The Royal Coachman Theme
by Ron Moore
Ron Moore
The Royal Coachman Theme was written while I was in the Army.
An accident placed me in the hospital and recovery area. So, I was watching TV in the Day Room and an old movie had this beautiful coach being drawn by several white horses approaching this castle with horns announcing their arrival.
Even before going in the service I used an imaginary theme each evening on the radio, pretending I was taking the audience to some place where we could see and hear the artists perform their songs. A trip to Seattle or L.A. to hear Nat King Cole or to New York to hear Bobby Darin.
So, the theme was written with this idea in mind.
A musical journey anywhere we wanted to go that via your imagination was not limited by how you got there.
The Royal Coach was your means of transportation and the sound of the horns at various parts of the recording announced your arrival.
As the song progresses, the vocal group joins in to build the excitement in the “Doo Wah” style of the day (1958).
Once out of the service, the idea seemed to proliferate and not necessarily because of me.
Kids would ask “Is your car The Royal Coach”?
So, every car from the 57 Chevy, that I co-owned with my sister because I couldn't afford one on my own, to the Corvettes and even a Ferrari became The Royal Coach.
The broadcast booth at the Bun Drive In became The Royal Roost. The Teen Night club became The Royal Pad, etc.
The song was recorded in Chicago by a well-known band leader from that area, Lou Breeze, and released on the Bally label but wasn't a Top 40 hit.
I don't even have a copy of the record these days. My last copy was destroyed in the basement of KFQD Radio when the 1964 earthquake hit and diesel oil ruined a lot of my collection.
For the longest time, I only used the name Royal Coachman on the air unless I was doing a newscast, then I used my name.
Kids would call me “RC” and I had to be careful since my longtime sponsor was Coca-Cola.
BONUS
Take a walk down memory lane as you listen to “The Royal Coachman” theme song.
What are your memories of listening to Ron Moore on the radio in Anchorage, Alaska?
DOUBLE BONUS