AllMovie

Western musician and occasional actor Cal Shrum and his Republic Rhythm Riders played their cowboy songs in a few low-budget westerns of the 1940s, including Swing, Cowboy, Swing (1943) and Outlaw at Melody Mesa (1944). Like many bands, Shrum's group underwent several personnel changes and among its former members were Spade Cooley and Tex Williams. Shrum started out performing with his brother Walt Shrum in the Colorado Hillbillies. They made their first film appearance in the Gene Autry western The Old Barn Dance (1938). The group performed in two more westerns and in 1939, Shrum left to form his Republic Rangers. The original line-up included Don Weston, Rusty Cline and Art Wenzel. During the '50s, Shrum and the band also performed on the radio and at rodeos. Earlier in the decade, Shrum also allegedly made six of his own low-budget westerns. They include Roaring 45's and Buckskin Rider. In the early '60s Shrum left the Republic Rangers to become a radio performer in Springfield, Illinois.