Autograph Manuscript of "Home on the Range" used in 1935 NBC Will Rogers memorial broadcast

Interesting autograph manuscript of the complete lyrics to "Home on the Range," written out in full in pencil by Crosby on 7 cards (each 10 x 15 cm), mounted to 2 large album pages (39.5 x 28 cm) and signed at the conclusion. From the estate of jazz musician, Tony Sacco and sold together with three supporting pieces, outlining the remarkable circumstances in which this manuscript was written and obtained. According to a typed note affixed to the album sheet (the final line in pen in Sacco's hand):


"On August 17 1935 I was playing guitar with Enric Madriguera's orchestra at the Arrowhead Inn in Saratoga...that was the day that Will Rogers died from an airplane accident with Wiley Post near Alaska. Bing Crosby a close friend of Rogers happened to be in Saratoga and that night on a world NBC hook-up he sang 'Home on the Range' in memory of Will Rogers...he scribbled notes of the lyrics on pieces of paper and after the broadcase I asked Bing for the pieces of paper that he scribbled for a souvenir...these are the words in Bing's own handwiring of 'Home on the Range' ...August 17 1935 that were broadcast all over the world....Our band backed up Bing on the song."


Sold together a typed signed 1981 letter from Madriguera's daughter, Lalia, to Tony Sacco in which she reminisces about the story her father told about Bing Crosby teaming up with his orchestra in Saratoga in tribute to Will Rogers. And also together with an 8 x 10 inch photograph of Enric Madriguera, inscribed to Tony Sacco "To Tony / my troubador / Sincerely / Enric Madriguera."


The unofficial anthem of the American West, the lyrics of "Home on the Range" were written by Brewster M. Higley (1823-1911) and first published in 1873. During the early 20th century, it was arranged by Texas composer David Guion (1892-1981) who is often credited as the composer and the song was officially adopted as the state song of Kansas in 1947. "Home on the Range," is particularly associated with Bing Crosby who recorded it numerous times and who is widely regarded as the song's greatest interpreter. The song was the favorite song of Will Rogers, the popular American entertainer who cultivated an image as a wisecracking cowboy and earned worldwide renown for his mordant wit and skill at rope tricks. After a successful vaudeville career, Rogers made an easy transition to films and became one of the top box-office draws of the late 1920s and early 1930s. His career came to an untimely end when he died in a 1935 plane crash in Alaska along with Wiley Post.


Born in Barcelona, Enric Madriguera was a child prodigy on violin, briefly studying with Leopold Auer before emigrating to the US. While in his 20's he became conductor of the Cuban Philharmonic and later joined NBC in New York as concertmaster. In 1932, he formed a popular Big Band and by the 1940's performed almost exclusively Latin-American music, recording extensively for RCA and Columbia. He was known as the "Musical Ambassador Of The Americas." (5571)

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Manuscript Music

Song

• Sold