As children my sister and I were obsessed by the Cowboys of the
American west, and poured over the comics my American aunt sent to us in
Calcutta. (Talk about confusing cultures, we were kids in India wanting to "go
west" and fight Indians. Thankfully we were not truly harmed by these childish episodes and sorted out our
terminology! Although I do think it unfair that she always got to be the "good guy" and I ended up a dead bad guy ..)
One of those early heroes was Gene Autry. We had recently moved
to London when Gene and his troupe performed at the Empress Hall at Earl's Courts. My
family went to see him there. Gene and his horse, Champion, the Wonder Horse,
came into the audience. He was right in front of me!
It was an amazing moment
for a wide-eyed 12 year old.
One of my favourite songs is Gene Autry singing the Cole Porter tune Don't
Fence Me In. Love it !!
