Lecture 1: “I Want to Be a Cowboy’s Sweetheart,” originally performed by Patsy Montana and the Prairie Ramblers in 1935 (here performed by Patsy Montana and the CBS-KMBC Texas Rangers in 1939). Arkansas native Patsy Montana (born Ruby Rose Blevins, 1908-1996) remains an important figure in early Country Music for being one of the first successful female performers and songwriters (Patsy actually wrote “I Want to Be a Cowboy’s Sweetheart”). Montana was 27 when this song became a nationwide hit and made her famous. This is a scene from Gene Autry’s Western film Colorado Sunset (1939).