News Since the Last Newsletter Cowboy Poetry at the BAR-D Ranch www.CowboyPoetry.com

Shirley Morris's documentary about early rodeo cowgirls, Oh, You Cowgirl!, will have its premiere at the Wyoming Film Festival (August 27-28, 2010). From the official announcement:

The third annual Wyoming Film Festival, held in Saratoga, Wyoming will feature the documentary film, Oh, You Cowgirl!; The True Story About America's Unsung Heroes, The Cowgirls.

Filmmaker and director Shirley Morris has spent the past four years researching the women of the early twentieth century and tells a story of courage, strength, grit and spirit.

She says, "This isn't a story about rodeo champions. It isn't a story of repression, the suffrage movement, grain prices or the Great Depression. None of that can be denied and I'm sure there is truth to all of it. What is important to me, is that I pass along to the audience the passion, heart and spirit of a few of these individual women. They were amazing! Women like Bertha Kaepernik-Blancett who became not only a champion cowgirl but reinvented herself several more times in her life to become successful in whatever endeavor she chose or was forced upon her by circumstance."

Not much was written about these women a century ago and even fewer records were kept. Their legacy and contributions were nearly lost in time.

Rare film footage from Cheyenne Frontier Days, Pendleton Round-Up and the Los Angeles Rodeo, along with a few never before seen still images will be featured to help tell a story richly rooted in our American Heritage about a few women who wanted more than they had a right to, sometimes making up to one thousand times as much as the average male worker in America.

The legend of Prairie Rose Henderson will be explored in the film and the cowgirls who made up this shocking story will be brought to surface for the first time in nearly one hundred years. Headlines went up across the country that famed rodeo star, Prairie Rose Henderson perished in a Wyoming blizzard with her bones not being discovered for nearly seven years. It was reported she was identified by her championship belt buckle. None of this was true, including the identity of the woman who died in the blizzard. The film examines possible reasons the woman known as the Prairie Rose allowed the world to mourn her death.

Juni Fisher, singer, songwriter and narrator for much of the film will help tell the story of the first and forgotten Prairie Rose, Rose Clayton with her song, "When I Was Prairie Rose," from her new Let 'er Go 'Let 'er Buck' Let 'er Fly CD. Juni will appear live in concert at the Wyoming Film Festival after the showing of Oh, You Cowgirl! on Saturday, August 28, 2010.

For tickets and further information visit the festival website, http://wyomingfilmfestival.org or call 307-328-9274.

During the National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas, Nevada, December 3-6, 2010, Juni Fisher and Shirley Morris will also present Oh, You Cowgirl, Live!, a live stage production featuring original music, storytelling and the film at the Tropicana.
Find more about Oh, You Cowgirl!; The True Story About America's Unsung Heroes, The Cowgirls at thecowgirlmovie.com.
Posted 7/15

Montana Poet Laureate and Crow elder Henry Real Bird recently made a 415-mile horseback journey across northwest North Dakota and northern Montana, following the trails his grandfather rode, and giving away books of poetry along the way. The Western Folklife Center blog includes interviews along the trail, both audio and transcripts, with Henry Real Bird and the Western Folklife Center's Founding Director Hal Cannon and Producer Taki Telonidis
National Public Radio's All Things Considered reported on Henry Real Bird's journey on July 30, 2010. You can listen to the feature here at National Public Radio, which includes a photo and a separate audio poem.
Rancher, cowboy, educator, and author, Henry Real Bird was named Montana Poet Laureate by Governor Brian Schweitzer in 2009. The position "recognizes and honors a citizen poet of exceptional talent and accomplishment. The state Poet Laureate's role is to encourage appreciation of poetry and literary life in Montana by giving readings and presentations throughout the state, making poetry available to a wide state audience." See a profile and find more information here from the Montana Arts Council.
An October 2, 2009 article in the Billings Gazette, "Real Bird sees opportunity as poet laureate," quotes Henry Real Bird on the position and his life in southeastern Montana, and includes audio.

A Crow Tribal member and past president of Little Big Horn College, Henry Real Bird and his family have long been involved in an annual historical re-enactment of the Battle of Little Big Horn; he has co-written the script and helps direct the production. Read more about the event here.

Henry Real Bird appears frequently at the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering and other gatherings across the West. He is featured in Why the Cowboy Sings from the Western Folklife Center. His recent CD, Rivers of Horse, is available here from the Western Folklife Center gift shop.

[2008 photo by Jeri L. Dobrowski; see her gallery of western performers and others here.]

Updated 8/2

Three of today's top cowboy poets are featured in the August, 2010 issue of True West magazine, in the publication's "Western Entertainment Issue." A special section "From Baxter Black to Powwow Idol," includes event listings and travel information, along with pieces on Baxter Black, Red Steagall, and others, including Riders in the Sky.

The article on Baxter Black also singles out the Monterey Cowboy Poetry and Music Festival (December 10-12, 2010) and Baxter's comment that Wylie & the Wild West, who will perform there, "changed the water level in the 'cowboy entertainment aquarium'." Red Steagall comments on popular singer and songwriter Brenn Hill, who he says "writes wonderful songs about the place where he lives and the people who he knows."

The regular "What History Has Taught Me" back-page feature is focused on Waddie Mitchell. Among the many fill-in-the-blank topics, Waddie comments on what "I really hate": "war...driving in traffic...that books are doomed and the freezing rains that come before the snow in calving season."

Find more about True West magazine at www.truewestmagazine.com, which includes many features, including an on-line community.

Posted 7/19

Respected Texas singer, songwriter, and poet Red Steagall was inducted into the Bandera, Texas, Frontier Times Museum Texas Heroes Hall of Honor on July 24, 2010, a part of the National Day of the American Cowboy celebration. An article here in the Bandera County Courier reports on the event and the other inductees, which included character actor and artist Buck Taylor and the late rodeo pioneer Bill Pickett.

Red Steagall is the past Poet Laureate of Texas, the first "cowboy" poet to hold that honor in decades (Carlos Ashley held the position 1949-1951). In 1991, Red was named the Official Cowboy Poet of Texas by the Texas state legislature.

Known for his poetry as well as his Texas Swing dance music and songs, Red has earned many distinctions in his 35-year-plus career. He has had over 200 of his songs recorded, recorded 26 consecutive records on the national charts and released over 20 albums. He has entertained around the world and appeared in films and television productions.

Red Steagall has published a number of acclaimed books. He has received the Wrangler Award for original music from the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City (the most recent, this year, for his A Cowboy’s Special Christmas CD, his ninth Wrangler). He hosts the annual Red Steagall Cowboy Gathering and Western Swing Festival in the Stockyards National Historic District of Fort Worth, Texas each fall. His one-hour syndicated radio show, Cowboy Corner, is heard on 170 stations in 43 states.

Red Steagall has also been inducted into the Texas Trail of Fame, the Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame, and the Hall of Great Westerners at the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City.

Red Steagall's "The Fence That Me and Shorty Built" is on the The BAR-D Roundup: Volume Five. His "The Memories in Grandmother's Trunk," on The BAR-D Roundup: Volume Three and "Born to This Land" on the first volume of The BAR-D Roundup.

"Born to This Land" inspired the title of Red Steagall's friend Bill Owen's painting that was the 2010 Cowboy Poetry Week poster image.

Read more about Red Steagall in our feature here and visit his web site: www.redsteagall.com.

[2008 photo by Jeri L. Dobrowski; see her gallery of western performers and others here.]

Posted 8/2

The National Day of the Cowboy organization has announced the 2010 Cowboy Keeper Award recipients. From their announcement:

Recipients of the 2010 Cowboy Keeper Award™ have been selected by the National Day of the Cowboy nonprofit organization and its Board of Directors. Each year the award is bestowed upon individuals and organizations that make a substantial contribution to the preservation of pioneer heritage and cowboy culture. The award was conceived to help raise awareness for the National Day of the Cowboy and increase participation in its celebration.

