Sons of the Pioneers return to the Okanagan for 85th-anniversary tour

Get ready to put on your cowboy boots and sing along for the Sons of the Pioneers coming to Kelowna.

The pioneers are traveling through B.C. this October, making seven stops throughout the province. The prolific western group is set to take the stage at the Kelowna Community Theatre on Oct. 12.

The tour will celebrate the group’s 85th anniversary of western music and history, as well as the release of their first album in eight years 85 years of Harmony.

Frontman Roy Rogers Jr., also referred to as “Dusty,” is the son of original frontman Roy Rogers.

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Dusty said it’s important to carry on the tradition of western music as well as the legacy of his father.

“Way before country music came around there was just western music,” he said. “The reason we’ve been popular for 85 years is we stick to what we know and what was so good and so true years ago. We keep it the way people wanted it to be in the beginning and people appreciate that.”

The Pioneers are one of the most decorated groups in western music history, winning honours such as the Country Music Hall of Fame and the Western Music Association Hall of Fame.

Since joining the group, Dusty has yet to be a part of a B.C. tour with the Pioneers and is relishing the opportunity.

“This is the first time we’ve been to B.C., we’re looking forward to it. I know you all have some beautiful country up there and so we’re really looking forward to coming.”

The group is long regarded as the most influential music group for western music and is now referred to as “root music,” making way for country music as we know it.

The members of the Sons of the Pioneers include Tommy Nallie (lead guitar and vocals), Roy Rogers “Dusty” Jr. (MC, vocals), Ken Lattimore (vocals and fiddle), John Fullerton (vocals, rhythm guitar), Paul Elliot (fiddle), and Chuck Erwin (bass, vocals).

Tickets for the tour are on sale now.