Lorne Greene & His Western Classics – On the Ponderosa
Whether you remember Lorne Greene as Ben Cartwright from Bonanza or as Commander Adama from Battlestar Galactica, one thing remains recognizable: his voice. Booming, rugged and manly in the truest TV sense, Greene had some success as a recording artist for RCA in the 1960s. Climaxing in late 1964 with the No. 1 pop single “Ringo”, Greene’s singing career never again approached this lone chart-topper about the man who shot Wild Bill Hickok. Greene, a Canadian, made quite a living singing (and acting) about Americana.
On the Ponderosa features 20 of his best-known tracks. He doesn’t so much sing as he does talk gruffly, but compared to the tracks featuring the Bonanza cast, it’s safe to say we’re lucky there isn’t a Razor & Tie CD entitled Hoss, America’s Lummox: Songs from Dan Blocker. The most well-known cuts include “(Ghost) Riders In The Sky”, “Sixteen Tons” and “Skip To My Lou”, featuring Hoss, Little Joe and Adam Cartwright. Sentimentalists, look out for the lyrical B-side to the Jay Livingston-Raymond Evans “Bonanza” theme sung/spoken by Greene, and the final track “Saga Of The Ponderosa”, which serve as bookends for this digital disc from an American (erm, Canadian) icon.