Those whose efforts will be honored in 2010 are Don & Sharon Endsley—Producers of the Great American Wild West Show; the Desert Cowboys who protected freedom in the Middle-East; acclaimed singer and poet Doc Stovall; Western Jubilee Recording Company—the hallmark of excellence in Western music, and the Grant Harris Family—producers of Pilestown New Jersey’s Cowtown Rodeo, started by the Harris family back in 1929.
....

The National Day of the Cowboy organization is privileged to recognize the dedication and commitment of these five recipients of its 2010 Cowboy Keeper Award [who] are representative of our finest, most valiant guardians of pioneer heritage and the cowboy culture.

“Simple Things," the quietly inspiring artwork chosen as the image for the 2010 Cowboy Keeper Award, is the creation of Kansas artist, Jim Clements (www.jimclementsart.com). Jim expressed a desire to “honor the spirit of the west in all of his paintings.” This beautiful oil on canvas depicts a peaceful chuck wagon scene that says without words, "Cowboy life is good," and deftly captures on canvas that ethereal quality of the West Jim Clements envisions.

Find more and links here at the National Day of the Cowboy web site.

Read the entire media release here in our Awards News.

[painting: Cowboy Keeper Award art, "Simple Things," by Jim Clements, www.jimclementsart.com]

Posted 7/21

Alain Eon's impressive book, Restoring Vintage Western Saddles, offers clear, descriptive information about restoration techniques. Hundreds of photographs illustrate the step-by-step restoration processes he's developed, and 15 restored saddles are depicted.

France's Alain Eon worked as a cowboy for the CM Ranch in Dubois, Wyoming when he was in his twenties. He tells that one day he was asked to clean a number of old saddles stored in the tack room. He writes, "Discovering the fantastic work of the saddlemakers of the past century, I was immediately conquered, and that passion never left me." He has restored many saddles for others, and his personal collection includes more than 60 vintage Western saddles.

The author writes he is offering "simple techniques for those who wish to undertake a restoration of their old saddles by themselves." He doesn't claim to be an expert, and notes that restoring saddles is a part-time activity for him. Professionally, Alain Eon works as a Technical Art Director and consults with museums and art editors. That expertise is beautifully displayed in Restoring Vintage Western Saddles, which claims to be the only book of its type.

Alain Eon's web site, http://alain.eon.free.fr offers sample pages and order and contact information. (Find order and contact information also here in our Books of Western Interest.)

Posted 7/14

"Flying High and Crash Landing: Bull Wrecks in Rodeo," a photography exhibit focusing on the period 1913-1971, will be hosted by the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City, July 23, 2010 through January 10, 2011.

From the museum's media release:

A new exhibit "Flying High and Crash Landing: Bull Wrecks in Rodeo" opens July 23. The exhibit is located inside the Osborn Photography Studio Gallery in the 1900s cattle town Prosperity Junction within the
National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

Bull riding has become so popular that Professional Bull Riders events are usually sold out. Who would have thought the sport would eventually separate itself from the same stage as the other events in rodeo? Sure see a cowboy ride a bull for the required eight seconds, but there is thrill in watching wild and crazy wrecks. Cowboys, bulls and bullfighters flying through the air or crashing to the ground make audiences gasp.

Rodeo photographers have captured some spectacular airborne rides that show the all too painful landings. This exhibit will feature many of these poses. The photography of Ralph R. Doubleday, Devere Helfrich and Bern Gregory create a fun-filled, gut-wrenching exhibition of some of the most amazing wrecks ever photographed.

Nationally accredited, the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum is located in Oklahoma City's Adventure District at the junction of I-44 and I-35. For more information, call (405) 478-2250 or visit
www.nationalcowboymuseum.org.

[image courtesy of the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum: 998.008.1679; PRCA Rodeo Sports News Photographic Collection; Mike Waters #51 Nor-Easter; Harris; Richmond VA, 1969; A. Stone, photographer]

Posted 7/6

The July, 2010 issue of Western Horseman magazine features rancher, poet, writer, and editor Linda Hasselstrom in an interview with Tom Moates. Linda Hasselstrom comments on her relationship with horses, her ranch upbringing, and issues important to Western life. She tells about her writing, "...what has become my life's work: writing about grasslands and its inhabitants."

The magazine also includes a prominent review of the recent CD, Larry McWhorter, Cowboy Poet, written by Senior Editor Jennifer Denison. See our feature on the CD here.

Other articles include a feature story about Montana's REAL Ranch Horse Invitational Sale by Editor-At Large A.J. Mangum; Editor Ross Hecox' look back at "Lolo," a Nevada buckaroo, who, at age 80 in 1949 was "the oldest working cowhand in Elko County"; Ryan T. Bell's Backcountry Insight piece about wildfire safety; and the cover story by Ted Harbin about ranch-raised rough stock riders brothers Jeff and Cord McCoy, who recently starred on television's The Amazing Race.

Each issue of Western Horseman also includes Baxter Black's "On the Edge of Common Sense" column (this time, "Farrier Fan Club"); features and articles in the sections "Western Horsemanship," "Ranchlands, and "The Arena"; and more.

The Western Horseman web site includes additional web-only features.

Posted 6/21

The sixth annual National Day of the Cowboy takes place July 24, 2010, celebrated throughout the West and beyond.
The National Day of the Cowboy organization has unveiled its 2010 Hatch poster (shown above) designed by Florida artist Jim Harrison (www.meta-visual.com).
The recently-posted news at the official site includes information about the 2010 poster, activities, and more. It also highlights the auction of a guitar donated by singer and songwriter Jeff Connors, son of Chuck Connors ("The Rifleman"). The guitar is signed by top cowboy, Western, and country artists, including Michael Martin Murphey, The Quebe Sisters Band, Ray Benson and Asleep at the Wheel, Jon Chandler, Gary McMahan, Joyce Woodson, Juni Fisher, and many others.
Read the latest news from the organization here and email info@nationaldayofthecowboy.com to subscribe to the e-newsletter.
Find our National Day of the Cowboy feature here, which includes a special Art Spur.
Updated 7/21

The Autry National Center in Los Angeles, California, celebrates the 6th annual National Day of the Cowboy with a National Day of the Cowboy and Cowgirl Festival, Saturday, July 24, 11:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. From their announcement:

The Autry National Center celebrates Western heritage at the first National Day of the Cowboy and Cowgirl Festival. Join modern-day cowboys for this lively festival featuring horses, roping, and gunslinging, plus live music, delicious barbecue, gallery tours, and a marketplace of selected artists.

Find a complete description of activities here at the Autry National Center web site. The Autry National Center is "...an intercultural history center dedicated to exploring and sharing the stories, experiences, and perceptions of the diverse peoples of the American West. Located in Griffith Park, the Autry includes the collections of the Museum of the American West, the Southwest Museum of the American Indian, and the Autry Institute’s two research libraries: the Braun Research Library and the Autry Library. Exhibitions, public programs, K–12 educational services, and publications are designed to examine critical issues of society, offering insights into solutions and the contemporary human condition through the Western historical experience."
Read about our special National Day of the Cowboy Art Spur (submissions welcome through July 20, 2010) and find more in our 2010 National Day of the Cowboy feature here, which includes links to the National Day of the Cowboy organization.
Posted 6/28

Walt LaRue—cartoonist, artist, musician, songwriter, stunt man, bull rider—died June 12, 2010 at the age of 91.

Walt LaRue was a popular cartoonist and illustrator, as well as a fine artist. His illustrations appear in many books, including Buck Ramsey's Grass, Cowboy Poetry: The Reunion, and Good Medicine. He performed as a stunt man in countless films and received the Golden Boot Award in 2007. Walt LaRue was a musician and songwriter as well. His song, "Pretty Pauline," has been recorded by Dave Stamey, Skip Gorman, and others.

Read much more in our notice here, including words from poet, writer, editor and publisher Darrell Arnold.

