What a strong singing voice Frankie Laine had! Listeners my age would most remember him for singing the theme to the 1959 CBS-TV series "Rawhide" or the lesser remembered 1967 theme to abc-TV's "Rango". But how can any guy not remember the 1974 movie theme to "Blazing Saddles" or the 1957 film theme to "Gunfight At The O.K. Corral".

Before all this Frankie Laine had very successful recording career in the late 1940's & 50's scoring three number 1's on the Pop Charts and accumulating 14 gold disc awards, selling nearly 100 million records world wide by 1969. Here's more on the life of Frankie Laine from The Washington Post:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/02/06/AR2007020601494. html

Thanks to "Dirty Dave, The Record Slave" for giving me the heads up on his passing.

One of those tunes that can dance in you head for awhile.

Rollin', rollin', rollin'.
Rollin', rollin', rollin'.
Rollin', rollin', rollin'.
Rollin', rollin', rollin'.
Rawhide!
Hah! Hah!

Keep rollin', rollin', rollin',
Though the streams are swollen,
Keep them dogies rollin', rawhide.
Through rain and wind and weather,
Hell bent for leather,
Wishin' my gal was by my side.
All the things I'm missin',
Good vittles, love, and kissin',
Are waiting at the end of my ride.

Move 'em out, head 'em up,
Head 'em up, move 'em on.
Move 'em out, head 'em up:
Rawhide.
Cut 'em out, ride 'em in,
Ride 'em in, cut 'em out,
Cut 'em out, ride 'em in:
Rawhide!
Hah! Hah!

Movin', movin', movin',
Though they're disapprovin',
Keep them dogies movin', rawhide.
Don't try to understand 'em,
Just rope an' throw an' brand 'em.
Soon we'll be living high and wide.
My heart's calculatin',
My true love will be waitin':
Waitin' at the end of my ride.

Move 'em out, head 'em up,
Head 'em up, move 'em on.
Move 'em out, head 'em up:
Rawhide.
Cut 'em out, ride 'em in,
Ride 'em in, cut 'em out,
Cut 'em out, ride 'em in:
Rawhide!

(Rollin', rollin', rollin'.)
(Rollin', rollin', rollin'.)
Hah!
(Rollin', rollin', rollin'.)
Hah!
(Rollin', rollin', rollin'.)
Rawhide.
Hah!
Rawhide!

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I think we should all appreciate popular music from era's past. While it may not appeal to all of us today, it did at one time, and that has value. Maybe some of us need to jump out of our "heads" and try to put ourselves in a different era and reconsider what our mothers, fathers, grandfathers, and grandmothers, found attractive.

I was in London, less than 20 years ago, and they had the theme from rawhide on the jukebox in several restaurants I visited.

Interesting, he could say "Hell bent for leather"
and Jimmy Dean couldnt say, "One hell of a man" in Big Bad John.