"Tex"
Fletcher was
born Geremino 'Jerry' Bisceglia in Harrison, NY, one of 8 children of
Italian immigrants. He left home at age
15, joining the circus, and traveled across the US and Canada,
settling in South Dakota where he learned to handle horses and cattle,
and became a 'real' cowboy. He returned to New York in the early
'30s and took a radio job as singing cowboy on WFAS in White Plains, NY
where he became know as "The Lonely Cowboy." Tex eventually landed as
Cowboy Answer Man
on WWOR, New Jersey. In late 1938, he connected with the Arcadia
Production company and Grand National Pictures, and a deal was cut for
a new series
of sagebrush musicals. The initial film of the series, Six Gun
Rhythm
(Grand National, 1939) was released in early 1939, with Tex playing a
college
football hero who goes west to discover the killer of his father. Upon
release
of the film, Grand National went belly-up, leaving the only existing
prints
of the film unreleased. Tex literally 'took the bull by the horns' and
set
out on a one-man promotional tour for the film of the Northeast US. He
personally booked and traveled to each movie house, opening the showing
with a couple of songs, showing the film and then signing autographs
for fans after the film was over. With that, Fletcher's career as a
silver screen cowboy was over, after only one film, and he returned to
New York and his radio show. He served in the Army during World War II,
reaching the rank of Sergeant. At the end of the war, he married and
started a family - 5 children: Robert, Jayne, Kathy, George, Michael.
Returning to radio, night clubs, and television (ABC, NBC, WOR), his
last album was released 1964. During his career, Tex recorded for
London, Decca, Dakota, and others before his death in 1987. His
son George is also a musician.
For more on Tex, you may visit http://www.texfletcher.com
