I loved to watch Roy Rogers on TV, as a child. He did some stunt riding, his horse did tricks, and he could sing. Plus, he got away with the title “King of the Cowboys”. Thanks to him, “singing cowboy” seemed like a viable career option for 10-year old me, if the whole astronaut thing didn’t work out.

Before he starred in over a hundred movies and recorded several hit songs, Roy Rogers was just poor hard working Leonard Slye from Cincinnati. He has one hell of a story. How many Hollywood stars could ever claim to have built their own houseboat out of salvaged lumber or start a band the Smithsonian calls a “national treasure”? I’ll give you a hint. The answer is “none of them”.