Happy Trails (song)

"Happy Trails", by Dale Evans Rogers, was the theme song for the 1940s and 1950s radio program and the 1950s television show starring Roy Rogers and Dale Evans Rogers, always sung over the end credits of the program. "Happy Trails" was released in 1952 as a 78 RPM & 45 RPM by Roy Rogers & Dale Evans with the Whippoorwills & Orchestra on RCA Victor Records. It was re-issued in 1957 as a 45 RPM record on RCA Victor/Bluebird.

Quicksilver Messenger Service released an album called Happy Trails in 1968, on which the song appears. The song was later covered by Van Halen on their 1982 album, "Diver Down", and was usually the way the band would end live performances they did with their first lead singer, David Lee Roth. It was played on the 1993 debut album of bluegrass band Nickel Creek, back when they were children. It is a common goodbye song.

Janis Joplin left a taped recording of the song as a birthday greeting for John Lennon on October 1, 1970. Lennon, whose birthday was October 9, later told Dick Cavett that her taped greeting arrived at his home after her death.Fact|date=June 2008

Mark Lamarr plays the song at the end of his 'God's Jukebox' show on BBC Radio 2 every week.

In 1951, Foy Willing wrote a song titled "Happy Trails" for the Republic Pictures movie, "Spoilers of the Plains," starring Roy Rogers with Foy Willing and the Riders of the Purple Sage. Subsequently, the first three notes of Foy's song and the title were used by Dale Evans in writing her version of "Happy Trails" for her and Roy Rogers' television show. Dale's is the version that is popularly played and sung today, albeit no credit being given to Foy Willing. [cite book | last =Willing | first =Sharon Lee | authorlink = | coauthors = | title =No One to Cry To | publisher =Wheatmark | date =October 16, 2006 | location = | pages =80 | url = | doi = | id = | isbn =158736686X ]

References

External links

* [http://www.royrogers.com/happy_trails-index.html "Happy Trails"] at the [http://www.royrogers.com Roy Rogers Website]