The BAR-D
Roundup: Volume Two
(2007) is a
compilation of outstanding contemporary recordings of some of today's best classic
and contemporary cowboy poetry.
This second CD includes South
Dakota Poet Laureate Badger Clark's vintage recording of his
first published poem, "Ridin'." The poem is in his 1915 book, Sun
and Saddle Leather, a volume that has never gone out of print.
Two more recent poems,
both considered modern classics,
are recited by their authors. Joel
Nelson recites "The Breaker in the Pen,"
from his
Grammy-nominated CD of
he same name, said to have "raised the bar for
cowboy poetry for 1000 years." The late
Sunny
Hancock's poem, "The Horse Trade"
is included.
Two classics are in the
hands of the the top practitioners of their craft: Master reciter
Randy Rieman
renders a flawless performance of
Bruce Kiskaddon's "When They've Finished Shipping Cattle in the Fall."
Noted reciter Jerry
"Brooksie" Brooks delivers the evocative "Mornin' on the
Desert," a poem long attributed to "Anonymous" (the rightful author was
uncovered in research for this CD:
Katherine Fall Pettey).
Gail I. Gardner’s peerless
classic, “The Sierry
Petes” is recited by the late J. B. Allen. Gardner's wife, Delia Gist Gardner,
also wrote poetry—a
fact discovered after her death. Her moving poem, “Hail and Farewell,”
is
delivered in a singular performance by
Gail Steiger, songwriter, filmmaker,
rancher, and the Gardners’ grandson.
The BAR-D
Roundup: Volume Two
includes the first chapter of Grass, cowboy poetry’s masterwork by the late
Buck
Ramsey, a National Endowment for the Arts Fellow, recognized as
the modern spiritual leader of the genre. (The
2006 edition
of The BAR-D Roundup includes the well-known and widely known Prologue to
Grass, "Anthem," a
poem that has been called "the
finest contemporary piece of writing in this tradition.")
Popular Canadian poet
Doris
Daley's poem, "A Letter to Mr. Russell," addresses the famous cowboy
artist, bringing him up to date on current parlance in her own
artistic words that weave in the titles of some of his best-known
paintings.
Baxter Black has praised
Elizabeth
Ebert's extraordinary poem, "He Talked About Montana," saying "If
her poems were mountains and the verses peaks, this would be the eagle
soaring over all."
Paul Zarzyski,
the self-described "Polish-hobo-rodeo-poet,"
recites
S.
Omar Barker's "Hosses vs. Horses," a recording from
the award-winning Spurrin' the Words,
a Cowboy Poetry Project from the
Montana 4-H Center for Youth Development.
Oklahoma rancher and
gathering audience favorite Jay Snider
combines talent and wisdom in his tale of "Tyrone and Tyree."
Smoke
Wade draws on his
experience in the days of trailing large herds of cattle out of the
Hells Canyon of the Snake River, times that are "gone now, along with
the cattle ranches in Hell's Canyon," in his poem, "Trailing the
Herd."
Native Utahn
Jo Lynne Kirkwood explores the
labor and rewards of ranching life in her lyrical, four-part poem,
"A Cowboy Season."
Colorado's
Peggy
Godfrey delivers ranching reality in "A Country Graft," a poem from
a recent film about her life,
Cowboy Poetry: A Woman Ranching the Rockies.
South Dakota rancher
Ken
Cook honors his late grandfather and the generations of cowboys in his
family, with his poem, "Grandpa."
Tracks by
Darrell
Arnold, Pat Richardson, and
DW
Groethe present the lighter side of today's cowboy poetry scene. Darrell
Arnold pokes fun with "Cowboy Poultry Gatherin'"; the irrepressible
Pat Richardson observes a cowboy poet from his dog's point of view;
and quirly DW Groethe's "A Bunny Poem" is a tale of road-weary cowboy
poets.
Beloved veteran poet and
farrier Don
Kennington, recites one of his most-requested poems, "The Last Nail"
and rancher, poet, humorist, and famous chuckwagon cook
Kent
Rollins pays respects to another farrier, in his poem,
"Horseshoes and Heaven."
Poems by friends and
horsewomen Virginia
Bennett and Janice
Gilbertson complement each other: Virginia Bennett's wistful and
reflective "As You Ride," sets the scene for Janice Gilbertson's
life-affirming poem about horses and friendship, "Night Time's
Promise."
Rod Nichols,
Diane
Tribitt, and Yvonne
Hollenbeck speak to the spirit. Texan Rod Nichols' poem, "Talent," is
about sometimes-hidden virtues, and a hope to be blessed with "just
half of such talent to shine as a light before men." In Minnesota
rancher Diane Tribitt's poem, "Prayer Under the Northern Lights," a
widow rancher's calls on her faith. Lauded South
Dakota poet Yvonne
Hollenbeck speaks of a reverence that is a part of a way of life in
"Nature's Church," with a touch of Jean Prescott's "In the Garden"
echoing behind the meaningful poem.
Popular broadcaster,
poetry lover and booster, and seasoned reciter
Jim Thompson
creates a perfect ending, with a
flourish, with the recitation of
Arthur Chapman 's
classic, "Out Where the West Begins." In its day, the poem
was known throughout
America. It hung in the office of the Secretary of the Interior, was
quoted in Congress, used as Western governors' campaign material, was
found on cards and postcards, printed in magazines and advertisements,
and turned into a popular song.
The BAR-D
Roundup: Volume Two
CD includes a radio Public
Service (PSA) Announcement by poet, humorist, and radio host
Andy
Nelson (listen below). Andy Nelson engineered
and co-produced both the 2006 and 2007 editions of The BAR-D
Roundup.
The 2007 CD's stunning cover is a photo of
poet Virginia Bennett's father-in-law, Orville Bennett, Texas cowboy,
1920. Inside, there's a photo of South Dakota rancher and poet Ken Cook
and his sons.
Joe Baker of the
Backforty Bunkhouse distributed the CD to his extensive network of
western radio stations.
Eddie Kilroy, host of
Marvin
O'Dell's three-hour