Hold on partner: The day Clint Black met the King of the Cowboys, Roy Rogers

A childhood dream of meeting Roy Rogers, the King of the Cowboys in over 100 B-Westerns issued between 1935 and 1952, serendipitously came true for Hayden Nicholas, best known as the songwriting and guitar sidekick of “Like the Rain” country singer Clint Black. Above is the June 1955 issue of Dell Comics, starring Rogers and an awfully adorable blue/silver Weimaraner puppy. Between January 1948 and October 1961 a staggering 145 issues were unleashed to Rogers’ legion of adolescent fans. Much thanks to Alapaha Elementary School mate Kellie Turner for the eagle eye canine identification. Image Credit: MyComicShop

Hayden Nicholas, best known as the songwriting and guitar sidekick of singer Clint Black, relives the serendipitous moment when a childhood dream came true in an exclusive interview dropping below.

Nicholas’ buddy had recorded “Hold on Partner,” a jaunty country duet, with none other than the quintessential King of the Cowboys, Roy Rogers, in early 1991. A subsequent trip to the prestigious Academy of Country Music awards in Los Angeles with his mother in tow led to a fascinating conversation between Rogers and Nicholas, heretofore kept a tantalizing secret.

In his heyday of the ’40s and ’50s, Rogers was a ubiquitous pop culture presence. A founding member of country and western purveyors the Sons of the Pioneers, Rogers demonstrated his pleasing tenor voice, dexterous yodel, and rhythm guitar skills on a slew of cowboy standards including “Tumbling Tumbleweeds” and “Don’t Fence Me In” before venturing into acting.

The genial troubadour was a natural in front of the camera, soon rising to lead roles in B-Westerns, significant box office clout, and public appearances met with impassioned screams from youngsters dressed in cowboy regalia. Gene Autry, initially the upstart’s rival, was soundly trounced in the aftermath of World War II.