Born in Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1911, Leonard Franklin Slye was already a performing "singing cowboy" when he won his stage name, Roy Rogers, in a contest promoted by Republic Pictures in 1938. From the late 1930s until the mid-1950s, Roy Rogers Westerns were hits at the box office. That notoriety led to a television show with his wife and co-star, Dale Evans, in 1951, which in turn spurred the production of all sorts of merchandise, from cap...Continue Reading