[Thanks to Dave Bourne who sent the news to Pat Richardson, to Darrell Arnold, and to Linda Chambers; photo from May, 1990, courtesy of Darrell Arnold]

Updated 6/22

Songwriter, musician, and yodeling phenomenon Wylie Gustafson of Wylie & the Wild West, accompanied by band member Scot Wilburn, made a return appearance to A Prairie Home Companion with Garrison Keillor on a live broadcast from Spokane, Washington, on Saturday, June 12. The show is heard by more than 4 million listeners each week, broadcast on 590 public radio stations and abroad on America One and the Armed Forces Networks in Europe and the Far East. You can listen to the show here.

Read more at the show's web site, where Wylie is called "the coolest cowpoke around."

Wylie Gustafson received the 2010 Spur Award from the Western Writers of America, along with co-writer Paul Zarzyski, for Best Western Song for "Hang-n-Rattle," from the recent CD, Hang-n-Rattle.

Read more about Wylie Gustafson in our feature here and visit his web site, www.wyliewbsite.com.

[photo of Wylie Gustafson by Ross Hecox]

Updated 6/14

The music of top cowboy singer and songwriter Dave Stamey is teamed with the work of premier Western photographer David Stoecklein (www.stoeckleinphotography.com) in a slide show presentation of "Come Ride With Me," the title song from Dave Stamey's latest CD.

David Stoecklein's web site tells about the photographer, "David's fascination with the ranching heritage of the American West led him to befriend, and subsequently photograph, the men and women still breathing life into the mythical figure of the cowboy. David's passion for preserving the traditions and beliefs of the country's honest, hard-working cowboys and cowgirls gradually earned him their respect. With that respect came an open invitation to share in their lives, and the great responsibility to honor their trust."

David Stoecklein's most recent book is Photographing the West, "a tribute to the hard-working people and animals that have provided Stoecklein with so much inspiration over the years."

Dave Stamey has been a cowboy, a mule packer, and a dude wrangler. He was named Best Living Western Solo Musician by True West; three times voted Entertainer of the Year, three times Male Performer of the Year and twice Songwriter of the Year by the Western Music Association. He has received the Will Rogers Award from the Academy of Western Artists.

Find more about Dave Stamey in our feature here and visit his web site, www.davestamey.com.

See the Dave Stamey and David Stoecklein slide show presentation here.

Posted 6/10

The Last American Cowboy series featuring three Montana ranch families premieres Monday, June 7, at 10 PM (E/P) on Animal Planet television. From the series description:

... LAST AMERICAN COWBOY shares the highs and lows of life on a ranch for the Hughes, Galt and Stucky families. From the multi-generational ranch family committed to working only on horseback to the modern rancher who uses high-tech equipment, all-terrain vehicles and even a helicopter to manage his massive operation to the small nuclear family determined to persevere against all odds, all must struggle to make ends meet and all are deeply committed to this classic way of life lived close to the land.

Find more, including video clips from the series here.
Posted 6/7

Top singer, songwriter, and poet Red Steagall's In the Bunkhouse series and his Cowboy Corner radio show are now available on demand at the Cowboys & Indians web site. The magazine reports:

...In The Bunkhouse currently airs on RFD-TV, but for those of you who don't get the channel or tend to forget when it's on (1 and 11 p.m. Wednesdays, EST) you can watch anytime at www.cowboysindians.com. In the first episode from season one, Red visits with actor Barry Corbin and plays a few tunes for us before boning up on his brisket cooking...you can also catch full episodes of his Cowboy Corner radio show on our website. Click here for an archive of past shows.

In the Bunkhouse also airs on RFD-TV, presented by Cowboys & Indians. From an earlier announcement:

"I call the show 'cowboy variety,'" Steagall says, "because that's what it is, the best in all things cowboy—music, interviews, poetry, chuck wagon cooking, and a little bit of good old American wisdom in every episode." Each week, Steagall promises, "I'll share coffee with the men and women who keep our beloved cowboy culture alive..."

Steagall, host of the syndicated radio show Cowboy Corner and long-time columnist for Cowboys & Indians, is the official Cowboy Poet of Texas. He has performed as a singer and musician for more than four decades, touring at least 200 days every year. More than 200 of his songs have been recorded by artists as diverse as Dean Martin, Roy Clarke and Ray Charles.

Read more here at RFD-TV.
Find more about Red Steagall in our feature here and at his web site, www.redsteagall.com.

[2008 photo of Red Steagall by Jeri L. Dobrowski; see her gallery of western performers and others here.]
Posted 6/3

The Art of the Western Saddle exhibit continues at the American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame & Museum in Amarillo, Texas, through July 31, 2010.
From the museum's description, "The Art of the Western Saddle features 16 glorious examples of the saddlemaker’s art. Curated by western historian and author William C. Reynolds, the exhibit features silver-mounted saddles from important private collections and museums across the country. The collection displays the saddles' unique design, craftsmanship and graceful merging of silver, gold and leather. Many of the saddles have never been exhibited in public, and the exhibition is a unique opportunity to see the pinnacle of craftsmanship, embellishing the primary tool of the American cowboy."
You can download the complete exhibit catalog in a pdf file at the American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame & Museum web site.
Posted 6/1

The New Mexico Museum of Art in Albuquerque presents the exhibit, Sole Mates: Cowboy Boots and Art, through October 17, 2010. From the museum's description:

Sole Mates: Cowboy Boots and Art celebrates images of the West and views cowboy boots as important symbols of western life. The exhibition presents more than 130 examples of contemporary and historic art, including paintings, drawings, postcards, advertisements, sculptures, video imagery, and of course cowboy boots.

Find some images from the exhibit here on the museum's web site.
Posted 5/20

The June, 2010 issue of Western Horseman magazine includes a feature article about Western musician, poet, photographer and rancher John Reedy (pictured) and his daughter Brigid. The profile, "Montana Music Makers," by Senior Editor Jennifer Denison, also includes the lyrics to John Reedy's "Buckaroo Girl."
Both John and Brigid Reedy were featured performers at the 2010 National Poetry Gathering. Nine-year-old Brigid sings, yodels, and recites poetry. A much-viewed video of her performing with young Cora Wood and Adrian at the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering is here on YouTube.
John Reedy comments in the article, "I see music as a gift we can give people. We're not looking to be famous, just to share our talent in an authentic way to make people happy and hope they enjoy it." (See our feature about John Reedy here.)
Modern Western artist and former Montana rancher Theodore Waddell (theodorewaddell.com) is also featured in the magazine's "Cowboy Culture" section, in another article by Jennifer Denison, "Bailey and Friends." The artist comments on his art, inspired by abstract impressionism, "...I prefer open-ended work that doesn't lead a viewer in a certain way and make all the conclusions." Theodore Waddell's work graces the cover of poet Paul Zarzyski's book, Wolf Tracks on the Welcome Mat.
Other feature articles include the cover story by Jennifer Denison about horseman and clinician Craig Cameron; a story by Associate Edtior Kyle Partain with photography by David Stoecklein, "From Broncs to Cow Horses," about Wyoming rancher Mike Miller; and popular writer, backcountry guide, and blogger Ryan T. Bell's (ryantbell.com) "A New Twist to Leave No Trace," about backcountry horsemen and catch-and-release fishing.
Each issue of Western Horseman also includes Baxter Black's "On the Edge of Common Sense" column (this time, "How'd Ya Hurt Yer Nose?"); features and articles in the sections "Western Horsemanship," "Ranchlands, and "The Arena"; and more.
The Western Horseman web site includes additional web-only features.
Posted 5/17

The National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum's Prix de West catalog is now available here on the web.
The prestigious invitational Prix de West art exhibit takes place June 11-September 6, 2010. It includes "over 300 Western paintings and sculpture by the finest contemporary Western artists in the nation with art seminars, receptions and awards banquet. The exhibiting artists bring a diversity of styles to this prestigious art exhibition. Works range from historical pieces that reflect the early days of the West, to more contemporary and impressionist works of art. Landscapes, wildlife and illustrative scenes are always highlighted in the exhibition..."
Among the featured artists: Bill Owen, whose "Born to This Land" was featured as the 2010 Cowboy Poetry Week poster, with two paintings, "In a Dead Run" and "Waiting on the Outside Circle"; and Tim Cox, whose "At His Own Pace" was featured as the 2007 Cowboy Poetry Week poster, with three paintings, "Where Change Comes Slowly," "When Day is Just About Done," and "Gathering Storm."
[Image courtesy of the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, "Where Change Comes Slowly," Oil, 24" x 36", by Tim Cox]
Posted 5/13

