A film pioneer dies — was he the last of the singing cowboys?

Herb Jeffries

I am sorry to report the death of a man who was one of precious few remaining icons from the era of the singing cowboy: Herb Jeffries, who was known as Hollywood's first black singing cowboy — and who may well have been the last singing cowboy. Jeffries died of heart failure Sunday, May 25, 2014, at 100 years of age at West Hills Hospital in the San Fernando Valley.

Jeffries' name appears with different spellings throughout his film career, including on this poster for "The Bronze Buckaroo (1939), one of his signature films. He spelled his last name "Jeffries" even though it often appears as "Jeffrey" or "Jeffreys" on posters and in film credits.

"Harlem on the Prairie" (1937)

I know of only one movie that Jeffries filmed on the Iverson Movie Ranch — his 1937 Western "Harlem on the Prairie." The above scene from the movie is filmed in the ranch's Garden of the Gods.

Herb Jeffries on the cover of Jet Magazine in 1952

Jeffries has been called the towering figure in the integration of pop culture in the 20th century, and has been widely credited for making a conscious decision to become the first black singing cowboy rather than pass as white — something his mixed ethnic background and light skin would have enabled him to do. His widow, Savannah Jeffries, is quoted as saying earlier this week: "Herb's motto was there's only one race — the human race."

Herb Jeffries, left, with Duke Ellington (partially visible over 

Jeffries' shoulder) and bassist Jimmy Blanton in 1941

Jeffries was a singer in the Duke Ellington Orchestra in the early 1940s, scoring a big hit in 1941 with "Flamingo," which became his signature song.

Jeffries starred in a series of all-black B-Westerns in the 1930s, earning the nickname "The Bronze Buckaroo" after his lead role in the 1939 Western of that title, directed by Richard Kahn and released by Hollywood Productions. He usually appeared as cowboy hero Bob Blake, and rode a horse named Stardusk — with his Westerns also often featuring the vocal group the Four Tones.

He appeared as a singing cowboy in the 1938 featurette "Rhythm Rodeo," even though his name didn't make it onto the movie's poster. The poster includes racial references that many of us may find offensive today, but I believe it's important to portray history as accurately as possible, so I've included it above.



Herb Jeffries sings "Flamingo" with the Duke Ellington Orchestra in 1941 

Jeffries participated in at least one gathering at the Iverson Movie Ranch, well after the site's filming era, in 1999, when he took part in a fund raiser held at Iverson for fellow singing cowboy Eddie Dean, who was in failing health at the time and died about a month later.

"Last Stagecoach West" (1957)

In effect, Jeffries died in the background of the singing cowboy genre's most important outdoor filming location, the Iverson Movie Ranch, as portions of what is now West Hills can be seen in the distance in movie scenes shot in Iverson's Upper Gorge — including the above example from the Jim Davis B-Western "Last Stagecoach West." (Jeffries did not appear in the movie, having wrapped up his career in Westerns by the end of the 1930s.)

The links below will take you to Amazon.com listings for a number of Herb Jeffries' films and recordings: