RIP Rusty Richards

 

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Amy Jo (Richards) Ellis

August 5, 2023

 

Rusty Richards was a real deal cowboy. He sang with the Sons of the Pioneers, trained horses, was a stunt man in old westerns, and he also made really tasty peanut butter toasties. He was gruff and said phrases like “cowboy up”, and he was funny and kind and got bashful when you asked him to sing one of his songs he hadn’t practiced recently. His last words to me were so loving and supportive, I can’t believe how lucky I am to have that memory as a souvenir of my larger than life Grampa. I’ll miss him singing around the campfire the most. The sound of his voice dancing with his booming guitar strings, while the sun sank behind the hills and the crickets joined in. I love you, Grampa. Happy Trails.

Rusty Richards was a cowboy who sang and a gifted writer of cowboy songs. Known for his recordings and appearances as a celebrity and headliner at many Western events, no one in Western music was more loved and appreciated than Rusty Richards.

His career had been a long and fascinating one. He was a real cowboy growing up in Modjeska Canyon, California, as well as a reel cowboy. As a young man in Hollywood, Rusty worked as a "riding-shooting" cowboy and stuntman in many Western films and TV shows, such as Rawhide, Wagon Train, Gunsmoke, Bonanza, Have Gun-Will Travel, etc. He won numerous rodeo awards, including buckles and the last Ben Johnson Saddle. In addition, he was widely known for his abilities as a horse trainer.

During his long career in Western music, Rusty sang tenor with the Sons of the Pioneers for a span of 20 years, beginning in 1963. He was the Pioneers’ first true yodeler since Roy Rogers. While with the group they performed worldwide garnering many awards. To mention just a few; they were inducted into the National Cowboy Hall of Fame, their star was placed on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, they were declared a National Treasure by the Smithsonian Institution, and they were awarded the Best Touring Band by the Academy of Country Music.

Earlier, at age 16, Rusty had a TV program in LA, Song Trails with Rusty Richards, which was followed by a stint in the Marines and he had his own all Japanese Band in Yokosuka, Japan. He met and married Amy Richards, from Silverado Canyon and they raised four children: Jenny, Jason, Molly and Amy Jo. He recorded his first solo LP for Shasta Records, and it was re-issued as A Country Pioneer on CD by Varese Sarabande in 2003.

He composed hundreds of outstanding Western songs, some of which have been recorded by the Sons of the Pioneers, the Reinsmen, Robert Wagoner, Dinah Shore and other leading artists.

Rusty’s first solo all-Western CD, The American Cowboy, has long been recommended by critics as a "must" for any Western music collection. His latest album, Trails Old and New, features all original material written and beautifully performed by Rusty.

As a solo performer Rusty has received numerous awards and honors. The National Western Film Festival in Ogden, Utah presented The Golden Lariat Award to him. He was given the Pioneer Award by the California Country Music Association, the Cowboy Spirit Award by the National Festival of the West, and The Ben Johnson Award by the Western Film Festival in Sonora, California. In 2002 Rusty received the prestigious Aguirre-Moiso Buckle awarded by the Portola Ride, in 2004 Rusty was inducted into the Western Music Hall of Fame. In April of 2004 the historic Portola Ride was dedicated to Rusty and August 15, 2009, was declared Rusty Richards Day in Modjeska Canyon.

Rusty wrote the life story of his close friend, the legendary rodeo superstar, Casey Tibbs. The book is available as a hardbound limited edition!

Rusty's songwriting has been equaled by his talent for book writing and as Baxter Black put it, "Casey Tibbs touched a lot of people, he was larger than life. That Rusty Richards has a way with words is like saying Casey Tibbs could ride a bronc. It’s appropriate that Casey’s biography has been written by a cowboy who is his equal."

RICHARDS, Rusty (Vincent R. Richards)

Born: 11/15/1933, Modjeska, California, U.S.A.

Died: 8/5/2023, Irvine, California, U.S.A

 

Rusty Richards – writer, stuntman, actor.

Rawhide (TV) 1959 (wrangler)

Riverboat (TV) 1960 (fight spectator)

How the West Was Won – 1962 [stunts]

30 Minutes at Gunsight (TV) – 1963 (wrangler)

The Ballad of Whistler’s Creek – 2019 (narrator)

The Unspoken Badge – 2021 [songwriter]