Of course, we need to hear Roy Rogers himself singing "Dust," the big song from his 1938 debut starring movie "Under Western Stars" from Republic Pictures!
So, here he is on Vocalion Records (part of the Brunswick label family) with his own snazzy label:
He showed he was the goods right from the start!
Roy got the chance to make the movie due to superstar singing cowboy Gene Autry's salary beef with Republic (note Gene's usual sidekick Smiley Burnette getting prominent billing on the lobby card at the top).
Gene settled with Republic and continued to make movies for them, but the studio gave Roy his own series as well (with sidekick Gabby Hayes), so Western fans wound up the winners!
Fun fact: Roy used his birth name of Leonard Slye when he was a member of The Sons of the Pioneers, but when he signed with Republic Pictures, they changed his name to Dick Weston. But when they cast in him in the lead in "Under Western Stars," they re-named him Roy Rogers!
So, ever so briefly, the future cowboy superstar was known as Dick Weston!
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