Red river dave biography

Red River Dave McEnery was an American artist, musician, and writer of topical songs.
Red River Dave McEnery (born David Largus McEnery) (December 15, 1914 – January 15, 2002) was an American artist, musician, and writer of topical songs.
Biography.

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A Hundred Years From Now

Who was he?

Red River Dave might be known as a Country singer, but he was really much more than that. He was a folk singer in the true tale-telling folk-singing tradition. Many of his songs were narratives of current events, told in the Country fashion that was natural to him.

Red River Dave at the New York World's Fair, 1939 (Bill Benner, fiddle, Roy Horton, Bass)

Dave McEnery was born on 15 December, 1914, in San Antonio, Texas. He enjoyed singing Red River Valley when he was at high-school, and this earned him the nickname, Red River Dave. As a young man, he became a yodelling cowboy and a lasso twirler at rodeos. His big break, however, came in 1939, when he took part in a television broadcast from the New York World's Fair, singing one of his self-penned musical chronicles, Amelia Earhart's Last Flight. During the 1940s his height and good looks helped him to play the part of a singing cowboy in a number of Hollywood films.

The 1950s saw him commenting musically more and more on the news events of the day, with stand-outs being T

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Red River Dave McEnery

David McEnery, singer and songwriter: born San Antonio, Texas 15 December 1914; married; died San Antonio 15 January 2002.

One of country music's great eccentrics, Red River Dave McEnery is best known for a seemingly inexhaustible string of "event" songs written in response to the headlines of the day. He found inspiration in stories as diverse and unlikely as the murder of Sharon Tate ("The California Hippy Murders"), the kidnapping of Patty Hearst ("The Ballad of Patty Hearst") and America's most notorious nuclear accident ("The Ballad of Three-Mile Island") and proved a masterful self-publicist.

A native San Antonian, Dave McEnery was, as a child, fascinated by tales of the "Old West" and found himself drawn to the traditional cowboy ballads of the era. One of these, "Red River Valley", became a particular favourite and led to the sobriquet by which he is widely known.

A proficient yodeller and performer of rope tricks, he gained work on a number of radio stations along the US-Mexico border before, in 1938, heading for New York. In 1939 he performed "

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Red River Dave

Biography

Country & western entertainer. Born December 15, 1914. Died 2002. Real name: David McEnery. Radio performer, movie actor and composer. His songwriting credits include the country-folk standard “Amelia Earhart’s Last Flight.” During the 1930s a regular radio performer. After World War II appeared in several low-budget Western movies. During the 1950s and 1960s a popular San Antonio area television performer.
Interview Summary
1975 May 5
(1 hour, 30 minutes)
Western entertainer Red River Dave gives an overview of his career. Discussion includes his childhood and family history; his early musical influences and the start of his musical career; his start in radio in 1932; the origin of the “Red River Dave” name; his career travels during the 1930s, including his travels to California and New York; working with Rex Griffin at WQAM -Miami; the growth of his career and his experiences as a traveling performer during the late 1930s; his audition for WOR-New York and his show for the Mutual Network; his recording career; memories of Vernon Dalhart; his