STAN JONES
Information from IMDb
Date of Birth
June 5, 1914
Douglas, Arizona
Date of Death
December 13, 1963,
Los Angeles, California
Birth Name
Stanley Davis Jones
Mini Biography-1
Composer, songwriter and actor Stan Jones was born in Douglas, Arizona, on June 5, 1914.
He learned to ride horses as a child, a skill that came in handy later in his life
(as did his talent for singing and playing the guitar).
After his father died his mother moved the family to Los Angeles.
He attended UC Berkeley for a time, and began riding the rodeo circuit in his spare time to make money.
He dropped out of college in 1934, however, to join the navy,
and after his discharge held a variety of jobs all over the country, including copper miner,
logger and snowplow driver.
He was hired as a firefighter by the US Forest Service, and later became a Forest Ranger,
being assigned to various national parks in the western US.
While stationed at Death Valley, California, in 1948, he was assigned to be technical advisor
for a western being shot there, The Walking Hills (1949).
In between filming, he would sit around with the cast and crew and play various songs he had written.
They encouraged him to try to get the songs published, and he eventually sent his compositions
to several music publishers.
One of his songs was picked up and recorded by folksinger Burl Ives for Columbia Records,
"Riders in the Sky".
It was then recorded by Bing Crosby and, under the title "Ghost Riders in the Sky", by Vaughn Monroe,
whose version became a major hit, so much so that cowboy actor Gene Autry filmed a movie
using the title (Riders in the Sky (1949)
in addition to recording the song itself, and Stan's career was off and running.
His songs were used in two westerns by acclaimed director John Ford -- Wagon Master (1950)
and Rio Grande (1950), in which Stan also played a cavalry sergeant --
and Autry again made a movie based on another of Stan's songs, Whirlwind (1951),
in which Stan also had a small part.
His songs were used in a half-dozen more films over the next few years.
In 1955 actor Harry Carey Jr. was hired by Walt Disney for a TV series called
"The Adventures of Spin and Marty" (1955). Carey had worked with Stan on both "Wagon Master"
and "Rio Grande" and suggested to Disney that Stan be hired to write songs for the show
, a suggestion Disney followed.
Stan wrote all the songs for the first two seasons of the show (he also made an occasional appearance
before the cameras), but for the third season many of the songs were written by others,
although some of Stan's were used.
He later worked on the soundtracks for several Disney films, and was the co-writer
for the theme song for the western series "Cheyenne" (1955).
In 1956 he was hired to play Deputy Olson on the modern-day western series "Sheriff of Cochise" (1956)
(later renamed "U.S. Marshal") and in addition wrote the theme song
and even some episodes of the show.
In 1959 he worked for director John Ford again, writing the songs for his western The Horse Soldiers (1959)
and even playing, uncredited, Gen. Ulysses S. Grant.
Then it was back to television work for Disney.
His last film as an actor was in Ten Who Dared (1960).
Stan Jones died in Los Angeles, California, in 1963.
IMDb Mini Biography By: frankfob2
Mini-Biography-2
Songwriter, Actor. He wrote the 1949 classic western song "Ghost Riders in the Sky."
Before Ghost Riders, Jones worked in a copper mine, fought forest fires
and was a national park ranger in Death Valley CA.
It was in Death Valley that Jones first met the famous director John Ford
during the remake of the 3 Godfathers.
A year later Ghost Riders was released, and Jones was in Hollywood visiting his friend,
actor George O'Brien. O'Brien and fellow actor,
Harry Carey Jr, arranged a meeting with Ford.
This led to a lasting friendship between the feisty director and the gentlemanly Jones.
Jones soon introduced the Sons of the Pioneers to Ford,
who would use them in many of his westerns.
One of the Sons of the Pioneers later married Ford's daughter and became a well know actor.
His name was Ken Curtis. Jones wrote songs for Ford's Rio Grande,
The Searchers and Wagonmaster. Jones later wrote the theme song
for the western television series "Cheyenne."
Disney often turned to Jones to write western themed songs for his television series
Disney's Wonderful World of Color, including the Great Locomotive Chase.
Jones, in addition to songwriting and singing, appeared in Wagonmaster, Rio Grande,
The Searchers and was General Grant in The Horse Soldiers.
During his career Jones wrote over 200 songs.
100 of the songs were released. In 1997 Jones was inducted in the Western Music Hall of Fame.
Though no matter how famous or successful Jones became,
he never lost his down to earth outlook, nor forgot the support and encouragement
he received from his wife, Olive.
