"Victoria Louise "Murnie" Mabie"; successful singer and songwriter; author of "In My Adobe Hacienda"; toured the U.S. and Canada with her country band, "The Westerner's"
Born Victoria Louise Massey in Midland, Texas, the daughter of Henry Massey.
In 1918, when she was 16, she formed The Massey Family Band with her father and two brothers, Curt and Allen.
In 1919 she married bassist Milt Mabie and the name was changed to Louise Massey and The Westerners. In 1930 they signed a five-year contract with CBS radio in Kansas City, Missouri. Despite the Masseys' cowboy background, they cultivated an urban sound and a sophisticated image. They relied on planned musical arrangements, wore costumes and included Mexican material sung in Spanish. In 1938 Louise Massey began recording and singing for NBC programs in New York. Louise wrote "White Azaleas," which sold 3 million copies, and "My Adobe Hacienda," listed simultaneously on the Lucky Strike Hit Parade and the Hillbilly Hit Parade. She also wrote "South of the Border (Down Mexico Way)" which has become a standard in western music. She appeared in the 1938 movie Where the Buffalo Roam, with Tex Ritter. She retired in 1950 to the Hondo Valley in Lincoln County, New Mexico.
She and her husband had one daughter, Joy. She was admitted into the Smithsonian Institution Broadcaster's Library in 1976. In 1982 she was inducted into the National Cowgirl Hall of Fame. In 1985, her ranch in New Mexico was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. She died on June 20, 1983.
Information contributed by
Dan Keeling (#46920253)
Born Victoria Louise Massey in Midland, Texas, the daughter of Henry Massey.
In 1918, when she was 16, she formed The Massey Family Band with her father and two brothers, Curt and Allen.
In 1919 she married bassist Milt Mabie and the name was changed to Louise Massey and The Westerners. In 1930 they signed a five-year contract with CBS radio in Kansas City, Missouri. Despite the Masseys' cowboy background, they cultivated an urban sound and a sophisticated image. They relied on planned musical arrangements, wore costumes and included Mexican material sung in Spanish. In 1938 Louise Massey began recording and singing for NBC programs in New York. Louise wrote "White Azaleas," which sold 3 million copies, and "My Adobe Hacienda," listed simultaneously on the Lucky Strike Hit Parade and the Hillbilly Hit Parade. She also wrote "South of the Border (Down Mexico Way)" which has become a standard in western music. She appeared in the 1938 movie Where the Buffalo Roam, with Tex Ritter. She retired in 1950 to the Hondo Valley in Lincoln County, New Mexico.
She and her husband had one daughter, Joy. She was admitted into the Smithsonian Institution Broadcaster's Library in 1976. In 1982 she was inducted into the National Cowgirl Hall of Fame. In 1985, her ranch in New Mexico was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. She died on June 20, 1983.
Information contributed by
Dan Keeling (#46920253)
"Victoria Louise "Murnie" Mabie"; successful singer and songwriter; author of "In My Adobe Hacienda"; toured the U.S. and Canada with her country band, "The Westerner's"
Born Victoria Louise Massey in Midland, Texas, the daughter of Henry Massey.
In 1918, when she was 16, she formed The Massey Family Band with her father and two brothers, Curt and Allen.
In 1919 she married bassist Milt Mabie and the name was changed to Louise Massey and The Westerners. In 1930 they signed a five-year contract with CBS radio in Kansas City, Missouri. Despite the Masseys' cowboy background, they cultivated an urban sound and a sophisticated image. They relied on planned musical arrangements, wore costumes and included Mexican material sung in Spanish. In 1938 Louise Massey began recording and singing for NBC programs in New York. Louise wrote "White Azaleas," which sold 3 million copies, and "My Adobe Hacienda," listed simultaneously on the Lucky Strike Hit Parade and the Hillbilly Hit Parade. She also wrote "South of the Border (Down Mexico Way)" which has become a standard in western music. She appeared in the 1938 movie Where the Buffalo Roam, with Tex Ritter. She retired in 1950 to the Hondo Valley in Lincoln County, New Mexico.
She and her husband had one daughter, Joy. She was admitted into the Smithsonian Institution Broadcaster's Library in 1976. In 1982 she was inducted into the National Cowgirl Hall of Fame. In 1985, her ranch in New Mexico was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. She died on June 20, 1983.
Information contributed by
Dan Keeling (#46920253)
Born Victoria Louise Massey in Midland, Texas, the daughter of Henry Massey.
In 1918, when she was 16, she formed The Massey Family Band with her father and two brothers, Curt and Allen.
In 1919 she married bassist Milt Mabie and the name was changed to Louise Massey and The Westerners. In 1930 they signed a five-year contract with CBS radio in Kansas City, Missouri. Despite the Masseys' cowboy background, they cultivated an urban sound and a sophisticated image. They relied on planned musical arrangements, wore costumes and included Mexican material sung in Spanish. In 1938 Louise Massey began recording and singing for NBC programs in New York. Louise wrote "White Azaleas," which sold 3 million copies, and "My Adobe Hacienda," listed simultaneously on the Lucky Strike Hit Parade and the Hillbilly Hit Parade. She also wrote "South of the Border (Down Mexico Way)" which has become a standard in western music. She appeared in the 1938 movie Where the Buffalo Roam, with Tex Ritter. She retired in 1950 to the Hondo Valley in Lincoln County, New Mexico.
She and her husband had one daughter, Joy. She was admitted into the Smithsonian Institution Broadcaster's Library in 1976. In 1982 she was inducted into the National Cowgirl Hall of Fame. In 1985, her ranch in New Mexico was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. She died on June 20, 1983.
Information contributed by
Dan Keeling (#46920253)
Family Members
Sponsored by Ancestry
Advertisement
Advertisement
