The Range Riders are an
American
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, p ...
musical group. Their family-friendly music blends
gospel
Gospel originally meant the Christianity, Christian message ("the gospel"), but in the second century Anno domino, AD the term (, from which the English word originated as a calque) came to be used also for the books in which the message w ...
,
country
A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. When referring to a specific polity, the term "country" may refer to a sovereign state, state with limited recognition, constituent country, ...
and
western music.
Officially re-formed on 18 August 1981, the Range Riders emerged from the western music and singing cowboy era of the early 1930s. There have been many versions of this group over the years. Range Riders have been included with the Singing Cowboy Groups http://www.b-westerns.com/singing3.htm One of their members, Roland Fraser, 91, has been involved with this group since the 1940s. The Range Riders' Anniversary concert in 2011 was Roland Fraser's last event with the group before retiring.
Range Riders represent many decades of musical history, beginning in the 1930s and ranging to the present day. But, for the past 32 years, the group has been sustained by the Hanna family, which has carried on the musical tradition over three decades. Phyllis was a dominant member of the group.
The Range Riders introduced a blend of western harmonies coupled with country styles to form a signature sound known as "cowboy music".
The Range Riders have toured extensively over the decades, performing on local and regional TV and radio shows, fairs and large concert venues, and sharing the stage with performers such as
Country Star
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, horsename = Country Star
, image =
, caption =
, sire = Empire Maker
, grandsire = Unbridled
, dam = Rings A Chime
, damsire = Metfield
, sex = Filly
, foaled = 2005
, country = United States
, colour = Dark Bay ...
,
David Frizzell
David Frizzell (born September 26, 1941) is an American country music singer. He is the younger brother of country musician, Lefty Frizzell. His career started in the late 1950s, but his biggest success came in the 1980s.
Biography
Frizzell wa ...
,
Roy Clark
Roy Linwood Clark (April 15, 1933 – November 15, 2018) was an American singer, musician, and television presenter. He is best known for having hosted '' Hee Haw'', a nationally televised country variety show, from 1969 to 1997. Clark wa ...
,
Al Petty,
James Blackwood
James Webre Blackwood (August 4, 1919 – February 3, 2002) was an American gospel singer and one of the founding members of legendary Southern gospel quartet The Blackwood Brothers. He is the only person in any field of music to have been nomi ...
and the Blackwood Brothers,
(cowriter of the 1961
Del Shannon
Charles Weedon Westover (December 30, 1934 – February 8, 1990), better known by his stage name Del Shannon, was an American musician, singer and songwriter, best known for his 1961 number-one ''Billboard'' hit " Runaway", which was covered la ...
hit
Runaway
Runaway, Runaways or Run Away may refer to:
Engineering
* Runaway reaction, a chemical reaction releasing more heat than what can be removed and becoming uncontrollable
* Thermal runaway, self-increase of the reaction rate of an exothermic proce ...
),
Vern Jackson and others.
According to an article By Johnny Meza, for the Desert Entertainer, Jesse, who plays piano and guitar, handles the lead singing chores along with warming up the audience before the show with some comedy and great one-liners. Missing from the group was their recently departed father Jesse, guitarist and singer, whose influence is still wonderfully evident.
Mother Phyllis Hanna sings and plays rhythm guitar, sister Nokomis plays bass, brother David plays drums, another sister, Rosanell, sings and long time friend 'Uncle' Roland Fraser sings and plays the lead guitar.
The Range Riders show features a wide variety of music. From Country to Rock and Roll, ballads and cowboy infused Gospel. They also feature a guest artist every month and recently, vocalist extraordinaire June Wade put on a performance that garnered several standing ovations.
Phyllis Hanna, 32-year veteran performer with the country/gospel group Range Riders, died from recovery complications following surgeries for a dissected aorta Monday, Oct. 7, 2013, at the age of 79. She was a lifetime resident of California and a 35-year resident of Sky Valley.
Members
* Jesse Hanna—Keyboards, guitar, vocals 1981–present
* Phyllis Hanna—Rhythm guitar, vocals 1981 - 2013
* Nokomis Hanna—Bass guitar, vocals 1981–present
* David Hanna—Drums, vocals 1981–present
* Rosanell Hanna—Vocals 1981–present
* Mann Hanna-Harmonica, Vocals 1981 - 2004
* Roland Fraser—Lead guitar, vocals circa 1950 - 1981 - 2011
References
{{reflist
External links
RangeRiders.com* http://www.desertentertainer.com/articles/2005/04/28/features/fam11.1.txt
American country music groups
1981 establishments in the United States
Musical groups established in 1981