I've seen and heard Ken Curtis sing many songs on TH-cam clips but this is the first time I've heard him hit notes that high! I'm an even bigger fan than ever now!
I was never a Gunsmoke fan but I am stunned that “Festus” had such an impressive voice and was a very handsome man. This video and others of Ken Curtis are treasures.
The first recording of this was done with Ken Carson singing the lead. It was masterful. Festus could sing the phone book. Any pitch, any key. Amazing.
Today I am 59 years old and I am Italian, my father had 33 rpm records of them, I listened and dreamed of being one of them in the great prairies ........ THE result ----- they have a place in mine heart ❤ and when i go abroad they say i am used. that I dress like a South American ..... And I have never been attracted to gays .......
My grandparents were personal friends of this group and had all their albums...they partied with them. As a child I remember attending the Tim Spencer family reunion, he wrote this song....such wonderful memories.
Ken was truly a talented man. He was great in the movie The Searcher's, with John Wayne. His fight at his wedding was one of the movies best fights I seen.
No one seems to acknowledge Hugh Farr singing bass. He was also the great fiddle player backing the pioneers for 30 years and I think the best fiddle/violin player ever in his time.
My brother-in-law is Tommy Doss’s nephew. I only met Tommy once and didn’t know he had been in the Sons of the Pioneers until after he had passed away.
I have already listened to this about a dozen times in the last 2 weeks. Lovely. I have collected records, etc. by people you didn't think of as singers when you knew them later in their work. I collected albums by Richard Chamberlain (Dr. Kildare), Vince Edwards (Dr. Ben Casey), Brent Spiner (DATA of Star Trek), Jerry Ohrbach (Lennie on Law & Order), and many more. When they went into show business you had to be multitalented.
Ken Curtis was a fine actor and singer. He developed the character of Festus on Gunsmoke and played the part well. In the later years of the series James Arness cut back his time in the episodes and Curtis took over as the lead character much of the time.
Can anyone identify the others please.I'm hoping one of them is Doc Denning my father worked with him and I got to meet him he was a very down to earth guy.
Is the person to the right (from viewers view) Leonard Slye/Dick Weston/Roy Rogers? He was known by all three names but perhaps Dick Weston when he was a member of the Sons of the Pioneers.
Thats not Roy Rodgers,, He had left the group by then. He certainly does look like Roy though., I saw them together when Roy made a guest appearance riding in on Trigger with his look-a-like still on stage.
No that's not Roy. He sure looks like him though. I once also thought it was Roy till one time Roy made a guest appearance on Trigger and they were both there together in the same video. Rodgers did start the group and was the original lead singer. I don't know if Ken replaced him directly, but when he came to the group it was as the lead singer.
To begin with it is difficult to compare a bass with a tenor. Second the bass does not have much volume. While it is more difficult to have volume the lower your range, it is obvious that he is struggling singing at his lowe register limit. Ken is by far the best singer in this group. He was not the lead singer for no reason. He was the lead singer with the Tommy Dorsey band before joining the pioneers. What you need to understand is that ken is a natural baritone who is singing in a tenor register in this song. You could certainly say that you liked the bass singer better, but not that he was better.. Ken was an actual solo vocalist. There is a big difference between musician's that sing and actual lead vocalists.
@@WILTALK it's not a race where there are winners and losers, all of the arts is just a matter of opinion, what you like and what you don't, personally some of the Paintings that are worth 10's of $Millions of Dollars I would not hang in the toilet, some actors that win Academy awards I don't like, while I like other actors that never win awards, to me singing is the same, some I like and some I don't, I was a bit ambiguous with my original statement, what I meant was "In my opinion" I preferred one voice over the other, I didn't mean to imply that it was "better" and at this point I don't even remember them, that was a long time ago
Ken Curtis was amazing. Incredibly underrated singer and actor. Not to mention he’s handsome.
Ken is a very strong singer with a great clear voice that can reach many octaves. All the Pioneers sounded great. Still can't believe Ken is Festus.
I've seen and heard Ken Curtis sing many songs on TH-cam clips but this is the first time I've heard him hit notes that high! I'm an even bigger fan than ever now!
Love him on Gunsmoke also. He sang some songs then too.
Son's of the pioneers was a great group 👍 👌 👏 Ken Curtis was incredible 👏 🙌
I was never a Gunsmoke fan but I am stunned that “Festus” had such an impressive voice and was a very handsome man. This video and others of Ken Curtis are treasures.
He was Festus for 16 years on Gunsmoke. He sang there too but not always in Ken's voice but Festus.
The first recording of this was done with Ken Carson singing the lead. It was masterful. Festus could sing the phone book. Any pitch, any key. Amazing.
Ken has a beautiful voice and not bad looking ! RIP Ken
🥰
Today I am 59 years old and I am Italian, my father had 33 rpm records of them, I listened and dreamed of being one of them in the great prairies ........ THE result ----- they have a place in mine heart ❤ and when i go abroad they say i am used. that I dress like a South American ..... And I have never been attracted to gays .......
What a talent! He could act all different characters and had an amazing singing voice
I loved Festus! Great actor,great singer! Miss him,but still see him everyday on Gunsmoke!
Me too...every day on the INSP channel !! ❣
My grandparents were personal friends of this group and had all their albums...they partied with them. As a child I remember attending the Tim Spencer family reunion, he wrote this song....such wonderful memories.
Bonnie Derrick just amazing
Yes Tim did. So good to know someone is remembering.
