Country Bear Jamboree Appreciation: Big Al

In the realm of Disney Parks fandom, there is an elite handful of very special attractions that occupy sacred ground.  Some are opening day attractions, other have just been there for a very long time.  Alongside The Enchanted Tiki Room, Peter Pan's Flight, and the Jungle Cruise stands The Country Bear Jamboree, timeless and whimsical.

Having come across the original of Tears will be the Chaser for your Wine on a Wanda Jackson album, I realized I knew relatively little about the origin of the music of the Country Bears.  Blood on the Saddle, for example, was originally sung by Tex Ritter (LOVE THAT NAME), country singer and father of John Ritter the actor!  Here is the original:

I always loved Big Al for his very unique vocal style, but it turns out that he was just mimicking the legend!  Very cool.

All the Country Bears have their fans, however, following a 'Country Bears' Ebay search has shown me that Big Al has had the most merchandise (in the past at least, I haven't seen any Country Bear specific merchandise since I became a fan).  When this vintage Big Al bank showed up on my Ebay home page, I just couldn't resist:

It came yesterday and is so cute and charming, and I think of the Country Bears every time I drop a

penny in!