Ghost Riders in the Sky was written on June 5, 1948 by Stan Jones. A number of versions were crossover hits on the pop charts in 1949. The ascap database lists the song as "Riders in the Sky" (title code: 480028324[2]), but the title has been written as "Ghost Riders", "Ghost Riders in the Sky", and "A Cowboy Legend". Jones published 200 songs in his short life; about 100 were hits and/or used in many Western movies and Disney's World of Color.