The June/July 2010 issue of American Cowboy magazine includes an article by Editor Tom Wilmes about respected rancher, poet, writer, and reciter Joel Nelson. Joel Nelson comments, "Cowboy poetry is an oral tradition, and also a lifestyle. There's fisherman poets and logger poets and other categories like that. It all stems from living the life."
Also of cowboy poetry and music interest: Editor Wilmes writes about cowboy songs in an article that quotes Gary McMahan and Michael Martin Murphey. Reviews include one by Charley Engel ("Chuckaroo the Buckaroo" of Calling All Cowboys radio) about Juni Fisher's new Let 'er Go, Let 'er Buck, Let 'er Fly CD. A feature story by journalist, photographer, and Western music singer Mark Bedor covers "The Best Ranch Vacations of the West."
Other articles in the June/July 2010 issue range from Ted Turner on the American Bison to tips for loading a horse trailer. Find articles from past issues and web-exclusive features at the American Cowboy web site.
Posted 5/10

American Routes radio from American Public Media features cowboy culture, including cowboy poetry and music in its May 5, 2010 show, "Horsepower: The Cowboy Rides Into the Future." From the show's description:

This week on American Routes we're exploring the life of the cowboy. From the desert hills of Nevada to the swampy forests of Florida, the cowboy is an enduring symbol of American individualism and self-reliance. We'll visit with several working cowboys, including a few who can sing a tune or two. Wylie Gustafson might be better known as the man behind the Yahoo yodel, but we'll talk ranching and horses, as well as
music. Then we'll talk to Creole cowboy Geno Delafose to learn how he mixes zydeco with cattle raising. Plus a couple of Cracker cowboys share tales of cow-hunting, and lots of music to get you out on the trail.

For the show, host Nick Spitzer draws on his involvement in the 2010 National Cowboy Poetry Gathering, where among other things he introduced Geneo Delafose and the French Rockin' Boogie and presented a talk, "Zydeco Trail Ride: Creole Cowboys at Work and Play."
Along with music and cowboy poetry, the show includes ranch interviews and a visit to J. M. Capriola Company saddlery in Elko, Nevada. View the complete playlist, with diverse selections including Woody Guthrie, Patsy Montana, Emmylou Harris, Marty Robbins, Buck Owens, Wylie Gustafson of Wylie and the Wild West, Wallace McCrae, Ian Tyson, David Bourne, Glenn Ohrlin, Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys, Corb Lund, Willie Nelson, Lyle Lovett, Geno Delafose, Buck Ramsey, and many others.

American Routes presents "a broad range of American music—blues and jazz, gospel and soul, old-time country and rockabilly, Cajun and zydeco, Tejano and Latin, roots rock and pop, avant-garde and classical.... explores the shared musical and cultural threads in these American styles and genres of music—and how they are distinguished."

Shows are aired on many public radio states and available for listening on demand at the American Routes web site; there is a full archive of past shows.
[thanks to Jerry Brooks for the news of the show]
Posted 5/5

Top ranch photographer René A. Heil of Follett, Texas, recently photographed the branding at the South Dakota ranch of Glen and Yvonne Hollenbeck; view a selected image in his Photo of the Day journal and many images from the branding in his "Spring Round Up Collections," found under Recent Work at his web site.
Over the past fourteen years, René A. Heil has traveled from Mexico to Montana photographing working ranches and working cowboys during spring roundup. He is currently in the midst of 2010 ranch tour, where he photographs a branding every day, averaging 2500 photos per day.
Some of his ranch photography is collected in his Dust and Smoke series of books, the latest, the fifth, Dust & Smoke: Tough Cowboys & Good Horses captures spring roundup work on ranches from Texas to the Dakotas.
Visit René A. Heil's web site for more about his work and his books.
Posted 5/5

The Spring, 2010 issue of New Plains Review has a special section highlighting cowboy poetry, which includes Rod Miller's foreword, an overview of the origins of cowboy poetry and its contemporary scene. The featured section also has poems by Rod Miller, Hal Swift, Mary Logan, Josh Byer, Meaghan Elliott, and Chavawn Kelley.

New Plains Review is published semiannually by the University of Central Oklahoma. In this issue, Executive Editor Shay Rahm-Barnett—whose great-grandfather was a working cowboy—writes, "I hope that the words of Rod Miller and the other cowboy poets of this issue will help us maintain (or obtain) a connection to history that is a proud demonstration of hard work, intellect, and passion."

Find more information, including submission information, at the New Plains Review web site. There are excerpts from the Spring 2010 issue, including Rod Miller's poem, "Bad Road," here.

Posted 5/4

Noted photographer Jessica Brandi Lifland (www.jessicalifland.com), the official photographer for the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering, has been working on a project documenting the lives of cowboy poets.

Currently, her photoblog includes images of Jerry Brooks and Elizabeth Ebert, along with a slide show of DW Groethe accompanied by his poem "Yearlin' Heifers" from the first volume of The BAR-D Roundup.

Jessica Brandi Lifland has contributed articles and photographs about cowboy poets to Range magazine, including Wallace McRae (Summer, 2008; see the article in this pdf file at the magazine's web site) and Henry Real Bird (Winter, 2009).

Photos of Wallace McRae, Henry Real Bird, Waddie Mitchell, Doris Daley, and others can be found in her General Archives at www.jessicalifland.com.

Based in San Francisco, Jessica Brandi Lifland has worked as a photojournalist "all over the United States and internationally in such places as Kosovo, Burma, Italy and most recently Jordan and Palestine. Her work appears nationally and internationally in publications including The New York Times, USA Today, The Toronto Star, Newsweek, Time, Forbes and Le Monde...." Read more about her at her web site and visit her photoblog.

[photograph of Jessica Lifland by Vasna Wilson]

Posted 4/28

The first academic anthology to focus on cowboy poets east of the Mississippi, Georgia Cowboy Poets, by David Fillingim and published by Mercer University Press, presents a history of cowboy poetry, a survey of the contemporary scene, and a collection of poems by Georgia poets.

Included are the works of poets Doc Stovall, Joel Hayes, Jerry Warren, Tom Kerlin, and six others, including David Fillingim. Fillingim's essay, "The Cowboy Poetry Phenomenon," offers an extensive background of the history and modern practice of cowboy poetry, with generous references. Another essay, "Keeping Georgia a Western State: The Georgia Cowboy Poets," explains the foundation of cowboy poetry in the state and how its events and poets contrast with cowboy poetry elsewhere. The author's preface explains that the book was inspired by his attendance at the Southeastern Cowboy Gathering at the Booth Western Art Museum.

Popular Canadian poet Doris Daley provides the book's foreword. She comments that the book "...reminds us all how big the West really is."

David Fillingim is also the author of Redneck Liberation: Country Music as Theology and other books. He is an associate professor of Philosophy at Shorter College in Rome, Georgia.

Find more about Georgia Cowboy Poets at the Mercer University Press web site.

Posted 4/26

We're pleased to announce the release of The BAR-D Roundup: Volume Five (2010) CD, our fifth compilation of vintage and contemporary recordings of some of the best cowboy poetry. A wide range of voices present tales that express this venerable art form, words that uncover "the heartbeat of the working West."

This fifth annual edition of The BAR-D Roundup includes a vintage recording of Charles Badger Clark, Jr. (1883-1957) introducing and reciting his still-popular poem, "The Cowboy's Prayer," and contemporary poets reciting their work, including "Awakenings" by rancher, horseman, and National Endowment of the Arts Fellow Joel Nelson; "The Fence That Me and Shorty Built" by songwriter, poet, entertainer and past Texas Poet Laureate Red Steagall; and "No Second Chance" by top cowboy poet Waddie Mitchell.

