Gerald Fried: The Westerns - Vol. 1

Dragon's Domain Records, to be distributed through buysoundtrax.com, presents Gerald Fried: The Westerns, Volume 1, featuring music composed by Gerald Fried for several projects in the Western genre from his extensive filmography appearing for the first time on compact disc.

Story of a Rodeo Cowboy was a 1963 two-reel television documentary produced by the David L. Wolper Production Company. The 24-minute black and white documentary was directed by Kent MacKenzie, filmed in Salinas, California, and narrated by John Willis. The short film follows the life and travels of a group of professional rodeo cowboys.

Wagon Train was a popular TV series that aired 284 episodes over eight seasons, first on NBC (1957–1962) and finally on ABC (1962–1965). Fried scored the second season episode, 'The Steve Campden Story,' directed by Christian Nyby. In this episode, Flint (Robert Horton) must find a way to get the wagon train around a snow-covered pass. On a scouting trek, he meets a father and son who are willing to help him, but they want to hike up the mountain… and the adventure ahead surprises them all. This episode was for Fried's first Western film series and his only score for the show.

Terror in a Texan Town was a 1958 Western film written by Dalton Trumbo and directed by Joseph Lewis, who had helmed 40 primarily action-oriented films from 1938 to 1958. Terror in a Texan Town is about a Swedish whaler (Sterling Hayden) who is out for revenge when he learns that a greedy oil man murdered his father for their land. It was Lewis' last feature, after which he found a place in television work like many other Hollywood directors. Like other feature films by Lewis, such as Gun Crazy, it has, over the years, acquired a cult following for Lewis's stylistic flourishes, leading some to describe it as a Western film noir.

Dragon's Domain Records presents Gerald Fried: The Westerns, Volume 1, featuring the world premiere releases of music composed by Gerald Fried for these Western related projects. The music has been mastered by James Nelson at Digital Outland and the liner notes have been written by noted author Randall Larson.