Born 115 Years Ago Today in Ohio, the “King of the Cowboys” Who Became the Only Person Inducted Into the Country Music Hall of Fame Twice

On this day (November 5) in 1911, Leonard Slye was born in Cincinnati, Ohio. Later in life, he took the stage name Roy Rogers and became one of Hollywood’s most popular singing cowboys. He was also a country star and the only artist to be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame twice. He was inducted for the first time in 1980 as a member of the Sons of the Pioneers. Then, eight years later, he was inducted as a solo performer.

Slye grew up on a farm in Duck Run, Ohio. In his late teens, his family traveled to the West Coast to visit his sister. There, they found better weather and more job opportunities. As a result, they left Ohio for Los Angeles. However, it was the beginning of the Great Depression. As a result, the jobs they could get weren’t great. Slye drove a gravel truck and picked fruit in the farm camps that inspired The Grapes of Wrath, according to the Country Music Hall of Fame.

Sons of the Pioneers

Before moving to California, Slye learned to play mandolin and call square dances. His sister urged him to take his musical skills to a local radio station. While he was reluctant at first, he decided to give it a shot. Before long, he was invited to join the Rocky Mountaineers. After gaining some experience as a performer, he broke away from the group to form the band that would later become the Sons of the Pioneers.

They scored a No. 13 hit on the pop chart in 1934 with “Tumbling Tumbleweeds.” In the mid-1940s, they notched a string of hits with songs like “Cool Water, “Stars and Stripes on Iwo Jima,” “Blue Shadows on the Trail,” and “Cigarettes, Whiskey, and Wild, Wild Women.”

Leonard Slye Becomes Roy Rogers

Leonard Slye made his big screen debut along with the Sons of the Pioneers in the 1935 film Slightly Static. Later that year, he appeared with Gene Autry in The Old Homestead. Three years later, Autry disputed his contract with Republic Pictures, demanding more pay. As a result, the studio began looking for a replacement star. They eventually selected Slye. However, his given name didn’t sound like a cowboy’s name. So, they gave him the stage name Roy Rogers. His first starring role with his new name came later that year in Under Western Stars.

[RELATED: Born on This Day in 1908, the Songwriter Who Co-Founded One of the First Western Groups and Helped Launch the “King of the Cowboys” to Stardom]

Rogers starred in dozens of movies over the next two decades and became one of the biggest stars in Hollywood. During the height of his fame, he earned the title King of the Cowboys.

Featured Image by Bettmann/Getty Images