[2] He grew up around horses and musical instruments before the family moved to California in the mid-1930s, where he took on the nicknames "Jack", "Oklahoma", and "Oke".
At the time the record became a hit Jack Guthrie was in the U.S. Army and stationed in the Pacific Theater.
As soon as he got out of the service he wrote and recorded more songs, played live gigs up and down the West Coast.
Guthrie's style was influenced by Jimmie Rodgers and adapted to fit his cowboy image.
Many of them, like Porky Freeman, Red Murrell, Cliffie Stone, and Billy Hughes were recording artists in their own right.