Also included are "Waitin' on the Drive" by the late Larry McWhorter (1957-2003), and "Some Cowboy Brag Talk" by the legendary Harry Jackson.

Classic selections include a focus on Charles Badger Clark, Jr. with recitations by Randy Rieman ("The Married Man"), Jerry Brooks ("The Legend of Boastful Bill"), and Hal Swift ("Jeff Hart"). Other classic offerings include Linda Kirkpatrick's rendition of "The Creak of the Leather" by Bruce Kiskaddon (1878-1950); S. Omar Barker (1895-1985) poems recited by Susan Parker ("Ranch Mother") and Jim Thompson ("He'll Do"); and Rex Rideout's recitation of the anonymous "When Bob Got Throwed."

The CD has a fifth annual selection from Grass, the master work by the late Buck Ramsey (1938-1998), a National Endowment for the Arts Fellow, recognized as the spiritual leader of modern cowboy poetry.

There are many additional tracks of contemporary poems, most from poets who frequently please audiences from contemporary gathering stages, including: Marty Blocker, Ken Cook, Doris Daley, Janice Gilbertson, DW Groethe, Yvonne Hollenbeck, Chris Isaacs, Dee Strickland Johnson ("Buckshot Dot"), Andy Nelson, Rodney Nelson, Pat Richardson, Georgie Sicking, Jay Snider, and Diane Tribitt.

Every year's CD includes a radio public service announcement about the Center for Western and Cowboy Poetry. This year, it is delivered by popular radio DJ Joe Baker of New Mexico's Backforty Bunkhouse.

The BAR-D Roundup cover images are vintage photos of poets or their forebears. This year's cover features a circa 1940 image of Georgie Sicking, cowboy, poet, and Cowgirl Hall of Fame inductee. Inside each year's CD, a contemporary ranch family photo is featured. For 2010, there's a photo of cowboys, family, and friends at poet and writer Diane Tribitt's Minnesota ranch.

Poems and permissions were generously donated by poets, musicians, families, organizations, and publishers.

The BAR-D Roundup enjoys wide radio airplay, thanks to the pro bono distribution to hundreds of Western radio stations by Joe Baker of New Mexico's Backforty Bunkhouse. Wyoming's Andy Nelson, poet, humorist, popular emcee and co-host of the award-winning Clear Out West (C. O. W.) Radio show is the CD's engineer and co-pr
The BAR-D Roundup CDs are sent to rural libraries as a part of Cowboy Poetry Week's Rural Library Project. They are also a premium for supporters of CowboyPoetry.com and the Center for Western and Cowboy Poetry, and are offered for sale.

Find complete information here, along with a narrative description of the CD's contents, with poem excerpts.

Posted 4/14

The ninth annual Cowboy Poetry Week was celebrated April 18-14, 2010.

Read here about the many poets, musicians, disk jockeys, event organizers, libraries, organizations, and individuals who participated in performances, in involving their communities and officials, and in celebrating cowboy poetry and spreading the word.

Inaugurated in 2002 by the Center for Western and Cowboy Poetry, Cowboy Poetry Week was officially recognized by unanimous resolution of the United States Senate. Twenty-two states' governors and other officials have recognized Cowboy Poetry Week. The celebration, with a special focus on rural libraries with its Rural Library Project, is held during the third week of April each year, in conjunction with National Poetry Month in the United States and Canada.

The week celebrates this popular folk form that records the voices of the working West, a tradition—stories of cowboys, ranchers, and Western writers—that spans three centuries. The 2010 Cowboy Poetry Week celebration included many events taking place in communities from Tennessee to Alberta.

"Born to This Land," a painting by premier Western artist Bill Owen (www.billowenca.com), serves as this year's Cowboy Poetry Week poster art. The painting's title is from an outstanding poem by Red Steagall, past Texas Poet Laureate, singer, songwriter, radio and television host, and entertainer. Posters are sent to libraries as a part of the Center's Rural Library Project and are available to Center supporters.

The BAR-D Roundup, the Center’s annual compilation recording of the best in classic and current cowboy poetry is also offered to libraries, to Center supporters, and to the public. Read about The BAR-D Roundup below and here.

Read more about Cowboy Poetry Week here and find events, news, and activities here.

In 2011, the tenth annual Cowboy Poetry Week will be celebrated April 17-23.

[Image: "Born to This Land" © 1992, by Bill Owen, www.BillOwenCA.com; reproduction without the artist's permission prohibited]

Updated 4/26

Back at the Ranch, an e-newsletter for supporters of the Center for Western and Cowboy Poetry, was sent April 12, 2010. The newsletter includes previews of features, advance notice of news and projects, and more. If you're one of the Center's generous supporters and did not receive the newsletter, email us.

All of the Center's programs—the Rural Library Project, Cowboy Poetry Week, the annual BAR-D Roundup compilation CDs, the annual Western art poster for Cowboy Poetry Week, and all of the continual updates of news, features, poetry, and more at CowboyPoetry.com—are made possible by the generous support of individual and organizational donors from our community. We need your help to continue our programs.

If you visit CowboyPoetry.com often and find news, information, and entertainment; if your poetry, CD, book, news, or gathering have been featured...please show your support, so that we can continue to bring you all of the information that is important to you.

If you are not a supporter yet, learn more here about how you can join others and be an important part of it all.

The separate BAR-D e-news was sent to subscribers on April 16, 2010. All are invited to subscribe to e-news here.

Updated 4/16

A cover story at the Poetry Foundation calls cowboy poetry "one of poetry's fastest growing movements..." In his article, "All the Real Dudes," Paul Constant features the work of South Dakota rancher, cowboy and poet Ken Cook (pictured):

“It’s just what I do,” Ken Cook says. “I ride horses and punch cows and write poetry.”

Cook recognizes this isn’t exactly normal behavior for either a cowboy or a poet, but Cook also knows he isn’t the only one who sees ropes, horses, cows, and poems as all of a piece. In fact, he’s just one member of the popular (and growing) cowboy poetry movement that has, over the past decade, proven itself adept at gathering up one thing most more “mainstream” poetry has not: an expanding audience of devoted fans.

Utah poet Sam DeLeeuw's work is also cited, along with some classic cowboy poetry.

Rancher and National Endowment for the Arts Fellow Joel Nelson's poem, "Equus Caballus," is included in the Poetry Foundation's archive. The site is searchable for other cowboy poetry references.

The Poetry Foundation is described, "...publisher of Poetry magazine, is an independent literary organization committed to a vigorous presence for poetry in our culture. It exists to discover and celebrate the best poetry and to place it before the largest possible audience."

The Art of the Rural blog comments on the article in an April 12, 2010 posting.

Utah writer and poet Rod Miller offers an excellent introduction to cowboy poetry here in a 2009 essay in RATTLE.

Two other recommended articles about cowboy poetry appear in the program of the Western Folklife Center's 25th National Cowboy Poetry Gathering (2009), and are available on the Western Folklife Center's web site: "Cowboy Citizen Poet," by Kim Stafford, the founding director of the Northwest Writing Institute at Lewis & Clark College in Portland, Oregon, and "Cowboy Poetry in 2009," by Hal Cannon, Founding Director of the Western Folklife Center.

[photo of Ken Cook by Jeri L. Dobrowski; thanks to Darcy Minter of the Western Folklife Center for the link to The Art of the Rural blog]

Updated 4/12

United States Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid—one of the sponsors of a 2003 unanimous Senate Resolution (S. Res. 108) for Cowboy Poetry Week —recognized Cowboy Poetry Week during the proceedings of the 11th Congress on March 26, 2010.

Senator Reid comments, in part, "...What began as storytelling over the campfire has evolved into both a way to preserve the history and culture of the West, as well as a modern art form that embraces the cowboy way of life...At cowboy gatherings, urban populations are able to glimpse a way of life that continues to exist on rangelands across the West...thanks to cowboy poets, among others, we will never lose the true spirit of the West..."

See the complete text from the Congressional Record here.

