Tricia Spencer The Touch Of Roy And Dale

The Touch of Roy and Dale
The Impact and Influence of Roy Rogers, The King of the Cowboys, and Dale Evans, The Queen of the West,
As Only Their Fans Could Tell It
Author: Tricia Spencer
Foreword by Cheryl Rogers-Barnett
West Quest, November 2011
Softcover. First Edition. 281 pp. Black & White photos.

Published in time to celebrate the 100th Anniversaries of the birth of two Western icons of the Silver Screen -Roy Rogers (born 1911) and Dale Evans (born 1912).

There are many ways to measure people’s fame and success, but the most foolproof method is to measure how they touched the lives of others. Roy Rogers and Dale Evans were second to none when measured by the levels of love and loyalty from their fans. Tricia Spencer has tapped right into that wellspring of appreciation with this book.

From our Purveyor of Books:
We personally answer our phones and, because there aren’t any “gatekeepers,” we have the opportunity to  chat with folks from around the world. Author Tricia Spencer gave us a call looking for some information. She shared that she was working on a book of correspondence between Roy Rogers, Dale Evans, and their loving fan base. Letters came in from fans of all ages, expressing their love and gratitude for the role models Roy and Dale were to their families and them. This labor of love was nearing its deadline – publication in November 2011- just in time to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Roy Rogers’ birth and Tricia was still nailing down details.

She was determined to include a lovely illustrated letter with matching envelope from fellow actor, stuntman, Western entertainer, and artist Walt La Rue. OutWest featured the artwork of Walt La Rue earlier this year and an on-line search for the  artist brought Tricia to us. (Ah, the power of the Internet!) Of course, we assisted with her request and you’ll find Walt’s illustrated letter and envelope on pages159-161. Tricia has included wonderful photographs throughout the volume as well – many never before published.

When this title arrived at OutWest, I began reading immediately – it’s just wonderful. Dale Evans’ 100th anniversary of her birth will be celebrated throughout 2012. Roy’s famous partner, Trigger, will be featured on the RFD Cable Network’s Rose Parade Float in the January 2, 2012 New Year’s Day Parade (it’s on the 2nd as the parade is never held on a Sunday).

Tricia invited me to write about the impact Roy and Dale had on my life and you’ll find my contribution on pages 201-202. Good friend, Rob Wolfskill of the award winning Western music group The Tumbling Tumbleweeds, writes an essay on the impact Roy Rogers and The Sons of the Pioneers have on their music and performance style on pages 203-204.