(Courtesy of Brett Miller) The members of the Texas Rangers: Francis 'Irish' Mahaney (sometimes spelled Mahoney) (top left) Roderick 'Dave' May (bottom left) Robert 'Captain Bob' Crawford (top right) Edward 'Tookie' Cronenbold (bottom right). While the above were the primary Texas Rangers' members, there were other members which expanded the foursome to eight: Herby 'Arizona' Kratoska (guitar), Paul 'Monty' Sells (accordion), Clarince (Clarence) 'Idaho' Hartman (bass fiddle), and Gomer Cool (fiddle).

(Courtesy of Les Adams)

There were a variety of singin' groups that supported Gene Autry during his years at Republic --- those groups included the Cass County Boys as well as the Sons of the Pioneers.  Above, Gene and leading lady June Storey are being assisted by a group of nine musicians in this scene from COLORADO SUNSET (Republic, 1939), one of Gene's better Republic adventures.  It appears that there was a 'basic' Texas Rangers quartet consisting of Crawford, Cronenbold, May and Mahaney (quartet photo at the top of this page).  But it was frequently expanded to eight with the addition of Gomer Cool, Paul Sells, Clarince/Clarence Hartman, and Herby Kratoska.  Thus, the musical group supporting Gene in COLORADO SUNSET was the 'expanded' Texas Rangers group of eight + Republic Pictures regular Frankie Marvin (who is on the far left, sitting).

Blowups of the COLORADO SUNSET photo are shown below with their names.

Top row L-to-R: Francis 'Irish' Mahaney, Clarence/Clarince Hartman (on bass fiddle), Roderick 'Dave' May. Bottom row L-to-R: Frankie Marvin (Republic Pictures 'regular', not a member of the Texas Rangers), Paul 'Monty' Sells (on accordion). Top row L-to-R: Robert 'Captain Bob' Crawford, Edward 'Tookie' Cronenbold. Bottom row L-to-R: Gomer Cool (on fiddle), Herby Kratoska.

In addition to their appearances in several B-westerns, the Texas Rangers did a bunch of West Coast radio shows.  Some sources mention that they were on Gene Autry's MELODY RANCH (long before The Cass County Boys settled in as Autry's musical backup).  They, along with Andy Parker and the Plainsmen, are credited with musical support on a western radio program named HAWK LARABEE which ran from 1946-1948 over CBS.  This show was originally titled HAWK DURANGO, and the stars were Elliott Lewis followed by Barton Yarborough.

There's some great photos of the Texas Rangers, as well as other KMBC performers and groups, at the Arthur B. Church - KMBC Radio Collection, Department of Special Collections - Marr Sound Archives, Miller Nichols Library, University of Missouri - Kansas City: http://www.umkc.edu/lib/spec-col/Follies/favorites.htm#h2

Their collection includes an autographed photo of the Texas Rangers, and this photo 1) confirms the spelling of member 'Irish' Mahaney (not Mahoney); and 2) includes the four regular Texas Rangers members as well as bass player Clarince (Clarence) Hartman and guitar player Herby Kratoska. There are two without autographs/signatures --- the accordion player looks like Paul 'Monty' Sells. The archives webpage does mention that "Gomer Cool, who played fiddle, wrote many Rangers tunes, and scripted dozens of KMBC programs". The photo is at: http://www.umkc.edu/lib/spec-col/Follies/jpgs/Texas_rangers.jpg

Les Adams adds a few tidbits on Paul Sells and Gomer Cool: Paul Sells was also a member of Johnny Bond's Red River Valley Boys. And he, Bond, Jimmy Dean (Eddie Dean's brother) and Wesley Tuttle are in ARIZONA TRAIL, MARSHAL OF GUNSMOKE and OKLAHOMA RAIDERS with Tex Ritter, FRONTIER LAW with Russell Hayden and SONG OF THE RANGE with Jimmy Wakely. Bond, Art Wenzel, Sells and Scotty Harrell backed up Jimmie Davis in Starrett's FRONTIER FURY as the 'Singing Buckaroos'. And Paul Sells and Ken Card worked together in JESSE JAMES AT BAY. Gomer Cool wrote two of the songs in Johnny Mack Brown's RAWHIDE RANGERS: "A Cowboy Is Happy" and "It's a Ranger's Life".

(Courtesy of Brett Miller) Above, a half dozen of the Texas Rangers give musical support to Johnny Mack Brown and Bob Baker in OKLAHOMA FRONTIER.  From L-to-R are: Mahaney, Cool (w/ moustache), Johnny Mack Brown, Crawford, Bob Baker, Cronenbold, May, and I can't identify the person on the far right with the jug (might be Herby Kratoska). (Courtesy of Les Adams) Above is the title lobby card from Johnny Mack Brown's first season at Universal, and the Texas Rangers were featured --- note the mention as "Famed Cowboy Troubadours of Radio".  Bob Baker is shown bottom center, and Fuzzy Knight is on the left.