Ken Curtis, the actor behind beloved Gunsmoke character Festus Haggen and the son-in-law of Western film director John Ford, had quite the career as a singer, as well, with his musical past creating minimal degrees of separation from Frank Sinatra and Roy Rogers. Curtis, born Curtis Wain Gates on July 2, 1916, grew up in Las Animas, Colorado, where his father was the sheriff. By 1940, he lived in New York and worked as a singer for the NBC radio network. In 1942, Curtis' first brush with fame came when he cut a few songs for Tommy Dorsey's orchestra. At the time, Dorsey's go-to vocalist was another future pop culture icon, Frank Sinatra. The common narrative that Curtis replaced Sinatra seems overblown, but that doesn't diminish that the future Festus collaborated with a fancy orchestra while living in New York City. After serving in the Army infantry during World War II from 1942 to 1945, Curtis signed with Columbia Pictures and began his film career. Early Western roles paired Curtis with other singing talents, from singing cowgirl Carolina Cotton to big screen regulars the Hoosier Hotshots. Curtis' first film as a leading man, 1945's Rhythm Round-Up, even featured Western swing pioneers Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys. From 1949 to 1953, Curtis served as lead singer of the Country Music Hall of Fame singing group The Sons of the Pioneers. Prior to Curtis joining, the group featured Roy Rogers, Bob Nolan and other singing cowboy icons and popularized the song "Tumbling Tumbleweeds." With Curtis at the helm, The Sons of the Pioneers scored hits with "Room Full of Roses" and "Ghost Riders in the Sky." In 1950's Hollywood, Curtis became a regular in Ford's films, including the classic John Wayne films Rio Grande (1950), The Quiet Man (1952), Mister Roberts (1955), The Searchers (1956), The Wings of Eagles (1957), The Last Hurrah (1958), The Horse Soldiers (1959), Two Rode Together (1961), How the West Was Won (1962) and Cheyenne Autumn (1964). Curti