It has been announced the legendary Sons of the Pioneers will be appearing in concert on Thursday, April 7 at St. Mary鈥檚 Cultural Centre.聽 The Sons of the Pioneers are synonymous with the ultimate in Cowboy music. For decades the premier western singing group has musically painted unforgettable images and stories of horses, cattle, cowboys, 鈥渘ight herds鈥�, tall timber, cool water, canyons and prairies. Their original songs like 鈥淭umbling Tumbleweeds鈥�, 鈥淐ool Water鈥� and 鈥淕host Riders in the Sky鈥� are classics forever entwined into the lore and mystique of the American West.聽 Both 鈥淭umbleweeds鈥� and 鈥淐ool Water鈥� have been inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.
First started by Roy Rogers and the gifted songwriters Bob Nolan and Tim Spencer the group garnered national and international fans through appearances聽 in almost 100 western films during the 鈥�30s, 鈥�40s and 鈥�50s. Numerous albums were recorded under contracts with Decca, Columbia, RCA and others. The group provided songs for several John Ford westerns including the soundtrack for 鈥淭he Searchers鈥� starring John Wayne. When television came along they regularly appeared on the Roy Rogers Show and had guest appearances on such programs as the Barbara Mandrell Show.聽聽 Walt Disney called upon the Pioneers to supply the soundtrack for the film 鈥淧ecos Bill鈥�. They were the first cowboy musical group to perform at Carnegie Hall and the first to headline in Las Vegas casinos.
The current group鈥檚 configuration is part of a continuous and uninterrupted 80 year existence in which they have accumulated more coveted honors and awards than anyone in Western music. The group has been inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame, the Western Music Association Hall of Fame and the National Cowboy Hall of Fame among others. The Smithsonian Institute named them as 鈥淣ational Treasures鈥�.
The Pioneers are known around the world for their unique three and four part harmonies.聽 According to their 鈥渢rail boss鈥�, Tommy Nallie who joined the group in the 1980鈥檚, 鈥淲e are honored to be returning to Canada.聽 We had a Canadian tour in 2012 and we were parade marshalls for the Calgary Stampede in the 1990鈥檚.鈥� Nallie said, 鈥淓very concert is pure Cowboy music packed with our timeless hits, solid western swing and a good measure of comedy and banter. Each of the five members share the vocals and instrumentals.鈥� Part of the hallmark sound comes from acoustic fiddles, mandolin, upright bass, and lead and rhythm guitars.
When not performing their regular theater concert season in Branson, Missouri, the Pioneers have recently been invited to perform on RFD-TV, PBS program, on Nashville鈥檚 Grand Ol Opry and at various theaters and festivals across the country.
Local promoter of the group, Margaret Morrissette of Fort Qu鈥橝ppelle, said, 鈥淭he Pioneers are legends in the field of Western music. Everyone I talk to is so very excited they are coming to Saskatchewan for a seven concert tour.聽 We鈥檙e gonna have lots of fun. Tickets are available at Sherring Optical at the Parkland Mall. There is limited seating so we encourage everyone to get their tickets early.鈥�
