Songwriter, Singer, Actor, and Radio Show Host. One of the first radio singing cowboys of the 1920s, he is best remembered for penning the words and music to "This Ole House" (1954) that reached No. 2 on the US Country Chart. His music crossed the country, cowboy, and gospel genres. Born Carl Stuart Hamblen, his father was the founder of the Evangelical Methodist Church denomination in Abilene, Texas. As a teenager, he worked in rodeos and had some success as an amateur singer. In 1926 he broke into radio as a singer of cowboy songs and three years later he signed a record deal with Victor (later RCA Victor) Recording Company and released his songs "The Boy in Blue", "Drifting Back to Dixie", "When the Moon Shines Down on the Mountain", and "The Big Rock Candy Mountain #2". He then moved to Los Angeles, California where in 1931 he became host of the radio program "Family Album" and appeared in films with cowboy stars like Roy Rogers, Gene Autry, and John Wayne. In 1934 he was the first artist signed by the American subsidiary of Decca Records. He didn't cope well with the pressures of his high-profile career and sought relief in alcohol. Many times, his drinking landed him in jail for public brawling and other destructive behavior. He was hugely popular, and his radio sponsors regularly bailed him out of jail. For a while, he ventured into horse-racing as an owner. Inevitably, his drinking and gambling problems severely affected his life and career. In 1949 he underwent a religious conversion at a Billy Graham tent revival in Los Angeles and began composing and recording gospel music, including his hit singles "It Is No Secret" (1951), and "Open Up Your Heart (And Let the Sunshine In)" (1955). His "It Is No Secret" would later be recorded by other popular singers, including Rosemary Clooney, Kate Smith, Wayne Newton, Jim Reeves, Pat Boone, Eddy Arnold, Johnny Cash, Elvis Presley, Hank Snow, and Ernest Tubb. He was terminated from his radio show after he declined to continue with his radio sponsor's beer commercials. He subsequently gave up gambling and horse racing, and entered Christian broadcasting with his radio show, "The Cowboy Church of the Air", which ran until 1952. In 1955, One of his few secular songs to become popular was "(Remember Me) I'm the One Who Loves You," recorded by Ernest Tubb, Jimmy Dean, Red Foley, and others, and made into a gold record by Dean Martin in a 1965 Reprise recording. The Hamblen family participated in the Pasadena Rose Parade for many years riding Peruvian Paso horses. He died from brain cancer at the age of 80. His honors and awards include induction into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame (1970), the Gene Autry Golden Boot Award (1988), and posthumous inductions into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame (1994), the Western Music Hall of Fame (1999), and the Texas Country Music Hall of Fame (2001). He has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his contributions to radio.

Songwriter, Singer, Actor, and Radio Show Host. One of the first radio singing cowboys of the 1920s, he is best remembered for penning the words and music to "This Ole House" (1954) that reached No. 2 on the US Country Chart. His music crossed the country, cowboy, and gospel genres. Born Carl Stuart Hamblen, his father was the founder of the Evangelical Methodist Church denomination in Abilene, Texas. As a teenager, he worked in rodeos and had some success as an amateur singer. In 1926 he broke into radio as a singer of cowboy songs and three years later he signed a record deal with Victor (later RCA Victor) Recording Company and released his songs "The Boy in Blue", "Drifting Back to Dixie", "When the Moon Shines Down on the Mountain", and "The Big Rock Candy Mountain #2". He then moved to Los Angeles, California where in 1931 he became host of the radio program "Family Album" and appeared in films with cowboy stars like Roy Rogers, Gene Autry, and John Wayne. In 1934 he was the first artist signed by the American subsidiary of Decca Records. He didn't cope well with the pressures of his high-profile career and sought relief in alcohol. Many times, his drinking landed him in jail for public brawling and other destructive behavior. He was hugely popular, and his radio sponsors regularly bailed him out of jail. For a while, he ventured into horse-racing as an owner. Inevitably, his drinking and gambling problems severely affected his life and career. In 1949 he underwent a religious conversion at a Billy Graham tent revival in Los Angeles and began composing and recording gospel music, including his hit singles "It Is No Secret" (1951), and "Open Up Your Heart (And Let the Sunshine In)" (1955). His "It Is No Secret" would later be recorded by other popular singers, including Rosemary Clooney, Kate Smith, Wayne Newton, Jim Reeves, Pat Boone, Eddy Arnold, Johnny Cash, Elvis Presley, Hank Snow, and Ernest Tubb. He was terminated from his radio show after he declined to continue with his radio sponsor's beer commercials. He subsequently gave up gambling and horse racing, and entered Christian broadcasting with his radio show, "The Cowboy Church of the Air", which ran until 1952. In 1955, One of his few secular songs to become popular was "(Remember Me) I'm the One Who Loves You," recorded by Ernest Tubb, Jimmy Dean, Red Foley, and others, and made into a gold record by Dean Martin in a 1965 Reprise recording. The Hamblen family participated in the Pasadena Rose Parade for many years riding Peruvian Paso horses. He died from brain cancer at the age of 80. His honors and awards include induction into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame (1970), the Gene Autry Golden Boot Award (1988), and posthumous inductions into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame (1994), the Western Music Hall of Fame (1999), and the Texas Country Music Hall of Fame (2001). He has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his contributions to radio.

Bio by: William Bjornstad