Stuart Hamblen was an American entertainer who became one of radio's first singing cowboys in 1926, going on to become a singer, actor, radio show host, and songwriter. From 1931, he began hosting the popular radio program Family Album in California. He also composed music and acted in films with cowboy stars including Gene Autry, Roy Rogers, and John Wayne. He did not cope well with the pressures of his high-profile career and sought relief in alcohol. Many times his drinking landed him in jail for public brawling and other destructive behaviour.
In 1949 after years of struggle with alcohol, along came a young preacher holding a tent revival meeting. He decided to have him on his radio show presumably to poke fun at him. In order to gather more material for his show he showed up at one of the revival meetings. Early in the service the preacher announced, "There is one man in this audience who is a big fake." There were probably others who thought the same thing, but Stuart was convinced that he was the one the preacher was talking about (some would call that conviction) but he was having none of that.
