Patsy Montana Born:  October 30, 1914 Died:  May 3, 1996 Academy of Country Music Pioneer (1970) Arkansas Entertainers Hall of Fame (1996) Country Music Hall of Fame (1996) Western Music Association Hall of Fame (1989) KWKH Louisiana Hayride WLS National Barn Dance WCFL Chicago, IL

Patsy Montana was a popular singing artist with the Prairie Ramblers on WLS and the National Barn Dance back in the late 30's and 40's. One of her most memorable recordings was her song, "I Wanna Be a Cowboy's Sweetheart". Patsy Montana was a native of Hope, Arkansas. Does that town sound familiar to you? Think of a recent U.S. President. She was a versatile entertainer. She could sing, play the violin and guitar. She was also a prolific song writer. Her trademark song became, "I Want To Be a Cowboy's Sweetheart". She got her start by winning an amateur radio contest at a theatre in Los Angeles, California. That led to a job with a local radio station in Hollywood, KMTR. At that time, she was using her real name, Ruby Blevins. She then joined a group of girl singers who called themselves the Montana Cowgirls. That group stayed together a few years. They appeared at such places as the Pendleton, Oregon Roundup, several Hoot Gibson rodeos, a movie called "Lightning Express" and also appeared on KFI with Al Pearce and His Gang. In 1933, she visited the "Century of Progress" exposition in Chicago, Illinois with her brothers. While there, Patsy auditioned with WLS and got their immediate attention and joined the Prairie Ramblers group. But by 1944, she was no longer with the group, but was doing free lance work while tending to her family. She appeared often on WLS and the National Barn Dance with the group, the Prairie Ramblers. Her popularity led to her also doing a number of movies with Republic. At one time she had a ranch in Arkansas, "The Box R" as well as a home in Oak Park, Illinois when she was appearing on the National Barn Dance in Chicago. This is just the beginning of what we've found about Patsy. Stay tuned as we add to this legendary artist's story as time goes by. Timeline and Trivia Notes Patsy's real name was Ruby Blevens Married Paul Rose in 1934 (he was the secretary to Mac and Bob, another famous WLS duo) and had two daughters, Beverly and Judy. Credits & Sources Country Song Roundup No. 3; December 1949; Charlton Publishing Corp.; Derby, CT. The Billboard Music Year Book 1944; Billboard Publishing Company, Inc. Photos from 1983 courtesy of Dick Hill, Country & Western Music Historian. Sound Sample—(RealAudio Format) I'm Goin' West To Texas Get The Music Ernest Tubb Record Shop

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Recordings

Bluebird Rec. No. Side Song Title   5404 A Montana Plains (aka Patsy Montana)   5404 B Waltz Of The Hill (aka Patsy Montana)   Columbia Rec. No. Side Song Title   20201 A I Wanna Be A Cowboy's Sweetheart   20201 B Ridin' Old Paint   37602 A Ridin' Old Paint   37602 B I Wanna' Be A Cowboy's Sweetheart   Conqueror Rec. No. Side Song Title   8575 A I Wanna Be a Cowboy's Sweetheart   8575 B Ridin' Old Paint   8630 A The She Buckaroo   8630 B Sweetheart Of The Saddle   8654 A Give Me A Home In Montana   8654 B Wheel Of Wagon Is Broken   8709 A Gold Coast Express   8709 B Woman's Answer To Nobody's Darling   8744 A I'm An Old Cowhand   8744 B Echoes From The Hills   8827 A Chuck Wagon Blues   8827 B Goin' Back To Old Montana   8853 A I've Found My Cowboy Sweetheart   8853 B A Cowboy Honeymoon   8887 A There's a Ranch In The Sky   8887 B Ridin' The Sunset Trail   8893 A I Only Want A Buddy Not a Sweetheart   8893 B Pride Of The Prairie   8979 A Little Rose Of The Prairie   8979 B My Dear Old Arizona Home   8980 A Out On The Lone Prairie   8980 B Someone To Go Home To   8981 A Little Sweetheart Of The Ozarks   8981 B Shine On, Rocky Mountain Moonlight   9003 A Rodeo Sweetheart   9003 B Waltz Of The Hills   Decca Rec. No. Side Song Title   5947 A I'll Be Waiting For You (w/Her Pardners)   5947 B Shy Ann From Cheyenne (w/Her Pardners)   5956 A I'll Keep Wishing For You (w/Her Pardners)   5956 B I Want To Be A Cowboy's Sweetheart (w/Her Pardners)   5972 A Sunny San Antone (w/Her Pardners)   5972 B I'm Gonna Have A Cowboy's Wedding (w/Her Pardners)   6024 A Gallopin To Gallup   6024 B Blanket Me With Western Skies   6032 A Deep In The Heart Of Texas   6032 B I'll Wait For You   6101 A Smile And Drive Your Blues Away (w/Her Pardners)   6101 B Good Night Soldier (w/Her Pardners)   Montgomery Ward Rec. No. Side Song Title   4322 A When The Flowers Of Montana Were Blooming   4322 B I Love My Daddy Too   4484 A Montana Plains (Vp.Montana)   4484 B Waltz Of The Hill (Vpm)   OKeh Rec. No. Side Song Title   03010 A I Wanna Be A Cowboy's Sweetheart   03010 B Ridin' Old Paint   RCA Victor Rec. No. Side Song Title   20-2686 A If I Could Only Learn To Yodel   20-2686 B Slap 'Er Down Again, Paw   20-2899 A Mama Never Said A Word About Love (w/Her Buckaroos)   20-2899 B Little Old Rag Doll (w/Her Buckaroos)   Vocalion Rec. No. Side Song Title   5081 B I'm Goin West To Texas   5426 A Leanin' On The Ole Top Rail   Presta Rec. No. Side Song Title   1007 A Goodnight Soldier   1007 B Steppin' Out

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