Buck Page
 

The Last of the Singing Cowboys
 
Buck Page was raised at Lost Cabin, Wyoming and has been a true cowboy all his life. Since he was 11 years old he has been a singing cowboy and for the past 64 years he has been at the reins of the ORIGINAL RIDERS OF THE PURPLE SAGE. Buck started in radio when he was eleven years old playing string bass and the rhythm guitar with "The Valley Ranch Boys" till he was fourteen. He then formed The Riders of The Purple Sage. The Riders became NBC staff members for three years at KDKA Radio in Pittsburgh, PA. It was the very first radio station in history, doing five one hour radio shows per week coast to coast. The Riders then headed to New York to do WOR Radio coast to coast. He has been the lead guitar player for the Riders now going on 64 years. Their songs like "Ghost Riders in the Sky," "Blue Shadows on the Trail", "Cool, Water", "Tumbling Tumble Weeds," (both also done by the Sons of The Pioneers), "Have I Told You Lately That I Love You", and "Don't
 
Buck plays 21 instruments in all, including lead guitar, rhythm guitar, mandolin, tenor banjo, plectrum banjo, 5 string banjo, ukulele, fiddle, violin, viola, cello, string bass, electric 6 string bass, 4 string electric bass, steel guitar and drums. He is a member of the screen actors guild, The American Federation of TV and Radio Actor's and a life time member of L.A. Local 47 of the American Federation of Musicians ad AGVA since he was 17 years old.

Since 1940 Buck has been a Gretch Guitar artist and has been endorsed by the top notch guitar company. Buck has studied with George Smith and Barney Kessel and done recording sessions with Spade Cooley, Glen Miller, Buck Owens, Lefty Frizzell, Stewart Hamblen, Leon McCuliff, and many many of the greats. Buck is playing the guitar on the original recording of the theme song for "Bonanza" and he is on guitar in the "Seventy-Seven Sunset Strip" theme song and he played on "Tales of Wells Fargo," "Wagon Train," "Laramie," "Checkmate" and others, giving him a great perspective on the story of the early days of television.

He was good friends and worked with Roy Rogers, Gene Autry, Tex Ritter, Montie Montana, Patsy Montana, Eddie Dean, Cliffy Stone and many of the great singing cowboys," His experience also cuts through the early days of the movies when his band would play on stage before the showing of movies like "All Along the Santa Fe Trail" with Earl Flynn.

Buck worked with Audie Murphy and Rory Calhoun pictures, and he was in Spartacus, King Richard and the Crusaders, The Eddie Cantor Story, Black Shield of Falworth, Gypsy, Sign of the Pagan, By the Light of the Silvery Moon, The Boy from Oklahoma, The Silver Chalice, Destry Rides Again, and A Star is Born with Judy Garland. Buck has recorded with the likes of Buck Owens, Benny Goodman, Wynn Stewart, Stuart Hamblen, Leon McAuliffe from the Texas Playboys, Bobby Bare, Cliffie Stone, played with the Glen Miller Band for the Glen Miller Story and many many others.

 
In 1964, the Baldwin Piano Company hired him as a consultant. In June 1965, he went to work full time for Baldwin and stayed with them through August 1969. While there, together with their engineers, he conceived and developed the Supersound Amps, models C-1, C-2, B-1 & B-2 and the Exterminator, (their answer to the Vox Super Beatle). Buck also conceived the idea for electrifying the Classic Guitar, the transducer pickups that are sill in use, originated with these early prototypes models. Buck says, "We threw away a couple of baskets full before such contemporary artists as Charlie Byrd, Carlos Montoya, Willie Nelson, and many others were satisfied with the sound. Willie Nelson to this day still use the Prismatone guitar pick-up on his famous guitar "Trigger" and the Baldwin Supersound Amp.
  At 82 years young the Buck doesn't stop here. He is still touring and doing dates from clubs, to rodeos, the Gene Autry's Golden Boot Awards, Willie Nelson's picnics to fairs and private parties, he is presently doing some work for a Jimmie Rodgers DVD that Bob Dylan and Merle Haggard part of and is part of a project that is a history of the music business.
Buck is donating one of his guitars to Eric Clapton to be auctioned off to help Crossroads. This cowboy is excited to help Eric and be part of this great cause.
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