Rex Allen’s Journey From An Arizona Ranch To Hollywood Fame

Rex Allen was a famous musician, and actor who grew up in Wilcox Arizona. He was featured in a bunch of old western films, and even had a couple hit country albums. He even ended up with his own star on the Hollywood walk of fame in 1975! What is Allen's Story, and how did he make it big despite being from a small town?

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His Life

Rex Alen was born in Wilcox, Arizona in 1920. He grew up on a ranch 40 miles north of Wilcox. Here he spent his childhood riding horses and tending to livestock. As a kid, his father taught him to play the fiddle and would take him to places all over the city. When became a teenager, he started playing guitar and singing at local events. He became popular within his community very quickly for his rich voice and cowboy upbringing.

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The Road to Fame

Rex began his career by moving to New Jersey, where he became a radio host known as "Cactus Rex". It didn't take long for his love for music to shine outside of radio. Not long after his first gig, Rex Allen became a country singer. During his career, Rex wrote close to 300 songs and had many successful albums.

Between the years 1950 and 1954 he tried his hand in Hollywood. During those years he was featured in 19 western films, a lot of which featured his music. In 1954 he became known as one of the last singing cowboys. He was very popular during his time and was given nicknames such as "Mister Cowboy" and "The Arizona Cowboy". During his time in Hollywood, he made films with people like Buddy Ebsen and Slim Pickens.

In 1983 he was inducted into the Western Hall of Fame. He was also the first recipient of the Hollywood Golden Boot Award. Due to his massive influence in old western films, he was even given his own Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. His star is located at North side of the 6800 block of Hollywood Boulevard.

According to Los Angeles times,

Allen was the No. 1 box-office western star in 1953-54.

Not only was he talented, but he also brought pride to the people from his hometown in Cochise County.

Rex Allen was Cochise County born and raised. Not only did he contribute to his community, but he also went out and shared his love for the west with music and films. There is a Rex Allen Museum in Wilcox Arizona that continues to carry on his legacy, nearly 30 years after his passing.

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