Tex Ritter
Port Neches, Jefferson County, Texas
Marker Inscription
(January 12, 1905 - January 2, 1974) Western singing star Woodward Maurice ("Tex") Ritter was born in Panola County, Texas. After attending college, he began singing cowboy ballads on a Houston radio station in 1928. He advanced to broadway, where he was nicknamed "Tex," and in 1936 began a series of popular western movies. Ritter performed later for television and the Grand Ole Opry and was named to the Country Music Hall of fame. His best-know recording is the title song from the film "High Noon."
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Woodward Maurice "Tex" Ritter, born in Panola County in 1905, grew from a Texas farm boy into one of America's most beloved singing cowboys. He carried cowboy ballads from a Houston radio station to Broadway—where he earned his nickname—and then into a long run of western films in the 1930s. A Country Music Hall of Fame member, he is best remembered for singing the haunting title song of the film "High Noon."
Why it matters
Ritter helped shape the romantic image of the American cowboy in popular music and film, carrying frontier mythology into the age of radio, movies, and the Grand Ole Opry.
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Related people
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Themes & tags
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