The ninth annual Cowboy Poetry Week takes place April 18-24, 2010, celebrated in communities from Tennessee to Alaska. In Cowboy Poetry Week's associated Rural Library Project, hundreds of libraries across the West have received the Cowboy Poetry Week poster (with art by premier Western artist Bill Owen) along with an invitation to receive The BAR-D Roundup: Volume 5 CD (available April 5 to the public) for their collections.

Find general information about Cowboy Poetry Week here and the latest news and event listings here.

Posted 4/1

The Heart of Western Music, a new series from Nashville West Studios, had its debut March 30, 2010 on Direct TV and Dish Network, and new segments are available on demand on YouTube.

Featured performers include the late Curly Musgrave, Belinda Gail, Juni Fisher, Dave Stamey, and many others.

Juni Fisher describes the show, "...It is the brainchild of Scott and Linda Deal, and the idea is: American Idol for Western Music...Not pop, not country, not 'country western,' but Western Music...the music of the American West. But the big difference is, some of the leaders of the Western Music Industry will listen to the newly discovered talents, folks just entering the Western Music arena, and instead of criticizing in front of the TV audience, they mentor, teach, encourage...and by golly, the concept is working!"

Ten segments are available on demand here on YouTube and there is a Facebook page.

Updated 4/13

The April, 2010 issue of Western Horseman magazine includes a feature story about top Western artist Tim Cox, "A Well Earned Drink," by Jennifer Denison. The article describes one of Tim Cox's recent paintings, which was inspired while he helped gather calves for a fall branding in New Mexico.

Tim Cox's painting, "At His Own Pace," was the 2007 Cowboy Poetry Week poster and the subject of that celebration's Art Spur. His "Hick's Hereford Heifers" was the subject of this past Winter's Art Spur.

See our feature about Tim Cox here and visit his web site, www.timcox.com.

The April issue also includes editor A. J. Mangum's commentary about celebrated cowboy singer and songwriter Ian Tyson; the magazine presented him with the Western Horseman of the Year Award at this year's National Cowboy Poetry Gathering. You can read the article here. A recent Western Horseman article about Ian Tyson by Ryan T. Bell is available here on Ryan T. Bell's blog.

Another highlight of the issue is Baxter Black's regular "back page" column, On the Edge of Common Sense. The magazine collected many of those columns in a recent book, The Back Page. See our feature about Baxter Black here and visit his web site, www.baxterblack.com.

Along with its features about horsemanship and ranching, Western Horseman includes a "Cowboy Culture" section edited by Jennifer Denison that often includes features of interest about cowboy poetry, Western music, and associated arts. Visit the web site, www.westernhorseman.com.

Posted 3/25

Wylie Gustafson of Wylie & the Wild West and Paul Zarzyski are recipients of 2010 Spur Awards from the Western Writers of America.

The Best Western Poem award was given to Paul Zarzyski for ""Bob Dylan Bronc Song," and the two were awarded Best Western Song for their collaboration, "Hang-n-Rattle," from the CD, Hang-n-Rattle. Paul Zarzyski's poem is a "hidden track" on the CD. Read more about the CD here and at the Wylie & the Wild West web site.

The Spur Awards have been given annually since 1953 "...for distinguished writing about the American West." The winners and finalists were announced March 20, 2010 at the Festival of the West. Awards will be presented at the Western Writers of American annual convention, June 22-26, 2010 in Knoxville, Tennessee.

Additional Best Western Poem finalists for the 2010 awards include Texas poet Larry D. Thomas, for "Glass Mountains" and David Memmott for "Where the Yellow Brick Road Meets the West." The Best Western Song finalists were Daron Little for "Pete French" and Steve Moulton for "Steamboat."

Find a list of all of the 2010 awards in our Awards news here, and find listings all past years' awards and more about the Spur Awards here at the Western Writers of America web site.

See our feature about Wylie Gustafson and Wylie & the Wild West here and visit www.wyliewebsite.com. Find our feature on Paul Zarzyski here and visit www.paulzarzyski.com.

[2009 photo of Wylie Gustafson and Paul Zarzyksi by Jeri L. Dobrowski ; see her gallery of western performers and others here ; thanks also to Jeri Dobrowski for the Spur Awards news.]

We're honored to have the work of premier Western artist Bill Owen—his painting "Born to This Land " —featured as the ninth annual Cowboy Poetry Week poster. The painting's title is from an outstanding poem by past Texas Poet Laureate, singer, songwriter, radio and television host, and entertainer Red Steagall (a poem that was included on the first edition of The BAR-D Roundup).

"Born to This Land" © 1992, by Bill Owen, www.BillOwenCA.com

Bill Owen (www.billowenca.com), son of a cowboy, is celebrated for his realistic portrayals of contemporary cowboys and ranchers. He is a member of the prestigious Cowboy Artists of America (CA). He has received numerous awards from the CA, and among other honors, has received the Frederic Remington Award for Artistic Merit by the Cowboy Hall of Fame (now the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum ); the Prix de West Invitational Show Express Ranches Great American Cowboy Award from the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum; and the C. M. Russell Art Auction Honorary Chairmen’s Award.

Bill Owen founded The Arizona Cowpuncher's Scholarship Organization, which helps finance college educations for young people from Arizona ranching families.

The artist comments on his painting, "The title of this painting is taken from a poem by my friend, Red Steagall. Fathers often teach the cowboy profession, which includes respect for the land, to their youngsters." The work depicts a Northern Arizona rancher and his son "seen enjoying each other’s company while waiting for the last few head of cattle to arrive at the hold up.”

Bill Owen is featured in a cover story in Art of the West magazine (September/October 2009).

Cowboy Poetry Week (April 18-24, 2010)—officially recognized by unanimous resolution of the United States Senate and 22 states' governors—is celebrated in communities across the West. The annual event, with a special focus on rural libraries, is held in conjunction with National Poetry Month in the United States and Canada. Read more here about Cowboy Poetry Week.

Previous years' Cowboy Poetry Week poster artists include Tim Cox, Joelle Smith, William Matthews, and Bob Coronato (see past posters here). Posters are sent to hundreds of libraries as a part of the Center’s outreach Rural Library Project, along with an annual compilation CD of classic and contemporary poetry, The BAR-D Roundup. Each volume in the growing archive includes today's top poets and vintage selections of recordings by popular past masters in their own voices, including Robert Service, Badger Clark, Buck Ramsey, Gail I. Gardner, and others

Posters are not sold, but are available to Center supporters. Find more information below.

The National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum has announced the recipients of its prestigious Western Heritage Award, the "Wrangler Award." From their media release:

For the 49th time, the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum announces the Western Heritage Awards. The awards honor and encourage the legacy of those whose works in literature, music, film and television reflect the significant stories of the American West.

The Western Heritage Awards are presented at a black-tie banquet at the Museum, set for April 17, 2010. Each winner in attendance receives a Wrangler, an impressive bronze sculpture of a cowboy on horseback. Awards presented in 2010 are for works completed in 2009. Qualified professionals outside the Museum staff judge all categories.

The awards announced are (some with the museum's comments):

Western Music Awards

Outstanding New Artist: Steve Moulton, Cowboys & Campfires. "This award is given to someone in the first five years of their career, who has never received a Wrangler in an individual category and is striving to continue to produce music of the Western genre. When Moulton isn’t ranching or building custom furniture, he entertains weekly at the A Bar A Guest Ranch, near Encampment, Wyoming. He sings and plays both mandolin and guitar and serves as president of the Grand Encampment Cowboy Gathering, performs there and also at the Heber City Cowboy Gathering. Moulton’s first CD includes his original song, “Steamboat,” a musical story of the great Wyoming bucking horse. His great grandfather, Guy Holt, is one of the few cowboys to ride the horse."

Outstanding Original Composition: “The Great Western Trail” by LeRoy Jones, composed by Dave Copenhaver, Terry Scarberry and LeRoy Jones. "Off the album “Looking Back,” the song tells the tale of a cattle drive from Texas to Kansas and conjures up memories of the old West. The entire album combines authentic Western music with song about gathering, branding, letters home and the dangers of trail life."

