Ken Carson

 Ken Carson (November 14, 1914 – April 7, 1994)

Carson was an entertainer primarily known for singing Western music. He was an early member of the Sons of the Pioneers, appearing with that group in 22 of Roy Rogers' films. His voice was featured on their iconic recordings of Tumbling Tumbleweeds and Cool Water. Carson's adult career began in 1932, when he was only seventeen and still performing as Hubert Flatt. After a short stint on other local radio programs, he spent nine months as a thrice-weekly performer on Stuart Hamblen's popular Family Album radio program, appearing with such early stars as Patsy Montana. He spent the next several years with popular groups in Los Angeles and Chicago. Ken, then billed as Shorty Carson, and two others formed a group called The Ranch Boys, which played on shows like Don McNeill's Breakfast Club and Garry Moore's Club Matinee, and which made several recordings for Decca Records. In 1934 they appeared in the Clark Gable film It Happened One Night, and in 1935 they were regulars on the Tom Mix radio program, also singing the commercial jingle for Shredded Ralston. The Ranch Boys split up in 1941, and Carson, now known as Hugh Carson, hosted a late-night radio program on Chicago's WGN. Always the consummate musician, Ken Carson mastered at least six instruments, and could write and score music of all sorts. He wrote down many of the songs that Bob Nolan sang, adding harmony and composition to Nolan's "play by ear" vocals. Carson was a skillful whistler, showing that talent on many recordings of Western songs, notably the Pioneers' Blue Shadows on the Trail. He was an accomplished songwriter who also co-wrote many songs with his friends. The Sons of the Pioneers maintained that he was a better singer than Frank Sinatra. His voice was "clear as a bell', which made it difficult for him to blend in with the close harmonies often required with his group. Carson sang at the wedding of Tricia Nixon Cox, which he said was the highlight of his career.

In 1979, he and his wife retired to Delray Beach, Florida. He continued to entertain locally, performing a wide repertoire that included songs of George Gershwin, Cole Porter, Billy Joel, and Stevie Wonder, as well as Western music. Carson died on April 7, 1994 and is buried at Rose Hills Memorial Park in Whittier, CA.