His death was too soon and left too many songs unwritten.
It has been said that "Stan Jones was to western music, what Charlie Russell was to western painting
." There will never be another Stan Jones. J
ones is buried at the Julia Page Memorial Park in Douglas Arizona.
(bio by: Randy)
Filmography
Actor
1964 Invitation to a Gunfighter (uncredited)
1961 Disneyland (TV series)
– Daniel Boone: The Promised Land (1961) … Doc Slocum
– Daniel Boone: The Wilderness Road (1961) … Doc Slocum
1960 Ten Who Dared...Seneca Howland
1959 The Horse Soldiers...Gen. Ulysses S. Grant (uncredited)
1959 U.S. Marshal (TV series)– Maryjo Is Missing (1959) … Deputy Olson (uncredited)
1956-1958 Cheyenne (TV series)
Hotel Clerk Sacramento / Sheriff
– Dead to Rights (1958) … Hotel Clerk Sacramento
– The Last Train West (1956) … Sheriff
1956-1957 Sheriff of Cochise (TV series)
Deputy Harry Olson / Deputy Harry Olsen / Deputy Olson
– Deep Fraud (1957) … Deputy Harry Olson
– Freight Train (1957) … Deputy Harry Olson
– Taxi (1957) … Deputy Harry Olson
– Cards (1957) … Deputy Harry Olson
– Hold Up (1957) … Deputy Harry Olson
in all 27 episodes
1956 The Rainmaker...Townsman (uncredited)
1956 The Great Locomotive Chase...Wilson Brown
1955 Spin and Marty: The Movie...Frank
1955 The Adventures of Spin and Marty (TV series)...Frank
1952 The Last Musketeer...Sheriff Blake
1951 Whirlwind...Stan Jones (uncredited)
1950 Rio Grande...Sergeant
Soundtrack
2011 Late Show with David Letterman (TV series)– Episode #18.102 (2011) (writer: " Ghost Riders in the Sky: A Cowboy Legend")
2007 Young @ Heart (documentary) (writer: " Ghost Riders In The Sky")
2007 Ghost Rider (writer: " Ghost Riders In The Sky")
2006 Wild West Comedy Show: 30 Days & 30 Nights - Hollywood to the Heartland (documentary) (writer: " Ghost Riders in the Sky")
2005 Breakfast on Pluto (writer: "Ghost Riders In the Sky" 1948)
2001 The Sopranos (TV series)– He Is Risen (2001) (writer: "Ghost Riders In The Sky" - uncredited)
1999 An Audience with Tom Jones (TV special) (writer: "Ghost Riders in the sky")
1998 Three Businessmen (writer: "Ghost Riders in the Sky")
1998 Blues Brothers 2000 (writer: "Riders In The Sky A Cowboy Legend")
1992 Sharon, Lois & Bram Sing A to Z (video) ("Owl Lullaby")
1972 The Special London Bridge Special (TV movie) (writer: "Ghost Riders in the sky")
1970 Der Kommissar (TV series)– Parkplatz-Hyänen (1970) (writer: "Ghost Riders In The Sky")
1959 The Horse Soldiers ("I Left My Love")
1956 The Searchers ("The Searchers" 1956)
1956 Westward Ho, the Wagons! (writer: "Wringle Wrangle")
1956 The Great Locomotive Chase (music: "Sons of Old Aunt Dinah")
1956 Tribute to a Bad Man (writer: "Rough Wrangler")
1954 Jesse James' Women (writer: "In the Shadows of My Heart")
1953 Escape from Fort Bravo ("Yellow Stripes")
1953 The Marshal's Daughter (writer: "The Marshal's Daughter")
1952 The Steel Trap (lyrics: "You Mean So Much To Me")
1951 Whirlwind (writer: "Whirlwind")
1950 Rio Grande (music: "My Gal Is Purple", "Footsore Cavalry", "Yellow Stripes" / lyrics: "My Gal Is Purple", "Footsore Cavalry", "Yellow Stripes")
1950 Wagon Master (music: "WAGONS WEST", "SONG OF THE WAGON MASTER", "SHADOWS IN THE DUST", "CHUCKAWALLA SWING" / lyrics: "WAGONS WEST", "SONG OF THE WAGON MASTER", "SHADOWS IN THE DUST", "CHUCKAWALLA SWING")
1949 Riders in the Sky (writer: "Ghost Riders In The Sky")
