Born 137 Years Ago Today in England, the Unsung Architect of Country Music Who Helped Make the King of Singing Cowboys a Star

Art Satherley, born in Bristol in 1889, became a record producer and talent scout whose work helped shape early country music. He guided Gene Autry towards a Western music style and cowboy image, helping launch the career that made Autry known as the “King of Singing Cowboys”.

Satherley moved to the United States in his twenties and joined Paramount Records in 1918, first working in manufacturing and marketing before becoming a producer and scout in the mid-1920s. He worked with artists including Roy Acuff, Bob Wills, the Carter Family and Marty Robbins, producing hundreds of sessions for Wills and naming “San Antonio Rose”. He retired in 1952 and, in 1971, became the first Country Music Hall of Fame member born outside the United States.