John Autry

Early life

Autry was born in Shreveport, Louisiana, the son of Carl and Verna (née Brown) Autry. His name was changed to Carlos Brown when he was a year old, after his parents divorced. Autry is a distant cousin of Gene Autry. He worked alongside his mother and stepfather, Joe Duty, in California's San Joaquin Valley, where they planted and harvested cotton, grapes, and other crops. They traveled around the valley living in migrant worker camps. When he was twelve, they settled in Riverdale, California.

Football career

In high school, he was a star quarterback for the Riverdale Cowboys. He received an athletic scholarship to the University of the Pacific, Stockton, California, where he was a second-string tight end in his senior year for the Tigers. In 1975, he was drafted by the Green Bay Packers, where he ended up in 1976, as the starting quarterback for three games.

His football career ended quickly when he was cut from the team by then Coach Bart Starr. He then went to Hollywood to become an actor. He made a football comeback attempt, playing for the B.C. Lions of the CFL in 1979 (as Carlos Brown). He was the third-string quarterback behind Joe Paopao and another ex-Green Bay Packer, Jerry Tagge.

Acting career

He made his film debut in the 1978 motion picture Remember My Name. He met his father, Carl Autry, Sr., for the first time in 1982, while on location in Shreveport for the motion picture Southern Comfort after he found Carl's name in the telephone book. Afterwards, he made the decision to return to his birth surname of Autry. During his acting years, he struggled with his drug and alcohol use, according to an interview he did with Pat Robertson's The 700 Club in 2007.

Politics

Autry was elected in 2000 to succeed Jim Patterson as the mayor of Fresno. He defeated former Mayor Dan Whitehurst. He was re-elected to a second term (2005-2009) on March 2, 2004 with more than 72 percent of the vote. He is a Republican. Because of term limits, he was ineligible to run for re-election. In November 2008, he endorsed Ashley Swearengin, who was elected to succeed him as mayor.

As mayor, Autry was a strong supporter of initiatives to ban gay marriage, and at least twice appeared at a large rally on the steps of City Hall, where he issued impassioned pleas in support of his position. In October 2008, he appeared alongside Rev. Jim Franklin of Cornerstone Church, to oppose gay marriage and support Proposition 8, the California same-sex marriage ban. Opponents of Prop 8 gathered at City Hall to protest his actions. Autry worked successfully to maintain a balanced city budget. He left the city with an $18 million reserve.

Electoral history

Dirt Road Productions

In 1997, Autry launched his own production company Dirt Road Productions. In 2002, he released The Legend of Jake Kincaid, a western based on a story he wrote. He was also the director of this film.

Music

Autry and his In the Heat of the Night co-star Randall Franks joined forces under the banner of Autry-Franks Productions to produce the charity "In the Heat of the Night" CD "Christmas Time's A Comin'" featuring the cast of the show. The project raised funds for drug abuse prevention charities. With Franks producing, Autry performed his rendition of "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer" in homage to Gene Autry.

The duo both performed on "Jingle Bells" and "Christmas Time's A Comin'". Franks and Autry were able to include many music legends, including Kitty Wells, Jimmy Dickens, and Pee Wee King, as well as many legends from the Bluegrass genre, from Jim & Jesse to The Lewis Family. The “Christmas Time’s A Comin’” CD released on Sonlite and MGM/UA was one of the most popular Christmas releases of 1991 and 1992 with Southern retailers.

Autry and Randall Franks formed Autry-Franks Productions. Crimson Records released "Alan Autry and Randall Franks Mississippi Moon: Country Traditions" in 2013, an Americana CD featuring both actors vocally on various classic and original songs. The project which incorporates country, bluegrass and Southern gospel includes special appearances by Bluegrass Hall of Fame members Jim and Jesse McReynolds and three-time Dove Award nominee Mark Wheeler.