Foy Willing born 14 May 1914

Foy Willing (May 14, 1914 – July 14, 1978) was a singer, songwriter, musician, and bandleader who performed Western music and appeared in Western movies. He formed the Western band Riders of the Purple Sage.

Foy Willingham was born May 14, 1914 in Bosque County, Texas. He began as a soloist and member of a gospel group on local radio and began performing around Waco, Texas. His first instrument was the harmonica. But he became proficient on the guitar and the steel guitar as well.

From 1933 to 1935 he worked in radio with the Crazy Water Crystals gang in new York City, but left in 1935 to work as a radio announcer back in Texas. In 1940, Willing moved to California and had established a version of the Riders there (the band had actually been founded in 1936 by Buck Page and a few others).

Willing's Riders included Patti Page on vocals, fiddler Johnny Paul, and accordionist Ken Coopern. World War II call ups caused the lineup to fluctuate during this period, but the group did have some success on the charts, including the country Top Tens "Texas Blues" (1944) and "Have I Told You Lately That I Love You" and "Detour," both from 1946. Willing and his band also appeared on radio shows and even dabbled in film.

                            

 In 1944, they made their feature film debut in Cowboy From Lonesome River, a Western featuring Charles Starrett. The following year, the band began appearing regularly on the All Star Western Theater. They continued appearing in films through the decade and in 1948 became Roy Rogers' new backup band after the Sons of the Pioneers left. The split with Rogers in 1951 wasn’t 

amicable. Willing had a drinking problem and Rogers apparently wanted to keep the name of the group but use different personnel; however, Willing fought him in court and won the legal battle for the rights to the groups name.

Foy Willing also appeared in thirty-two movies between 1941 and 1951. These included eleven with the Riders of the Purple Sage who disbanded in 1952. Willing bounced around show business when the singing cowboy era ended. He worked in radio sales and  travelled with Gene Autry during Autry's North American tour in 1957 and recorded for a variety of labels. By the late 1950s Foy was manager of KSBW radio station in Salvinas, California. He moved to Hollywood in 1961 and on 6 November 1966 he married Sharon Lee.

Foy Willing and the Riders of the Purple Sage occasionally reunited to record and perform. Willing went on to appear at Western film festivals during the 1970s until his death in Nashville on July 24^th 1978 of a heart attack.

(Edited from Wikipedia & All Music & Handbook of Texas Music)