A cowboy singer’s conversion launched Graham’s national celebrity

Evidence

When Graham arrived in LA, the little-known thirty-three-year-old revivalist caught the eye of Stuart Hamblen, the hard-drinking “cowboy singer.” One of Hamblen’s biggest hits, “(I Won’t Go Huntin’, Jake) But I’ll Go Chasin’ Women,” had released that year. The prodigal son of a Methodist minister, Hamblen was also a champion rodeo rider who dabbled in Westerns, often playing the heavy. Hamblen bonded with Graham over their shared southern upbringing and agreed to promote Graham’s revival on his country music radio show. After showing up at Graham’s services, the celebrity cowboy got religion. Hamblen’s conversion sparked a string of celebrity conversions, electrifying the city. As word spread, the national media keyed in on what was happening and in turn helped “puff Graham,” giving his ministry celebrity coverage. — Kristin Kobes Du Mez, Jesus and John Wayne, 66

Categorization

• XREF: Instantiates the book’s method: cultural transmission through commercial figures (celebrity cowboys, radio) rather than pulpit theology.
• SEED: Good concrete instance of the celebrity-conversion-to-mass-media amplification mechanism for an essay on how movements go mainstream.