In 1947, he created a larger band and added a female singer, calling the group Merl Lindsay and His Oklahoma Night Riders.

During the 1940s, he owned a ballroom in Compton, California, and broadcast over a four-station radio hookup in Hollywood and Long Beach.

His group adopted the name when the TV program's title was changed to Country Music Jubilee the next year.

Many famous Western swing musicians performed with Lindsay's bands over the years.

Other band members included Robert "Buddy" Ray, Rudy Martin, Frederick "Freddie" Loveland, Louvenie Loveland, Ted Haff, Mike Hugo, Clarence Bailey, Homer Bean, Gerald "Buster" Magness, Gene Jones (steel guitar) and Sonny Rogers.