Gene Autry was the original singing cowboy, and his voice is still echoes in the warm tone of today's "new traditionalist" balladeers. This disc documents 25 of the tunes that the Western film star recorded over the span of 15 years (1939-1954). A distinction must be made here between country and Western music. These are clearly Western tunes, travelogues of sorts that tell tales of life out on the trails, among the tumbleweed, riding through the hills and valleys or prairie flatlands. This is outdoor music, made up of campfire melodies and cowboy refrains.