November 03, 2025

This Week in the West: Roy Rogers - How Leonard Slye Became the Legendary Cowboy

4 minutes

🤠This Week in the West

🎙️ Episode 53: Roy Rogers - How Leonard Slye Became the Legendary Cowboy

📢 Episode Summary:

This episode of This Week in The West celebrates the life of Leonard Franklin Slye — better known to the world as Roy Rogers — born this week in 1911. Roy’s story began far from Hollywood, in poverty on the Ohio River. After the Depression forced his family west, he worked migrant farm jobs in California, living a life reminiscent of The Grapes of Wrath. But in those hard years he discovered his voice. With a mandolin, a guitar, and a yodel, the shy farm kid stepped behind a microphone for the first time in 1931 — and a new chapter began.

Roy’s talent led him to join early Western music groups in Los Angeles, eventually forming the Sons of the Pioneers. Their harmonies and radio presence earned national fame. When fellow singing cowboy Gene Autry left film to serve in World War II, Roy stepped forward to fill the void. That’s when Leonard Slye became Roy Rogers — a strong-sounding cowboy name paired with a tribute to Will Rogers. His rise was staggering: for 16 straight years he ranked among the top money-making Western stars, with a string of hit movies and record-setting popularity.

Roy’s charm extended far beyond the screen. He mastered early celebrity branding, turning his image into toys, lunchboxes, comics, and even a restaurant chain. His iconic palomino Trigger became a Hollywood star in his own right, and the partnership only grew when Roy married singer Dale Evans in 1947. Together they moved into television, closing each episode with Dale’s famous sign-off, “Happy trails to you…” Their 50-year marriage and enduring legacy earned Roy the title “King of the Cowboys,” a testament to resilience, talent, and humble beginnings.

🔍 What You’ll Learn:

How a struggling farm kid named Leonard Slye became Roy Rogers, the “King of the Cowboys

Why the Sons of the Pioneers changed Western music and launched Rogers into stardom

How Trigger, Dale Evans, and smart business instincts turned Roy into a cultural icon

👥 Behind the Scenes

Host: Seth Spillman

Producer: Chase Spivey

Writer: Mike Koehler

🔗 Further research:

The Official Roy Rogers Website: https://royrogers.com/

The Roy Rogers and Dale Evans Media Archives at the Dickinson Research Center here at The Cowboy: https://images.nationalcowboymuseum.org/collections-a-z/roy-rogers-and-dale-evans-media-archives

Roy Rogers on David Letterman, 1983: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P_z2UP8QnNk

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🗺️ Visit Us: The National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, 1700 NE 63rd Street, Oklahoma City, OK, 73111. See us on the map

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By The National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum

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