[78-L] Gene Autry Conqueror Album

[Michael Biel]

We discussed this album last year when I was doing my album cover 
history, and I am trying to remember if I had seen anything about this 
in print before Cary mentioned it.  Well, I scored a copy of the album 
on Saturday and am still wondering exactly when it was issued and what, 
if any, records were supposed to be in it.  Cary indicated that there 
had been records in his copy, and I'll list the records that were in mine.

The title on the spine is "GENE AUTRY Ballads"  and on the cover 
"BALLADS OF THE WEST / SUNG BY//Gene Autry / CONQUEROR"  with his name 
in larger italics.  If the records are not pre-selected, are any and ALL 
the recordings of Autry on Conqueror "western ballads"??  It is not 
titled "Gene Autry Sings", it is titled "Ballads of the West".

My copy had three Conqueror records and one purple label OKeh the dealer 
put in to fill the album and because he thought that the OKeh was even 
earlier (it's not, of course). There's no guarantee that the Conqueror 
discs came with the album, but if these are found in other copies, it 
might be an indication.

Conqueror
8629  Mexicali Rose  C-1194-1
            Nobody's Darling But Mine  DAL-125-1
8968  There's A Gold Mine In the Sky LA-1530-B
             Sail Along, Silv'ry Moon LA-1531-B
9388A El Rancho Grande LA-2176-A
9388B The Singing Hills LA-2174-A
OKeh  (purple)  (not a part of the original album)
6728 Don't Fence Me In  H-1143-1
           Gonna Build A Big Fence Around Texas  H-1145-1

There is significance about the spine printing.  It is vivid silver 
which is indicative of ARC, although not exclusively so.  Al  What might 
be more important is that there is a number on the spine, 5987, and 
under that it says Four Records and has the Conqueror crown and C in a 
silver circle at the bottom.  Could that number 5987 be a Sears catalog 
order number?   There are Autry Conqueror releases right through 1942, 
but this album has more of an ARC look than a CBS look. I'd love to have 
more details of its date and content.

Mike Biel  mbiel at mbiel.com