wrote her famous version, another song called "Happy Trails" existed. This earlier song was written by Foy Willing in 1951. It was for a movie called Spoilers of the Plains. Roy Rogers also starred in that movie.

Dale Evans used the first few notes and the title from Foy Willing's song. She then wrote her own new version. This is the "Happy Trails" song that most people know and sing today. It was used for The Roy Rogers Show and a shorter TV show called The Roy Rogers and Dale Evans Show.

Other Artists Sing "Happy Trails"

Many other musicians have sung Dale Evans' popular version of "Happy Trails." Here are some examples:

• The band Quicksilver Messenger Service put the song on their album. Their album was also called Happy Trails and came out in 1969.
• On October 1, 1970, Janis Joplin recorded the song. It was a special birthday message for John Lennon. Her recorded message arrived at his home after she had passed away.
• The rock band Van Halen included the song on their album, Diver Down (1982). They often used to finish their live concerts with this song. This was when David Lee Roth was their lead singer.
• Randy Travis sang the song with Roy Rogers himself. This was for Travis's album, Heroes & Friends, released in 1990.