[78-L] Gene Autry Conqueror and Okeh album sets

[Guyotsmith at aol.com]

Greetings to all:
 
The Spring-Summer 1941 issue of  the Sears-Roebuck catalogue yields the 
following advertisement:
 
SUPER-BARGAIN - New Gene Autry  Record Albums  (Beautiful decorated record 
album) $1
Introductory Offer - This  catalogue only - Order Yours Now 
 
GENE AUTRY COWBOY  SONGS
8 of Gene Autry's famous cowboy  songs, sung by him on 4 Conqueror records.
9058 Ride, Tenderfoot, Ride/The  Old Trail
8191 The Last Round-up/There's an  Empty Cot in the Bunkhouse
8465 Tumbling Tumbleweeds/Old  Missouri Moon
9544 Call of the Canyon/Back in  the Saddle
 
57H5986.....$1 
 
GENE AUTRY: BALLADS OF THE WEST 
$1.90 value - Gene Autry singing 8  Western ballads, 4 records.
8629 Nobody's Darlin' But  Mine/Mexicali Rose
8968 There's a Gold Mine in the  Sky/Sail Along Silv'ry Moon
9389 Goodbye Little Darlin'  Goodbye/When I'm Gone You'll Soon Forget
9388 El Rancho Grande/The Singing  Hills 
 
57H5987....$1 
 
(Gene Autry records listed above  may be ordered separately in the regular 
way; see opposite page) 
 
Obviously, the "Ballads of the  West" title does not suit all the 
selections included on the second album, but  all were best-sellers in the Gene Autry 
catalogue. "This catalogue only" is an  interesting line. Obviously, the 
rarest Conquerors are the ones which appeared  extremely briefly in the 
catalogue before being deleted, Gene Autry 8828 being a  classic example.  
 
There is one more more Conqueror  "album," simply titled GENE AUTRY. The 
cover has a headshot of Gene with a  bright red background. There are sleeves 
for 6 records, but it is a generic  album. In reality, the words "Conqueror 
Records" do not appear on the album, but  I have only found it with 
Conquerors included. The album was free with the  purchase of any six Gene Autry 
records.
 
The next Gene Autry album on the  market was the Okeh K-1 COWBOY SONGS set 
discussed at length in recent days. As  a Gene Autry enthusiast, I have 
several copies of this one, and it often -  but not always - turns up with the 
same records included. 
 
There were two additional albums,  both simply entitled GENE AUTRY, with 
one carrying the Okeh Records  designation and other reading Columbia Records. 
The former has a headshot of  Gene with a golden tan background, while the 
Columbia jacket has a picture of  Gene with his guitar and a green 
background. Both were available in Woolworth's  (and maybe Sears-Roebuck) as free 
albums when any 4 Gene Autry 78s were  purchased. I have always found them 
packed with "hits," and never with the more  elusive items. 
 
To the best of my knowledge, there  were no other generic sets. The next 
Gene Autry albums, in late 1940s, were  actual albums as we know the term 
today: "Gene Autry's Western Classics - Volume  I" and "Gene Autry's Western 
Classics - Volume II."  Both were, of course,  made specifically as concept 
albums, later issued as 10" lps and 45rpm  double-eps. 
 
Other fine folks have already  reported on all of the above, but I thought 
I'd take a moment to put it all in  one place.  Best wishes to everyone. 
 
Jonathan