Sing Cowboy Sing: The Gene Autry Collection (Rhino, 1997)

Gene Autry: singer, radio host, film star, television pioneer, music publisher, label mogul, businessman, baseball team owner, museum benefactor. By today's standards, Autry might be criticized for being too commercial, but throughout the 90 years of his life, the original singing cowboy has been nothing but genuine.

Like his character in his several westerns, Autry is the good guy. We like him. We always have, and we always will, with or without his many businesses. We like him so much that we'd rush out to buy the three-CD set and hear recordings from his "Melody Ranch" radio show - many of which haven't been heard in 50 years.We'd savor the thorough liner notes, from the biography written by (Ranger) Doug Green to the song-by-song explanation to the vintage artwork from Autry's many careers. We'd smile in agreement with the testimonials from singers, former presidents, and actors.

Then, we'd be good little boys and girls, and have sweet dreams filled with memories of days past, when the good guy always got the girl and we didn't criticize anybody smart enough to have his cake and eat it too.