Biography:

Red River Dave McEnery (born David Largus McEnery)^[1] (December 15, 1914 – January 15, 2002)^[2] was an American artist, musician, and writer of topical songs. He was born in San Antonio, Texas, United States. He got the nickname “Red River Dave” because he enjoyed singing “Red River Valley” in high school. He was the leader of The Swift Cowboys.

Career

As a teenager, he appeared regularly on KABC radio. Dave began his career by singing, yodeling, and performing rope tricks at rodeos. In 1936, he broadcast a live singing performance from the Goodyear Blimp over CBS AM radio station WQAM in Miami. His career really took off with his song “Amelia Earhart’s Last Flight“, broadcast in a pioneer television broadcast from the 1939 New York World’s Fair.^[3] He worked for radio station WOR (AM) in New York City.^[4] He was a radio personality in border radio for station XERF. In the latter part of his life, he became a well-known painter of Texas landscapes and Western Americana themes and was often known to paint the backs of his used guitars.

Cinema

He worked in several westerns as a singing cowboy, including Swing in the Saddle (1944), Hidden Valley Days (1948) and Echo Ranch (1948).

Credits: