
Bob
Nolan was born Clarence Robert Nobles in
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada on April 13,
1908. His parents separated in 1915,
and one year later, Bob was sent to New
Brunswick, Canada - ostensibly a temporary
measure - to reside with his grandparents
on his father's side.
His father, Harry Nobles, had enlisted in
the US military and assumed the name of
Harry Nolan. By 1919, Bob was living
with an aunt in Boston and had taken his
father's new name of Nolan. He
remained in Boston until 1921, when he
joined his father in Tucson, Arizona
before settling in California in 1929.
Bob was hired by Leonard Slye (later known
as Roy Rogers) in 1931 to sing with a
group called The Rocky Mountaineers.
Bob Nolan’s most famous song, Tumbling
Tumbleweeds, originally titled Tumbling
Leaves, was written during this
period. Nolan and Rogers briefly
parted ways, but reconnected in a new band
in 1933 - The Sons of the Pioneers.
Tumbling Tumbleweeds became their
signature song and was one of the first
songs they recorded with Decca Records.
Throughout the 1930s and 1940s, Nolan
appeared in over 90 movies. Bob
Nolan retired from active show business in
1949, opting instead to concentrate on
songwriting.
Inducted into the Nashville Songwriters
Hall of Fame in 1971, he was one of the
most prolific writers of traditional
country music, having penned more than
1200 songs. His last album, Bob
Nolan: The Sound of a Pioneer, was
released on Electra Records in 1979.
Bob Nolan passed away in Newport Beach,
Orange County, California on June 16,
1980.
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