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This page refers to the first years of the Heritage of the American West Performance Series. The Heritage of the American West returned in November, 2009 under the new direction of Francie Ganje. Find information about the current series here.     Popular broadcaster Jim Thompson and Creative Broadcast Services presented the monthly Heritage of the American West, with "music and poetry of the great American Cowboy" each month, with the last show taking place August 19, 2009. Directed by Francie Ganje, the show brought top talent from across the West to an appreciative audience. The show took place before a live audience at the High Plains Heritage Center in Spearfish, South Dakota and was broadcast simultaneously on the web (archived web broadcasts are available).   The original Heritage of the American West guests included Red Steagall, Juni Fisher, Brenn Hill, Yvonne Hollenbeck, Andy Nelson, DW Groethe, Yvonne Hollenbeck, R. W. Hampton, Ken Overcast, Rodney Nelson, Elizabeth Ebert, Robert Dennis, and other top cowboy poets and Western musicians. The schedule included a Cowboy Poetry Week show in April, a special anniversary show each August, a Cowboy Christmas show in December, and an Easter Country Gospel show.   From an August 20, 2009 Creative Broadcast Services news release: Jim Thompson, President and CEO of Creative Broadcast Services, Inc. announced today that after twelve years they are ceasing the monthly production of the Heritage of the American West. Thompson said that the economy has eroded the sponsorship to such a level that the cost of underwriting the show has become a problem. Juni Fisher was the final guest on Wednesday night, August 19th. Thompson has hopes that special programs can be produced from time to time during the year to still feature the cowboy music and poetry of the past 144 shows. "This is a sad moment for me, but I have to face the reality of this new economy," said Thompson. "And yet, it also opens the door for, perhaps, another opportunity to do special shows." Creative Broadcast Services began the show twelve years ago with Thompsons friend Red Steagall as the first guest. Through the years many notables have graced the stage at the High Plains Western Heritage Center....Fisher has been there several times, as well as Brenn Hill, Dave Stamey, Yvonne Hollenbeck, Andy Nelson, DW Groethe, T.J. Casey, R.W. Hampton and Rhonda Sedgwick Stearns. "One of my greatest thrills has been to produce a 'live' radio show in front of a live audience and give such talent an appreciative audience." See the Heritage of the American West web site to listen to archived broadcasts. Find information about the current series here.

Shows from the original Heritage of the American West

 

Photo by Jeri L. Dobrowski, obtain permission for reproduction rights
Red Steagall at the Heritage of the American West, August, 2005

 

 

March 19, 2008

 
Photo of Bob Petermann by Jeri L. Dobrowski; see her gallery of western performers and others here.

Bob Petermann

February 20, 2008

 
Photo of Ken Cook by Jeri L. Dobrowski; see her gallery of western performers and others here.

Ken Cook

October 17, 2007

Photo of Andy Nelson by Jeri L. Dobrowski; see her gallery of western performers and others here.

Andy Nelson and Arlie Hulm

September 26, 2007

   
Mislette the Singing Cowgirl and Rod Nichols

August 15, 2007

Celebrating National Day of the American Cowboy!  
Monte "Hawkeye" Henson

July 25, 2007

June 27, 2007

 

May 30, 2007

 

April 18, 2007

See more on page 2 and at the Heritage of the American West site here

Read more in our report here.

March  21, 2007

 

February 21, 2007

January 17, 2007

December 20, 2006

See "A Cowboy Christmas" (pdf) for more information

November 15, 2006

October 18, 2006

September 20, 2006

August 16, 2006

July 19, 2006

June 21, 2006

 
Producer Francie Ganje presents a colorful report on the May, 2006 show that featured Juni Fisher. See the report here.

April 19, 2006

See more on page 2 and more on the April, 2006 Cowboy Poetry Week show with photos and more here.   

March 15, 2006

February, 2006

January, 2006

 

From an August 20, 2009 Creative Broadcast Services news release:

Jim Thompson, President and CEO of Creative Broadcast Services, Inc. announced today that after twelve years they are ceasing the monthly production of the Heritage of the American West. Thompson said that the economy has eroded the sponsorship to such a level that the cost of underwriting the show has become a problem. Juni Fisher was the final guest on Wednesday night, August 19th.

Thompson has hopes that special programs can be produced from time to time during the year to still feature the cowboy music and poetry of the past 144 shows.

"This is a sad moment for me, but I have to face the reality of this new economy," said Thompson. "And yet, it also opens the door for, perhaps, another opportunity to do special shows."

Creative Broadcast Services began the show twelve years ago with Thompsons friend Red Steagall as the first guest. Through the years many notables have graced the stage at the High Plains Western Heritage Center....Fisher has been there several times, as well as Brenn Hill, Dave Stamey, Yvonne Hollenbeck, Andy Nelson, DW Groethe, T.J. Casey, R.W. Hampton and Rhonda Sedgwick Stearns.

"One of my greatest thrills has been to produce a 'live' radio show in front of a live audience and give such talent an appreciative audience."

See the Heritage of the American West web site to listen to archived broadcasts.

South Dakota poet Slim McNaught, the official poet of the Live! with Jim Thompson show, shared a poem, marking the end of the Heritage of the American West show:

End of the Ride

The stage is set, the curtain's up,
Francie is starting the show
The lights dim down and all sound stops,
this program is special, we know.
Now a strong, clear note fills the air,
and cares of the day subside
As Juni's voice lifts up in song,
it's the start of the end of the ride.

For eleven years and start of a twelfth
this theatre has been a shrine
Devoted to those entertaining here,
who give us their best every time.
For deep in their hearts they all have one bond,
the heritage of cowboy pride
And we know as we gather at this show
it's coming..the end of the ride.

From Red Steagall the first to Juni last,
this stage has been filled with the best.
Some famous, some not, here some got their start,
with performers we have been blest.
For this show's focus is one of a kind,
presenting the cowboy with pride
And those acts have lead us up to this time
as we come to the end of the ride.

When Jim and Kay produced that first show
they began a new era here,
Showcasing cowboys, promoting their life,
and memories we all hold dear.
With one accord it brought us together
and sometimes we laughed and we cried
But the friends we made as we gathered here
comfort us, at the end of the ride.

And Francie has been, in my time at least,
the force that has carried this show
With her wit and charm she artfully guides,
keeps the pace at an easy flow.
So tonight we held Francie in our hearts
as tears came, she silently cried,
For with that bittersweet last curtain call,
it was time for the end of the ride.
 

 

 

 

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