Who sang the hit theme song "Rawhide" for the U.S. TV Western series?

The hit theme song "Rawhide" for the 1959 - 1965 U.S. TV Western series was sung by singer Frankie Lane. The theme song's lyrics were written by Ned Washington in 1958. The song was composed by Dimitri Tiomkin. The theme song was very popular, and was later featured in the films "The Blues Brothers" and "Shrek 2".

Frankie Laine was an entertainer whose career literally covered six decades. Laine was a popular vocalist in the 1950s. His baritone voice was used with swinging jazz and in at least half a dozen Western movie theme songs. In 1953 he set two chart records with his version of "I Believe". It was number one in the UK for 18 weeks. Next, his two subsequent chart-toppers ("Hey Joe," and "Answer Me") put Laine at number one for 27 weeks.

Born in Chicago in 1913, Laine loved to sing. He performed professionally at 15. After high school, he performed as a singing waiter. In 1937, he replaced Perry Como in a regional big band led by Freddy Carlone. This helped his career. Laine was back on his own by the mid-'40s. Hoagy Carmichael's heard him sing "Rockin' Chair" and that proved to be a major break. Carmichael got him work in Hollywood, CA.

Always making music, Laine signed with Mercury Records in 1945. He had chart hits. In 1949 he hit the big time with 2 huge number one hits, "That Lucky Old Sun" and "Mule Train". He left Mercury and joined Columbia Records for more success. He retired in the mid-'80s and passed away from heart failure in February 2007.