The movie Urban Cowboy was a modest hit upon its 1980 release. Its soundtrack, however, was a much different, more successful story. "And you could already hear the Eagles’ influence on Nashville.

When Stan Jones (1914-1963) was working as a park ranger in Death Valley, California by the late 1940s, he was also writing songs and would often sing one he had written, “Ghost Riders in the Sky,” ...

Unlock access to every one of the hundreds of articles published daily on BroadwayWorld by logging in with one click. Since "Urban Cowboy" was released in 1980, country music has managed to remain ...