The "Cisco Kid and Rocky?" Story

A young accordion player by the
name of Smokey Roberts.

It was an ordinary day.  Was looking back over the many professional photographers who used to take time from their busy schedules to make a visit to my classroom to talk about their career and how they chose that career.  Long time friend and portraiture photographer for the Manheim Township school yearbook, Ken Long, made many trips telling how he would work with his dad in their studio and darkroom and how the first time he saw a photo appear on a piece of paper in the developing tray he was hooked.  Ken died at a young age and was sorely missed by everyone.  There there was "Smokey" Roberts who loved underwater photography and who opened the "Divers Den" in Lancaster and later became a cinematographer for National Geographic and the late Jacques Cousteau.  He spoke to my class about how he started in photography.  I oftened wondered how he got his name, so I Googled him.  Up popped a photo of Smokey playing an accordion in a band called the "101 Ranch Boys."  Wow, pretty neat story about him and the band who performed country and western music and was one of the most popular bans in that genre in the early 1950's.  

The 101 Ranch Boys.

In a group photo I saw another face that I remembered from years ago.  Name was W.C. "Rocky Riedel" who played the drums for the group.  Rocky was playing with his band, Rocky Riedel and the Raiders, at Rocky Springs, in Lancaster County, PA, in 1950 and met the members of the 101 Ranch Boys.  Wasn't long before he was a member of that famous group.  Then I remembered where I had heard the name of 101 Ranch Boys before.  Was on WLAN Radio in Lancaster, PA when I was a kid.  

Rocky Riedel when he
was a cowboy TV host.

They would play songs and Rocky would tell cowboy stories.  Then, when my parents got a black and white TV set, I remember him from Saturday morning TV.  He would be on right after the 7:30 AM news.  I would have my mom get me up at 7:00 so I could grab something to eat and then turn on the TV to catch the "Test Pattern" and the National Anthem and then wait for Rocky to appear.  He looked like a real cowboy and talked about what we were going to see on "Covered Wagon Theater" that morning.  It was always an hour long Western and during the break he would come back on and talk some more cowboy talk.  I always had my full cowboy gear on for all the shows.  Never missed them unless we were on vacation.  He then decided to go to college to become a minister.  Graduated from Franklin and Marshall on College Ave., then moved across the street to Lancaster Theological Seminary to become a minister.  

Surviving members of the 101 Ranch Boys. From the left:
Rev. Rocky Riedel, Leonard Zinn and Smokey Roberts.

Never heard him preach, except for his cowboy lessons he would tell his listeners, but he still preaches around Lancaster even though he is now 86 years old.  He recently performed with a few of the surviving members of the 101 Ranch Boys.   Then I read another neat fact about Rocky that I never knew.  When the the 101 Ranch Boys would travel on the road, they would play with other bands such as Rex Allen, Ken Maynard, Jimmy Wakely, Gene Autry and the Cisco Kid and Poncho.  Rocky ended up being a stunt man for the Cisco Kid show and would get shot and fall from his horse in many episodes.  Then I thought …… I just knew that he was a real cowboy when I was little and now I have proof.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.