Tex Ritter facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Tex Ritter
Ritter in 1966
Background information
Birth name	Woodward Maurice Ritter
Born	(1905-01-12)January 12, 1905 Murvaul, Texas, U.S.
Died	January 2, 1974(1974-01-02) (aged 68) Nashville, Tennessee, U.S.
Genres	Country
Occupation(s)	Singer actor
Years active	1928–1973
Labels	Columbia, Decca, Capitol

Woodward Maurice "Tex" Ritter (born January 12, 1905 – died January 2, 1974) was an important early American country music star. He was a very popular singer and actor from the 1930s to the 1960s. Tex Ritter also started a family of actors, including his son John, and grandsons Jason and Tyler. He is a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame.

Early Life and Education

Tex Ritter was born on January 12, 1905, in Murvaul, Texas. His parents were Martha Elizabeth and James Everett Ritter. He grew up on his family's farm in Panola County, Texas. He went to grade school in Carthage, Texas.

Later, he attended South Park High School in Beaumont, Texas. After finishing high school with good grades, he went to the University of Texas at Austin in 1922. There, he studied law, government, and economics. After traveling with a music group, he later attended Northwestern Law School.

Tex Ritter's Career

Tex Ritter became very interested in show business early on. He was one of the first country music artists.

Radio and Broadway Shows

In 1928, Tex Ritter sang on a radio show called KPRC in Houston, Texas. It was a 30-minute program mostly filled with cowboy songs. That same year, he moved to New York City. He got a job singing in the men's chorus for a Broadway show called The New Moon (1928).

He also acted as a cowboy named Cord Elam in another Broadway play. This play was Green Grow the Lilacs (1931). This play later became the famous musical Oklahoma!. He also played characters in other plays like The Round Up (1932) and Mother Lode (1934).

In 1932, he starred in New York City's first radio Western show. It was called The Lone Star Rangers on WOR. On this show, he sang songs and told stories about the Old West. Ritter also wrote and starred in Cowboy Tom's Roundup on WINS in 1933. This was a daily cowboy show for children. It was broadcast on two other East Coast radio stations for three years. He also performed on the radio show WHN Barndance. He sang on NBC Radio shows too. He even appeared in several radio dramas, like CBS's Bobby Benson's Adventures.

Movies

In 1936, Tex Ritter moved to Los Angeles. His first movie was Song of the Gringo (1936). He appeared in 70 movies as an actor. He also sang on the soundtracks of 76 movies.

He became very famous in 1952 for singing "The Ballad of High Noon". This song played at the start of the movie High Noon. He later sang it at the Academy Awards ceremony. The song won an Oscar for Best Original Song.

Poster from the 1942 film The Devil's Trail

Recording Music

Tex Ritter's music career was very successful. He was the first artist to sign with the new record company, Capitol Records.

In 1944, he had a big hit song called "I'm Wastin' My Tears on You". This song reached number one on the country music charts. It also reached number 11 on the pop music charts. This song helped him become a very important musician.

In 1952, Ritter recorded "The Ballad of High Noon" for the movie High Noon. He sang this song at the first televised Academy Awards ceremony in 1953. The song won an Oscar for Best Song that year.

Television Appearances

When television became popular, Tex Ritter started appearing on TV shows. In 1953, he performed on Town Hall Party. This show was on both radio and television in Los Angeles. In 1957, he helped host Ranch Party. This was a version of the show that was shown in many places.

He first appeared on national TV in 1955 on ABC-TV's Ozark Jubilee. He was also one of five hosts for its 1961 NBC-TV show, Five Star Jubilee.

Later Career and Contributions

Tex Ritter helped start the Country Music Association in Nashville, Tennessee. He also led the effort to build the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1964.

He moved to Nashville in 1965. He started working for radio station WSM and the Grand Ole Opry. He became a lifetime member of the Grand Ole Opry in 1970.

Political Campaign

In 1970, Tex Ritter decided to run for the United States Senate in Tennessee. He was a Republican. Even though many people knew who he was, he lost the election. He lost to Bill Brock, who then became a Senator.

Personal Life

Ritter's grave marker in Port Neches, Texas

Tex Ritter had a heart attack and passed away in Nashville in 1974. He died ten days before his 69th birthday. He was survived by his wife and two sons. One of his sons was the popular actor John. John Ritter passed away in 2003 from a condition called aortic dissection. Because of this, his family now believes that Tex Ritter might have also died from the same condition, as it seems to run in their family.

Legacy and Honors

Tex Ritter has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. It is located at 6631 Hollywood Boulevard. This star honors his contributions to the recording industry. In 1980, he was added to the Western Performers Hall of Fame. This is at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. He was also one of the first people inducted into the Texas Country Music Hall of Fame in Carthage in 1998.

In 1986, Tex Ritter received a Golden Boot Award. This award honored his work in Western films.

You can still hear Tex Ritter's voice today! He is the voice of Big Al, a singing audio-animatronic bear. This bear is part of the Country Bear Jamboree attraction at Disney theme parks. You can find it at the Magic Kingdom in Walt Disney World and Tokyo Disneyland in Japan. It used to be at Disneyland in Anaheim, California too.

Selected Filmography

Discography

Albums

Singles

See also

In Spanish: Tex Ritter para niños