Born in Willcox on December 31, 1920, to Horace and Faye Allen, Rex Elvie Allen was cross-eyed at birth and, as a boy, sang in the barber shop on this street. He and his father played for dances and rodeos in the 30's, and he excelled in glee clubs and church choirs before leaving home to pursue music. In 1945 at WLS Radio in Chicago, he gained nationwide popularity on "The National Barn Dance," and in 1946 he married Bonnie Linder, mother of his children Rex Jr., Curtis, Mark, and Bonita Allen. During the golden age of radio, he starred with Red Foley, Lulu Belle and Scotty, and George Gobel. His recording career began with Mercury Records in 1946 and lasted 30 years, and his trademark song, "Streets of Laredo," sold more than 3 million copies. In 1949 he signed with Republic Pictures in Hollywood, starred in 19 westerns with "Koko" through 1954, and became the last of the "Silver Screen Cowboys." In 1955-56 he starred in 39 episodes of "Frontier Doctor," and during the next three decades he and Koko appeared at every major rodeo in the U.S. and Canada while his voice was heard on hundreds of commercials and in more than 100 nature films for Walt Disney.