Gene Autry

Trying to figure out the “begats” for the Museum of the American West is like trying to figure out why a dog likes to stick his head out of a car window while the car’s moving but hates it when you blow in its face. Sure, you can figure it out eventually but you’ll probably need to take a couple of aspirin before it’s all said and done.

The Museum of the American West is part of the Autry National Center of the American West. The other two parts of the Autry Center are the Southwest Museum of the American Indian and the Institute for the Study of the American West. The Autry Center was formed when the Southwest Museum, the Women of the West Museum and the Autry Museum of American Heritage merged. Not sure what happened to the women during that move but at least the name was dropped for good. So, that’s all I’m going to say about that.

For those who know nothing about cowboys, here’s a little bit about Gene Autry:

Gene Autry’s career spanned some 60 years in the entertainment industry, encompassing radio, recordings, motion pictures, television, rodeo and live performances. He also became a broadcast executive and major league baseball owner.

Known as ‘America’s Favorite Singing Cowboy’, he is the only entertainer to have five stars on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame, one each for radio, records, film, television and live theatrical performance (including rodeo). In his ability to transcend media and in the sheer scope of his output, Gene Autry was unsurpassed as a popular image-maker of the American West.

Born in Tioga, Texas, on September 29, 1907, Orvon Gene Autry bought his first guitar at the age of 12 for $8. By the late 1920s, he was working as a telegrapher for the railroad in Oklahoma. While he was singing and playing in the office one night, Gene was discovered by the great cowboy humorist Will Rogers. Rogers advised the young Autry to try radio, and the rest is history.

But what about that museum, you may ask. Well, I was getting to that.  The museum is located in Griffith Park, California.  Exhibits include art, costumes, firearms and (of course) music related to the American West. But the museum exhibits rotate quite a bit so make sure you look into what’s going to be there when you are or you might end up seeing a whole lot of stuff you really don’t care about. However, if you are the least little bit a fan of the American West, that’s not likely!