Awesome song. R.I.P to Ken we miss a great person like you. Keep singing in the big sky ranch.
Ken Curtis and Hugh Farr. Incomparable.
and boy can Hugh Farr play the fiddle
Ken was truly a talented man. He was great in the movie The Searcher's, with John Wayne. His fight at his wedding was one of the movies best fights I seen.
No one seems to acknowledge Hugh Farr singing bass. He was also the great fiddle player backing the pioneers for 30 years and I think the best fiddle/violin player ever in his time.
I wish it was then, now...
Ken had a beautiful voice.
Sounds EXACTLY like the record. Some 50 years ago, as a young child, this was a big favorite of mine!
My father and his brothers grew up with Lloyd Doss (aka “Tommy” Doss) of the Sons of the Pioneers.
My brother-in-law is Tommy Doss’s nephew. I only met Tommy once and didn’t know he had been in the Sons of the Pioneers until after he had passed away.
Cannot get enough of this song.
Curtis what a voice I miss all of them
I love cowboy songs
They sound the closest to hymnals
love to hear curt sing tenor!!
Beautiful falsetto
I have already listened to this about a dozen times in the last 2 weeks. Lovely. I have collected records, etc. by people you didn't think of as singers when you knew them later in their work. I collected albums by Richard Chamberlain (Dr. Kildare), Vince Edwards (Dr. Ben Casey), Brent Spiner (DATA of Star Trek), Jerry Ohrbach (Lennie on Law & Order), and many more. When they went into show business you had to be multitalented.
Ken Curtis had an amazing voice !! Great actor also !! ❣❣❣❣❣
Loved his singing and Festus
I listen to this often...always makes me smile. Timeless joy in his music!
What a talented man, had Gunsmoke, & Roy Roger's, along
I love listening to Great songs like this
Omg Ken Curtis was soooooooo good!❤
Wonderful! Thank you!
He actually sang with Tommy Dorsey for a while! I bet this talent of his rather stuns people who only know him from Gunsmoke!
My gosh craggy ol' loveable Festus was sure handsome. And that voice 😊😊
Got a big crush on him!!
Rip ken
Always enjoyed his music. Ses forever
Ken Curtis was a fine actor and singer. He developed the character of Festus on Gunsmoke and played the part well. In the later years of the series James Arness cut back his time in the episodes and Curtis took over as the lead character much of the time.
Awesome….beautiful.
Roy Rogers behind him!
Lloyd Tommy Doss, behind KEN
Can anyone identify the others please.I'm hoping one of them is Doc Denning my father worked with him and I got to meet him he was a very down to earth guy.
The guy playing the bass is the great Shug Fisher, and he could also sing as well.
Timeless
saw roy rogers to the left.- ken a great singer,
Excellent
Thank you for these postings! Most enjoyable! 👏🏻
Born in the 50s only knew about Festus and not all the great singing before.
Cool
Is the person to the right (from viewers view) Leonard Slye/Dick Weston/Roy Rogers? He was known by all three names but perhaps Dick Weston when he was a member of the Sons of the Pioneers.
Thats not Roy Rodgers,, He had left the group by then. He certainly does look like Roy though., I saw them together when Roy made a guest appearance riding in on Trigger with his look-a-like still on stage.
That is Tommy Doss next to Ken, he resembles Roy Rogers here.
Pretty sure he's Lloyd Perryman. He does sound similar to Roy Rogers
I believe he took over for Frank Sinatra in one of the Dorsey brothers bands also.
They should of sing on gun smoke
wrong name....it's called Cowboy Camp Meeting
Cowboy music
Conosco a un amigo igualito a Ken Curtis
that looks like Roy Rogers to the left of Ken Curtis
That has to be Roy Rogers next to Ken
No that's not Roy. He sure looks like him though. I once also thought it was Roy till one time Roy made a guest appearance on Trigger and they were both there together in the same video. Rodgers did start the group and was the original lead singer. I don't know if Ken replaced him directly, but when he came to the group it was as the lead singer.
@@WILTALK Thanks for clearing that up!
♡♡
ken was OK but that fella with the deep voice was better
Hugh Farr played the violin co-writer of the song Tumbling Tumbleweeds. buried in Mountain View cemetery in Riverton Wyoming
To begin with it is difficult to compare a bass with a tenor. Second the bass does not have much volume. While it is more difficult to have volume the lower your range, it is obvious that he is struggling singing at his lowe register limit. Ken is by far the best singer in this group. He was not the lead singer for no reason. He was the lead singer with the Tommy Dorsey band before joining the pioneers. What you need to understand is that ken is a natural baritone who is singing in a tenor register in this song. You could certainly say that you liked the bass singer better, but not that he was better.. Ken was an actual solo vocalist. There is a big difference between musician's that sing and actual lead vocalists.
@@WILTALK it's not a race where there are winners and losers, all of the arts is just a matter of opinion, what you like and what you don't, personally some of the Paintings that are worth 10's of $Millions of Dollars I would not hang in the toilet, some actors that win Academy awards I don't like, while I like other actors that never win awards, to me singing is the same, some I like and some I don't,
I was a bit ambiguous with my original statement, what I meant was "In my opinion" I preferred one voice over the other, I didn't mean to imply that it was "better" and at this point I don't even remember them, that was a long time ago
Born in the 50s only knew about Festus and not all the great singing before.
Born in the 50s only knew about Festus and not all the great singing before.