The Sons of the Pioneers are bringing their world-renowned western music back to the Red Deer Memorial Centre.

The group, originally started by country icon Roy Rogers in 1934, features songs of the the old west that have been passed down through generations

Rogers, Tim Spencer and Bob Nolan started this group in 1935. Nolan was from Winnipeg, Canada and the other two guys were from the States. They all met up in California.

The Pioneers have now been performing for over 83 years, with the members obviously changing throughout the years.

“Our music celebrates the legacy of the American west and the American cowboy,” Sons of the Pioneers member Tommy Nallie said. “When I say the American west, I include Canada because Canada and the U.S. both have the pioneers that went out west and settled the western country. They had that pioneer spirit.”

Nolan said the band has always featured either a three-man or four-man harmony, with really good instrumentalist musicians thrown in.

“I think the people will have a great time,” he said. “We always have a lot of fun and the people really enjoy it. It is always good and refreshing because it is different than what we hear today.

“All the people love it, because they were listening to these songs way back and they remember them.”

Nolan was quick to point out that their music is not exactly country music.

“It is more western. You have to hear it to understand. We do a lot of the same arrangements that we have done for a lot of years and it is the arrangements that people will remember from when they were kids,” he said.

He added maintaining the authentic original arrangements is important to the Sons of the Pioneers because it helps their audience remember the music they would listen to when they were young.

“We have a lot to choose from,” he said. “Those guys wrote thousands of songs and they have been in hundreds of movies with Roy Rogers and all the other old cowboy stars from the 40s and 50s. The people that come out are always happy to see us and we usually get a lot of compliments because the music hasn’t changed.”

Their music over the year has earned them spots in the Country Music Hall of Fame, the Western Music Hall of Fame, the Grammy Hall of Fame and their on star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

For more information about the band and its history, log on to sonsofthepioneers.org.

Tickets for the Nov. 22nd show can be purchased at the Black Knight Inn or by calling 403-755-6626.

“We are looking forward to coming up to Red Deer. We are excited,” Nolan added.

todd.vaughan@reddeerexpress.com

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