Lloyd Perryman

b. Lloyd Wilson Perryman, 29 January 1917, Ruth, Arkansas, USA, d. 31 May 1977. An important member of the Sons Of The Pioneers. The family relocated to California in 1928, where Perryman learned to play guitar and showed his first interest in music during his high school years. He first appeared on radio on KERN Bakersfield but in 1932, he left home and moved to the Los Angeles area. During the next few years, he sang with various groups, including the 4-S Ranch Boys, the Beverly Hillbillies, Jack And His Texas Outlaws and Jimmy LeFevre And His Saddle Pals. In September 1936, Bob Nolan invited him to take over from Tim Spencer who was leaving the Sons Of The Pioneers. Spencer returned in 1938, by which time Perryman had become an important part of the Pioneers since founding member Leonard Slye’s departure for a new film career as Roy Rogers. Between April 1943 and January 1946, Perryman was drafted for military service and his place in the group was taken by Ken Carson. In 1949, when Spencer and Nolan left, Perryman became the leader of the group. He acted as compère at their concerts and was also responsible for all vocal arrangements, although he actually wrote very few songs himself. Perryman, a natural baritone, originally sang tenor, but it was a well-known fact that he could sing any part in the trio harmonies of the group, for any of the hundreds of songs in their repertoire.