RIO BRAVO MY RIFLE, MY PONY, AND ME
DEAN MARTIN AND RICKY NELSON
Songwriters: DIMITRI
TIOMKIN & PAUL FRANCIS WEBSTER
Country: u. s. a.
Album: my rifle, my pony and me
Label: bear family records
Genre: mambo
Year: 1994
Rio Bravo is a 1959 American Western film produced and directed by Howard Hawks and starring John Wayne,
Dean Martin,
Ricky Nelson,
Angie Dickinson,
Walter Brennan,
and Ward Bond.
Written by Jules Furthman and Leigh Brackett,
based on the short story "Rio Bravo" by B. H. McCampbell, the film is
about the sheriff of the town of Rio
Bravo, Texas, who arrests the brother of a
powerful local rancher for murder and then must hold the man in jail until the
arrival of the United States Marshall. With the help of a "cripple",
a drunk and a young gunfighter, they hold off the rancher's gang. Rio Bravo was
filmed on location at Old
Tucson Studios outside Tucson, Arizona,
in Technicolor.
In 2014, Rio Bravo was deemed
"culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" by the Library
of Congress and selected for preservation in the
National
Film Registry.
Dean Martin (born Dino Paul Crocetti; June 7,
1917 – December 25, 1995) was an American actor, singer and comedian. One of
the most popular and enduring American entertainers of the mid-20th century,
Martin was nicknamed "The King of Cool" for his seemingly effortless
charisma and self-assurance.
Martin gained his career breakthrough
together with fellow comedian Jerry
Lewis, billed as Martin & Lewis,
in 1946. They
performed in nightclubs and later had numerous appearances on radio, television
and in films. Following an acrimonious ending of the partnership in 1956,
Martin pursued a solo career as a performer and actor.
Martin established himself as a notable
singer, recording numerous contemporary songs as well as standards from the Great
American Songbook. He became one of the most
popular acts in Las Vegas and was known for his friendship with fellow artists Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis Jr.,
who together formed the Rat Pack.
Starting in 1964, Martin was the host of the
television variety program The
Dean Martin Show, which centred on Martin's
singing talents and was characterized by his relaxed, easy-going demeanor. From
1974 to 1984, he was roastmaster on the popular Dean Martin Celebrity Roast, which
drew notable celebrities, comedians and politicians.
Throughout
his career, Martin performed in concert stages, nightclubs, audio recordings
and appeared in 85 film and television productions. His
relaxed, warbling, crooning voice earned him dozens of hit singles, including his signature
songs "Memories Are Made of This",
"That's Amore",
"Everybody Loves Somebody",
"You're Nobody till Somebody Loves You",
"Sway", "Ain't That a Kick in the Head?" and "Volare"
Eric
Hilliard Nelson (May 8, 1940 – December 31, 1985), known professionally
as Ricky Nelson until his 21st birthday when he officially dropped
the "y" and simply became Rick Nelson, was an American rock
& roll star, pop pioneer, musician, and singer-songwriter. From
age eight he starred alongside his family in the radio and television series The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet. In 1957 he began a long and
successful career as a popular recording artist. As one of
the top "teen idols" of the 1950s his fame led to a motion picture
role co-starring alongside John Wayne and Dean Martin in Howard Hawks's
western feature film Rio
Bravo(1959). He placed 53 songs on the Billboard Hot 100,
and its predecessors, between 1957 and 1973, including "Poor Little Fool"
in 1958, which was the first number 1 song on Billboard magazine's then-newly created Hot 100 chart.
He recorded 19 additional Top 10 hits and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on January 21,
1987. In 1996 Nelson was ranked No. 49 on TV Guide's 50 Greatest TV Stars of
All Time.
Nelson began his entertainment career in 1949
playing himself in the radio sitcom series The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet.
In 1952, he appeared in his first feature film, Here
Come the Nelsons. In 1957, he recorded his first
single, debuted as a singer on the television version of the sitcom, and
released the No. 1 album titled Ricky.
In 1958, Nelson released his first #1 single, "Poor Little Fool",
and in 1959 received a Golden Globe nomination for "Most Promising Male Newcomer" after
starring in Rio Bravo. A few films followed, and when the television series was
cancelled in 1966, Nelson made occasional appearances as a guest star on
various television programs.
Nelson and Sharon Kristin Harmon were married on April 20, 1963, and divorced in December 1982. They
had four children: Tracy
Kristine, twin sons Gunnar Eric and Matthew Gray,
and Sam Hilliard.
The sun is sinking in the west
The cattle go down to the stream
The redwing settles in the nest
It's time for a cowboy to dream
Purple light in the
canyons
That's where I long to be
With my three good companions
Just my rifle, pony and me
Gonna hang (gonna
hang) my sombrero (my sombrero)
On the limb (on the limb) of a tree (of a tree)
Comin´ home (comin´ home) sweetheart darlin´ (sweetheart darlin´)
Just my rifle, pony and me
Just my rifle, my pony and me
(Whippoorwill in the
willow
Sings a sweet melody
Riding to Amarillo)
Just my rifle, pony and me
No more cows (no more cows) to be ropened (to be ropened)
No more strays will I see
Round the bend (round the bend) she'll be waitin´ (she'll be waitin´)
For my rifle, pony and me
For my rifle, my pony and me.