Outstanding Traditional Western Album: Welcome to the Tribe, recorded by Andy Wilkinson and Andy Hedges and produced by Lloyd Maines and Andy Wilkinson. "This new album joins singers/songwriters Wilkinson and Hedges and the combination results in a classic Western album. Both Andys are poets, songwriters and performers—making this album inspirational. This CD offers a mix of classic songs with new arrangements and a fresh set of original music. Make sure to read the liner notes which add meaning to each of the melodies." [Read more in the news item below]

Literary Awards

Outstanding Western Novel: The Sundown Chaser by Dusty Richards

Outstanding Nonfiction Book: The Last Indian War: The Nez Perce Story by Elliott West

Outstanding Art Book: The Masterworks of Charles M. Russell: A Retrospective of Paintings and Sculpture by Joan Carpenter Troccoli

Outstanding Photography Book: Ghost Ranch and the Faraway Nearby by Craig Varjabedian

Outstanding Juvenile Book: Bull Rider by Suzanne Morgan Williams

Outstanding Magazine Article: “My Heart Now Has Become Changed to Softer Feelings, A Northern Cheyenne Woman and Her Family Remember the Long Journey Home” by John H. Monnett, published in Montana, The Magazine of Western History

Outstanding Poetry Book: Work Is Love Made Visible by Jeanetta Calhoun Mish

Film and Television

Outstanding Docudrama: “Cowboys & Outlaws: The Real Wyatt Earp” by Half Yard Productions. Written and directed by Pip Gilmour and produced by Sean Gallagher, Abby Greensfelder and Paul Cabana

Outstanding Documentary, Contemporary: “Born to Ride: Cody Wright and the Quest for a World Title” by SUTV, Southern Utah University, produced by Jon Smith, written and directed by Lyman Hafen and narrated by Wilford Brimley

Outstanding Documentary, Historical, “She Wrote ‘My Friend Flicka.’ ” Directed by Letitia C. Langord and produced by Rudy Calvert and Kyle Nicholoff, Wyoming PBS

Read the entire announcement here.

[pictured, photo courtesy of the National Western and Cowboy Heritage Museum: "The coveted Wrangler, a stunning bronze sculpture of a cowboy on horseback, is presented by the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in 15 categories of Western music, film, television and literature in the Western genre." ]

Posted 3/2

"The Best Cowboy Poetry" tops the cover of the April/May, 2010 issue of American Cowboy magazine, and inside three April gatherings are highlighted in a brief article: the Santa Clarita Cowboy Festival (Santa Clarita, California), the Columbia River Cowboy Gathering & Music Festival (Kennewick, Washington); and the St. Anthony Cowboy Poetry Gathering (St. Anthony, Idaho). Cowboy poets Yvonne Hollenbeck, Pat Richardson, Sam DeLeeuw, B.J. Smith, Layle Bagley, and Don Kennington are mentioned.

A letter in the "mailbag" asks why cowboy poetry is no longer included in the magazine, and the magazine responds, "Our new format does not accommodate regular publication of poetry (editing fiction is not our expertise), but here's a nice piece of writing..." and includes R. V. Schmidt's short poem, "Rodeo Cowboy."

The issue includes music, book, and DVD reviews. Music reviews include those of Unwired by Wylie & the Wild West, Lone Cowboy by Michael Martin Murphey, Herdin' Cats by The Saddle Cats, and other new releases.

Find articles from past issues and web-exclusive features at the American Cowboy web site.

Posted 3/15

Lorraine d'Entremont Rawls has captured the story of the French cowboys of the Camargue area of Provence in a rich, compelling film now available on DVD, Gardian Nation. Filmed and edited by Gail Steiger, Gardian Nation is described:

At the mouth of the Rhone river, in the Camargue area of Provence, one sees white horses, black bulls, pink flamingos and a small group of herdsmen known as gardians; France's own cowboys. In this marsh covered land, the gardians, like many horse cultures, are trying to hold tight to a rapidly declining way of life. This is their story, of hard work and creativity to keep their passion for horses, cattle, nature and Provence itself alive.

With a focus on generations of one family's involvement in the culture, their story is told against scenes of their ranching life and preparations for the centuries' old "bull race" competitions. One French commentator compares the scope of the largest event to the National Finals Rodeo, and the film captures the pageantry of the races and excitement of the bull ring (unlike "bullfighting," a wild bull challenges a dozen "bull racers" who vie for the tassels and strings on the bull's horns; no blood is shed, each bull works for only 15 minutes, and it is a show of skill, grace, and speed).

Though the some of the traditions go back centuries, much about the gardian world is relatively recent. At the turn of the 19th century, inspired by regional pride at a time when official France was attempting to stamp out regionalism and impressed by the American West, one man, Marquis Folco de Baroncelli de Javon (1869-1943), is credited with resurrecting the culture and inspiring the look and activities of the gardian as they are today. The film tells (and shows, with vintage stills) that he housed the Sioux Indians of Buffalo Bill's Wild West show in the early 1900s; he saw them as he saw the gardian, threatened with extinction by the forces of a majority culture.

The gardian culture was a focus of the Western Folklife Center' s National Cowboy Poetry Gathering in 2007. The family of Patrick and Estelle Laurent—who were at the gathering—is the family featured in Gardian Nation. Viewers get to know other gardian, some bull race competitors, and others involved with the culture. The Gitano Family, traditional gypsy musicians who were also at the 2007 gathering, are featured in the film and also in separate bonus performance footage on the DVD.

History and modernity link French and American cowboy culture and the film offers much to consider about the establishment and fates of both. Those everywhere who care about ranching cultures will come away impressed by the people of the Camargue and the art and vision of the filmmakers.

Film producer Lorraine d'Entremont Rawls is also the co-author of Wild Provence. She has created a traveling museum exhibit and leads travelers to the region. Find more information at gardiannation.com and see our news item here for order information.

Posted 3/4

The venerable Dry Crik Review has resumed publishing in an electronic format, available at www.drycrikreview.com. Recognized for its innovation and fearless attention to writers' "well-crafted and artful insights," the journal is a collection of important modern Western poetry, prose and commentary.

Dry Crik Review of Contemporary Cowboy Poetry, edited by John Dofflemyer and published by his Dry Crik Press in Lemon Cove, California, appeared in print format from 1991-1994. In late 2005 a "lost issue" of Dry Crik Review became available through John and Robbin Doffleymer's blog at the Western Folklife Center web site. The blog also has a list of available back issues.

The new issue (Volume VI—2010) includes works by Joel Nelson, Sylvia Ross, Paul Zarzyski, Laurie Wagner Buyer, Charles Potts, Matthew Rangel, Amy Hale Auker, Linda M. Hasselstrom, Andy Wilkinson, Ted Waddell, Trudy Wischemann, and Linda Hussa.

The Dry Crik Review web site states that it aims to be "an eclectic site that offers poetry, prose and potentially other mediums and forms of art from rural cultures, with particular prejudice for contemporary expression from the American West." Currently, unsolicited submissions are not accepted.

See our feature here that includes a collective index of authors, poems, and prose for the print versions and the "lost issue."

Read the entire new issue at www.drycrikreview.com.

[image: Fall 1991 issue, Volume 1, Number 4, cover by Lesley Fry]

Posted 2/23

Respected Western artist Bob Coronato is the featured artist at the 20th annual Cattlemen's Western Art Show in Paso Robles, California, March 26-28, 2010. His painting, "Where does a cowboy go,... when there's no more range left to ride," is featured in the show's advertising.

Bob Coronato lives part of the year in Hulett, Wyoming—where he is the proprietor of "The Rogues Gallery," which he calls "my little shop,...studio and freak show"—and the other part of the year in Atascadero, California. An East Coast native, he headed to Wyoming after art school, and his working ranch experience gained there is at the heart of his work.

His painting, "The Horse Wrangler Gather’d The Morning Mounts: 'One That Had’n Lived The Life ... Couldn’t Paint a Picture ...To Please The Eye, of One That Had!'" was the image on the official poster for Cowboy Poetry Week, 2009 and the subject of a related Art Spur. See our feature about Bob Coronato here.

