American cowboy/western band formed circa 1942 in California by Texan Foy Willing and Al Sloey of Des Moines, Iowa. Became a popular "singing cowboy" group, and disbanded in 1952.

Named after the title of a Zane Grey novel published in 1912.

Rose to fame as the house band for Cottonseed Clark's Hollywood Barn Dance, which was a wartime replacement for Gene Autry's Melody Ranch. The formula kept working after the war in All Star Western Theater. The band made several appearances in Western films. Their tight Western harmonies were very popular with radio and dance audiences.

Revolving lineup included Jimmie Dean, Al Sloey, Patti Page, Ken Coopern, Scotty Harrell, Johnny Paul, Billy Liebert, Paul Sells, Jerry Vaughn, Neely Plumb, Freddy Taveres, and Bat Henderson.

Not to be confused with an earlier Los Angeles-area band formed 1932 by Jack Dalton, disbanded 1934. Or another western band Riders Of The Purple Sage, which was formed by Buck Page in 1936 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Page and Willing later became friends. And Page relocated to California in the 1950s, reformed his band in the early 1960s, and stayed active until 2003, with Mike Ley, Dart Zubis and Cody Bryant in the band.

And in 2003, Sharon Lee Willing (widow of Foy Willing) urged Cody Bryant to create a new version of the band, which was billed as "Foy Willing's Riders of the Purple Sage" and "Cody Bryant and the Riders of the Purple Sage."

Honored in the Western Music Association Hall of Fame, and namesake of 1960s band New Riders Of The Purple Sage.