While doing research for my Johnny Cash FAQ a couple of years ago, I was amazed to find out how little information there was out there about the origins of the song “(Ghost) Riders in the Sky,” a song that put Cash back on the charts in 1979. In my current research on the songs of Southern Rock I revisited that research when looking into the version recorded by the Outlaws (around the same time as Cash’s), I ran across this book. In Ghost Riders in the Sky
Today Michael talked to us a little about the book and Stan Jones:
Music Tomes: Even people who are familiar with the song “(Ghost) Riders in the Sky” probably don’t know anything about Stan Jones. Why did you feel his story was important to tell?
Michael Ward: My quest to tell Stan’s story began in Death Valley where he wrote “Ghost Riders” on the front porch of his ranger station in 1947. I lived and worked at Furnace Creek from 1977 until 1991 – when I discovered that one of the great western ballads of all time had been written in the Valley by a park ranger, I figured that would be a perfect topic for a paper to present at the bi-annual Death Valley History Conference. I targeted the Conference to be held in 2008 and began to research Stan in 2006. I quickly discovered that there was essentially nothing substantial written about “The Singing Ranger” aside from a few casual anecdotes about how “Ghost Riders” found its way from Death Valley to Hollywood. It ended up being too big a gap to ignore and my 18 page paper for the 2008 History Conference eventually blossomed into a full biography of Stan. I had no intention of writing a book when I began this journey but in retrospect it just seems right that his unique rags-to-riches story has finally been told.
MT: You write some great stories about Jones’ life and interactions with people, for example, his first meeting with director John Ford, where Jones showed he is just an unassuming, easy going guy. Do you have a favorite story about him?
MW: My favorite Stan Jones story is how he refused the orders to shoot wild non-native burros as a ranger in Death Valley – instead he wrote a lovely, lilting song called “Burro Lullaby” that he would perform whenever he sang for park visitors to get under the skin of T. R. Goodwin the park’s superintendent. Stan was a rebel at heart and darn near lost his job over that issue – he wasn’t about to kill any 4-legged creatures he considered as friends.
MT: Can you pinpoint your favorite version of “(Ghost) Riders in the Sky”?
MW: Always the toughest question I get from “Ghost Riders” enthusiasts. I believe Johnny Cash’s 1979 version of Stan’s song is the best, classic interpretation by a major recording artist. My real, heart-felt favorite recording of the song though is by Keeter Stuart, a grand nephew of Stan Jones, and can be found on his first CD titled “Just.” Keeter and his band’s version of his uncle’s great song is a loose, relaxed yet rollicking ride that feels as if it was played live in the studio – it’s definitely worth seeking out. I have to also mention Mary McCaslin’s eloquent, haunting acoustic reading of “Ghost Riders” – it’s a unique and beautiful rendering of Stan’s song. I’d better stop there – there are so many fine versions in so many genres, it always gets to be a slippery slope trying to definitively declare which cover of “Ghost Riders” is my favorite.
MT: You mention in the book that when you decided to write on Jones life you found that his widow was still alive. What was her reaction when you initially approached her about the project?
MW: I interviewed Olive Jones in April of 2006 at her home in Tarzana, California that she and Stan had bought in 1957. I had no intentions at that time of writing a full biography of Stan. My goal then was to simply learn about the years Olive and her husband shared in Death Valley for the short paper I hoped to present at the Death Valley History Conference. I asked Olive during our time together if she would be interested if someone attempted to write a book about Stan’s life and she politely said, “Oh, I don’t think so.” I tried to follow up with her but she declined to answer any more questions. I remain very grateful to Olive for the one interview – she is a very private person and very likely rues the day she spoke with me, which is unfortunate. What she shared with me in 2006 though eventually served as the basic framework for the biography of Stan that I decided to start writing in 2010.
MT: What was the most challenging part of the project?
MW: The members of Stan’s family who I spoke with during my research had only vague ideas what Stan was up to from 1930 until he married Olive in 1944. I had to really dig to fill in the blanks from those years and I’m amazed I was able to eventually construct a reasonable continuity of Stan’s life during those years – there are still many gaps I would have loved to fill though.
MT: What are you currently working on?
MW: Since the book has only been out for about 4 months I’ve been working to help promote it without going too batty. I have my day job with the National Park Service still so it’s a little soon to start another project. What I’ve mused about lately though is trying my hand at fiction and perhaps begin to write a story inspired by the 15 years I lived in Death Valley. I’m envisioning a Cannery Row style approach that would feature many of the unique characters I met when I lived and worked there. We’ll see – I’ll probably wait until I retire from Saguaro Nation Park before I get serious about starting another book.
MT: Can you recommend some of your favorite music tomes?
MW: I’m a huge fan of Tom Waits and I just recently finished an insightful biography written by Barney Hoskyns titled Lowside of the Road: A Life of Tom Waits
