Vigilante Dawn

Author Bio: Ralph Compton

Ralph Compton (1934–1998) was an American writer of western fiction. A native of St. Clair County, Alabama, he worked as a musician, a radio announcer, a songwriter, and a newspaper columnist before becoming a novelist. His first work, The Goodnight Trail, was a finalist for the Western Writers of America’s Medicine Pipe Bearer Award for best debut novel. He was the author of the popular Sundown Rider series and the Border Empire series; a number of his later works also appeared on the USA Today bestseller list. Compton died in Nashville, Tennessee at the age of sixty-four. Since his death, a number of works have been published under Compton’s byline, including The Alamosa Trail, Riders of Judgement, The Abilene Trail, The Bozeman Trail, and others.