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Formed on the evening of November 11th, 1977, Riders In The Sky became the spearheads of the Western music revival of the 1980s with a perfect blend of cowboy harmony and tongue-in-cheek humor that has enthralled audiences for more than 45 years.
Consisting of guitarist Douglas B. "Ranger Doug" Green, bassist Fred "Too Slim" LaBour, fiddler Paul "Woody Paul" Chrisman, and accordionist Joey "The Cowpolka King" Miskulin, Riders In The Sky have not only made it their goal to keep the classic cowboy music of Gene Autry, Roy Rogers and The Sons of The Pioneers, Bob Wills, and Tex Ritter alive, but have also strived to add to this great tradition with many of their own original compositions which can be found across their 30+ albums from Rounder, MCA, Columbia, Sony, and Walt Disney Records.
In regards to the small and silver screen, Riders In The Sky were staples of The Nashville Network (TNN) quite literally from the channel's launch night until it's closure in 2003, with countless appearances on programs like "Nashville Now", "Music City Tonight", "Crook & Chase", "Grand Ole Opry Live", and various one-off specials. The Riders also hosted their own weekly series, "Tumbleweed Theater", from 1983 to 1987, which not only served as a showcase of public domain B-Western films, but a showcase for the band's musical abilities and comedy chops as well.
Riders In The Sky have brought their signature "Cowboy Way" of music and humor to children's entertainment, starting with their Daytime Emmy award-winning self-titled CBS Saturday morning series in 1991, an appearance on "Barney & Friends" in 1998, and performing "Woody's Roundup" in the 1999 Disney/Pixar film "Toy Story 2". This collaboration with Pixar has led to the Riders being brought in for several more projects for the Walt Disney Company, including composing and arranging music for many of the Pixar-themed areas and attractions found at Disney theme parks across the world. The band also has the distinct honor of being one of only a small handful of individuals to have their likenesses featured in both a Disney and Warner Bros. cartoon, appearing a cowboy and dinosaur-themed special of Disney's "Stanley" in 2005, and appearing alongside Daffy Duck in a 2003 episode of the Warner Bros. animated series "Duck Dodgers".
