"That Silver Haired Daddy of Mine" was Gene Autry's first hit record in 1932, written and performed with fellow railroadman Jimmy Long.

Thanks to his new career as a singing cowboy in 1935, it became one his biggest[clarify] Jimmy Long was Gene Autry's brother-in-law and business manager, and it appears that he wrote most, if not all, of "That Silver Haired Daddy of Mine".

[7][8] On December 2, 1930, he recorded an almost-finished version[9] with Cliff Keiser, at Gennett Studios, Richmond, Indiana, released as Champion 16190[10][11] He filed a copyright on March 6, 1931,[1] and it passed to his children when he died.

[2] On October 29, 1931, Long and Autry shared lead vocals, recording their version at ARC Studios, New York City.

The record was a hit, but it wasn't until 1935, when Autry performed the song in two movies (the science-fiction/western 12-part serial The Phantom Empire in February and Tumbling Tumbleweeds in September), that sales of a Vocalion re-release[13] really took off,[14] selling a reported five million copies.