Jules Verne Allen
Jules Verne Allen | |
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Pima County, Arizona, U.S. | |
Resting place | Evergreen Memorial Park, Tucson, Arizona |
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Musical career | |
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Years active | 1924–1930 |
Jules Verne Allen (April 1, 1883 – July 10, 1945)
Biography
Early life
Allen was born on April 1, 1883, in Waxahachie, Texas, United States.[2] His father, Luther, was a settler from Missouri and seems to have died or abandoned his family when Jules was a child. His mother, Carrie, died ten years later and entrusted Allen with the care of his three younger siblings.[4] According to his book Cowboy Lore, he began working as a hand at his uncle's ranch when he was ten. After his mother's death, he began driving cattle hundreds of mile from the open ranges along the U.S.-Mexico border to railroad stockyards in Montana.[5] During these long journeys, Allen's companions immersed him in a rich oral tradition of cowboy stories and songs, and taught him how to play the guitar.[3]
With end of open-range cattle driving, Allen later claimed that he began performing at local rodeos and on an amateur basis.[6] He also stated that worked as a deputy sheriff in El Paso County, Texas, then Bernalillo County, New Mexico, Texas, and finally as a Texas Ranger.[2]
However, there is reason to doubt the veracity of his autobiographical claims. For example, military records indicate that he served in the U.S. Army from 1905 to 1907. Additionally, his enlistment records state that he was a "barber" in Denver, Colorado in 1905.[7] Allen also never mentioned the fact that he was previously married to a woman in Sturgis, South Dakota, named Charlotte Evelyn Hough, whom he divorced shortly after the birth of their daughter, Ethal Myrie "Mary" Allen, in 1904.[8] After her parents separated, Mary was placed in a convent as an infant, but her mother remarried and later recovered her.[9]
Music career
During World War I, Allen enlisted in the U.S. Army during World War I and began performing in blackface as a minstrel.[10] He served as a sergeant in the 64th Infantry Regiment, which was assigned to the 7th Infantry Division operating in Lorraine, France. Prior to deploying to France, Allen married Elizabeth M. Caswell in El Paso on December 14, 1917.[11]
Allen claimed that after the war he briefly returned to ranching, but government census records from 1920 show that was living with his wife in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and working as a driver for the short-lived Fox Motor Company.[9] Regardless, he soon left ranching or driving (probably when Fox dissolved in 1923) and began performing as singing cowboy on the radio in Texas under a variety of names including "Longhorn Luke" (after the Longhorn Cement Company, his San Antonio sponsor) and "Shiftless."[6]
The success of fellow singing cowboy
In April 1928, he recorded three songs in El Paso with Victor–"Little Joe the Wrangler," "Jack O'Diamonds," and "Po 'Mourner" (a
Later life
Allen, who divorced his second wife sometime in the 1920s, married an unknown woman in 1930 and moved to Taos, New Mexico.[2] In 1929, he reunited with his daughter Mary, who discovered her long-lost father after she heard one of his records playing.[8] Although he had no more record releases, Allen continued to perform on the radio, as well as with rodeo shows and traveling circuses throughout the 1930s.[3][6]
In 1933, Allen wrote an autobiography about his life as a cowboy, accompanied by a dictionary of cowboy terms and sayings, a glossary of cattle brands, and collection of songs in a book entitled Cowboy Lore.
Allen divorced his third wife sometime prior to 1940 and moved back to Los Angeles. He continued to perform at rodeos and on radio stations throughout the southwest during the final years of his life. While travelling through
Legacy
Although he enjoyed a brief musical career, Allen is considered one of the pioneers of early country music.[15] His cowboy stories and music inspired the next generation of country music singers, including Country Music Hall of Fame member Ernest Tubb.[14] His work also helped popularize western-themed books and films.[16]
References
- ISBN 0-85112-726-6.
- ^ a b c d e f g "ALLEN, JULES VERNE". The Handbook of Texas Online. Texas State Historical Association (TSHA). May 6, 2014. Retrieved September 19, 2019.
- ^ )
- ^ "Retelling the West: Jules Verne Allen, The Singing Cowboy By Tony Russell". oldtimeherald.org. Archived from the original on August 1, 2015. Retrieved September 19, 2019.
- ^ "The Cowboy Live On". The New York Times. June 4, 1933. Retrieved September 19, 2019.
- ^ OCLC 871257227.
- ^ Ancestry.com. U.S. Army, Register of Enlistments, 1798–1914 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2007. Retrieved September 19, 2019.
- ^ a b "Traced Father: Mary Allen in North Dakota Found Parent Through Voice Record". Batavia [NY] Times. June 29, 1929. Retrieved September 19, 2019.
- ^ a b Ancestry.com. 1920 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010. Images reproduced by FamilySearch.
- ^ "Minstrel Roots of Jules Verne Allen". Retrieved September 19, 2019.
- ^ Ancestry.com. Texas, Select County Marriage Index, 1837–1965 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, US: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2014. Retrieved September 19, 2019.
- OCLC 820869141.
- OCLC 892799407.
- ^ OCLC 731694241.
- ^ "Jules Verne Allen" (PDF). Gato-docs.its.txstate.edu. Retrieved August 4, 2021.
- OCLC 63276046.
External links
- Jules Verne Allen at Find a Grave
- Jules Verne Allen discography at Discogs