Press release
The Sons of the Pioneers, the most influential and revered of all western music groups, celebrates an unparalleled 90 unbroken years of performance in 2024, thrilling audiences with enchanting harmonies and picturesque images of the majestic American West.
The legendary group extends its remarkable run through nine decades, carrying the legacy of the outfit’s landmark, Grammy-honored music to new ears. Originals like “Cool Water,” “Tumbling Tumbleweeds,” and “The Timber Trail” have come to define western music itself and are now also deeply rooted in American culture. “They are just as influential to American culture—and Americana—as Levis, baseball, and Betsy Ross,” observes Rhapsody.com.
When Roy Rogers (then Leonard Slye) and gifted songwriters Bob Nolan and Tim Spencer founded the group in 1934 and developed their trademark “Pioneer sound,” little did they realize they were launching a juggernaut that would become perhaps the longest-lived group in American music history, creating a vast catalog of treasured music along the way. “These songs are masterpieces and are just a part of who we are as Americans,” says Tommy Nallie, the current leader and only the fourth “trail boss.” Through the years, more than 40 gifted singers and instrumentalists have rotated into the group to build the Pioneers’ historic musical legacy.
The Pioneers are the most decorated group in the history of western music, earning membership in the Country Music Hall of Fame, the Western Music Association Hall of Fame, the National Cowboy Hall of Fame, the Texas Swing Hall of Fame, and the Hollywood Walk of Fame, to name a few. The group’s music has been honored by the Grammy Hall of Fame, and the Smithsonian Institution named the group one of America’s “National Treasures.”
“Campfire Spirituals” recording press release
The Sons of the Pioneers, celebrating an astonishing 90 unbroken years in 2024 as western music’s most influential musical group, announce the release of a long-awaited gospel album, Campfire Spirituals.
The album, which features four songs composed by famous founding members Bob Nolan and Tim Spencer, offers longtime favorite hymns such as How Great Thou Art and The Old Rugged Cross and colorful cowboy spirituals such as Will There Be Sagebrush in Heaven and The Boss Is Hanging Out a Rainbow.
As any Pioneer fan would expect, all songs are wrapped in the group’s lush, signature harmonies. The album revisits songs that were recorded by earlier Pioneers, most in the 1940s and ‘50s. The new album’s three- and four-part vocal arrangements stay true to those earlier recordings, showcasing the enduring nature not only of the songs but also of the famed “Pioneer sound” itself.
“It’s been 60 years since the Pioneers’ last full gospel album, so, hey, we figured it was time,” says Tommy Nallie, the group’s trail boss. “So many fans have been asking us for this for a long time. We’re proud of it, and we sure hope they like it.”
Campfire Spirituals features the vocal trio of Nallie (middle voice), Ken Lattimore (tenor), and John Fullerton (baritone), with additional bass vocals by Chuck Ervin and harmonies by Paul Elliott. Instrumental duties are handled by Nallie (lead guitar), Elliott (lead fiddle, viola), Fullerton (rhythm guitar, mandolin), Lattimore (fiddle), and Ervin (string bass).
MEMBERS
Tommy Nallie: trail boss / lead & harmony vocals / guitar
Ken Lattimore: lead & harmony vocals / fiddle
John Fullerton: lead & harmony vocals / rhythm guitar
Paul Elliott: lead fiddle / harmony vocals
Chuck Ervin: string bass / harmony vocals
SOCIAL MEDIA
Quotes
“The world’s premier cowboy singing group.”
– American Cowboy Magazine
“No other group had as profound an effect on the history of Western music. Their lyrical musical portraits virtually define the romanticized West … painting its colors as no one had done before or has done since.” – Douglas Green (“Ranger Doug”), Riders in the Sky
“The Sons of the Pioneers are American icons known around the world for their trademark harmonies and haunting lyrics that tell the story of the American West.”
– Grand Ole Opry
A Living Legend in their own time... an American institution.
– Western Music Association
Awards
True West Magazine – “Best of the West” Award (2015, 2016)
Motion Picture and Television Fund – Golden Boot Award (2003)
National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences – Grammy Hall of Fame (1986, 2002)
Texas Trail of Fame – Trail of Fame Star (2001)
National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum – Director’s Award for outstanding contribution to Western music (1995); Hall of Great Western Performers (1995)
International Western Music Association – Hall of Fame (1989)
Texas Western Swing Hall of Fame (1989)
Country Music Association – Country Music Hall of Fame (1980)
Academy of Country Music – Top Vocal Group (1967); Band of the Year (1977); Pioneer Award (1977)
Hollywood Walk of Fame – Star (1976)