See the Cattlemen's Western Art Show feature about Bob Coronato here on their web site.

[Image: "Where does a cowboy go,... when there's no more range left to ride"; Oil on canvas, 35 1/8" x 59 1 /8"; © 2008, Bob Coronato, All rights reserved; reproduction prohibited without express written permission]

Posted 2/22

Welcome to the Tribe by Andy Hedges and Andy Wilkinson (www.andywilkinson.net) has been named as the recipient of the prestigious Western Heritage Award, the "Wrangler Award," for Outstanding Traditional Western Album by the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum. The award will be presented at banquet at the Oklahoma City museum on April 17, 2010.

From our 2009 review of the CD:

Welcome to the Tribe...marries tradition and the present in an important, masterful album that celebrates the "keepers of the code" and the "members of the tribe." With a mix of classic cowboy songs and fresh originals—some written by Andy Wilkinson and some collaborations by the two not about exclusion, but it's about principle. The songs on Welcome to the Tribe are sometimes frank, sometimes funny, and always entertaining.
Both Hedges and Wilkinson are songwriters, poets, and performers—and folk historians. In the liner notes for the opening track, "Welcome to the Tribe (for Buck, Buster, and Bob)," Andy Wilkinson writes about his inspiration for the song and sets up all that is to come, "While making an introduction of Bob Moorhouse, Buster Welch listed the three things that it takes to make a cowboy....the very best, most succinct description of the cowboy code I've heard since Buck Ramsey defined it as 'being in the right place at the right time....'"

Welcome to the Tribe offers one sterling performance after another.

Traditional selections shine with carefully crafted arrangements. They include "The Cowboy's Soliloquy," "Diamond Joe," the lesser known "Wild West Rambler," and a resonant a cappella performance of "The Dreary Dreary Life" by Andy Wilkinson. Their "Old Paint Medley" is an entrancing study of the familiar cowboy standard, with an infrequently-sung verse by Woody Guthrie and the inspired incorporation of "The Horse With a Union Label."

The original songs are filled with novel, smart lyrics. "The Palm Leaf Lid" pokes fun at the "all hat" types ("Now if you never break a sweat nor pitch into a wreck, it's logical to wear a Silver Belly 100X...but if you mix it up outside an air-conditioned rig..."). Their amusing, catchy, and absolutely sparkling "The Glitterbus" says all there is to say about "fame" (the liner notes simply caution, "It's best to stay off this bus."). Andy Wilkinson's "The Lost Lonesome High" is a plain-truth story of today's cowboy "All day in the pickup runnin' errands to town, when I shoulda been horseback, prowlin' some ground, what once was the orders for a half-dozen hands is now the to-do list for a single camp man."

Another standout is Wilkinson's "The Keepers of the Code" (for Jack and Peter)." Again, the liner notes make an important statement, "Some of us think that Tin Pan Alley and Hollywood oaters would have completely gutted cowboy music if it hadn't been for the folk revival of the 1950s, in particular the work of Ramblin' Jack Elliott and Peter LaFarge. This song is for them." The lyrics make their case and offer lines for an enduring cowboy music philosophy and anthem: "It don't matter where you're from, it's just where you're goin', it don't matter what you've done, it's just what you do, sing where you live, live where you're singin', it don't matter who's listenin' to you."

Amanda Shires, Lloyd Maines, Bob Livingston, and other top musicians join Hedges and Wilkinson with a level of excellence that holds throughout the entire project, from the songwriting, singing, and continuity to the package design.

If they are spinning CDs in the Great Beyond, the likes of Buck Ramsey, Jack Thorp, Alan Lomax, and other members of the tribe and keepers of the code will have Welcome to the Tribe on their top shelves.

Find more here about Welcome to the Tribe in our review and see the entire track list here in our feature about Andy Hedges).

Andy Wilkinson has received two previous Wrangler Awards.

Andy Wilkinson and Andy Hedges have a just-released CD, Long Ways from Home. Read about that CD in an announcement here.

Posted 2/17

The Autry National Center in Los Angeles, California, presents Home Lands: How Women Made the West, April 16-August 22, 2010. To coincide with the opening of the exhibition, the University of California Press will publish an illustrated book, also titled Home Lands: How Women Made the West, written by the exhibition's curators. From the museum's media release:

The Autry National Center has organized Home Lands: How Women Made the West, a major exhibition celebrating the enduring spirit of the diverse women of the West. On view at the Autry April 16 to August 22, 2010, Home Lands ventures beyond popular perceptions of the West as an empty wilderness where men struggled against nature to transform the land to offer a rich and real portrait of the West that is in large part unfamiliar. This dynamic re-thinking of the history of the West challenges stereotypes of women’s roles through the stories of the Native American women who first made their homes in the region as well as the women, from many different cultures, who have migrated to the West for hundreds of years.

“The Autry is proud to organize and present Home Lands,” said John Gray, President and CEO of the Autry National Center. “It is our mission to explore the experience of the diverse people of the American West and this provocative exhibition conveys how women have shaped the Western landscape through choices about how to sustain home, family, and community.”

Co-curated by Carolyn Brucken, Associate Curator of Women’s History at the Autry, and Virginia Scharff, Women of the West Chair, Institute for the Study of the American West at the Autry, Home Lands focuses on three regions: northern New Mexico, the Colorado Front Range, and Puget Sound, Washington. Exploring a specific theme for each place—earth for Northern New Mexico; transportation for the Colorado Front Range; and water for Puget Sound— the exhibition highlights the West’s remarkable cultural diversity; the role of the environment in women’s lives; and the ways in which women responded to and inevitably shaped their environs....

The exhibition illustrates their extraordinary stories and many more with nearly 200 objects spanning more than 1,200 years. From a Mogollon metate (grinding stone), circa A.D. 750-1150, to a 20th century station wagon— textiles and historic clothing from the 18th through the 20th centuries; ancient and modern pottery; paintings, photography, and sculpture by historic and contemporary women artists; books, photographs, and other ephemera will be featured throughout the exhibition. More than two-thirds of the exhibition is drawn from the Autry’s collections....

Find additional information at the Autry National Center web site.

Posted 2/16

The National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame in Ft. Worth, Texas, presents the "never-before-seen" exhibit, Georgia O’Keeffe and the Faraway: Nature and Image, February 12-September 6, 2010. From the museum's media release:

The exhibition, a collaboration between the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame and the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum in Santa Fe, explores the relationship that artist and Cowgirl Hall of Fame Honoree O’Keeffe had with nature through her camping experiences and artifacts.

The two museums spent more than two years creating the exhibition in which visitors will find O’Keeffe’s personal effects, including clothing, letters, drawings and camping equipment, displayed alongside her artwork. This union of artistry and personal belongings is recognized nationally as an endeavor that harbors the art, geography, photography and artifacts in an effort to understand how O’Keeffe explored the American West through camping and hiking in a variety of environments.

“It is terribly exciting for our Museum to be able to first display this fresh look at the brilliance of Georgia O’Keeffe,” said Patricia Riley, executive director of the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame. “Our mission is to promote the women of the West, and we are the first history museum to ever curate an O’Keeffe exhibition. In addition, this is the first time in a decade that a major O’Keeffe show has been presented in the state of Texas.”....

....O’Keeffe was inducted into the National Cowgirl Hall of Fame in 1991. Other inductees that year included Nancy Sheppard, Jonnie Jonckowski and Mary Ann “Molly” Goodnight.

Read more here.

Cowgirls and poets who are inductees in the National Cowgirl Hall of Fame include Rhonda Sedgwick Stearns and Georgie Sicking.

Find more about the The National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame at their web site, www.cowgirl.net.

[This exhibit is also announced at www.CowboyLegacy.org]

Posted 2/10

Oregon's Pendleton Round-up celebrates its hundredth anniversary this year (September 15-18, 2010) and an expansive, lavishly illustrated book by Ann Terry Hill and Michael Bales, Pendleton Round-up at 100, honors the venerable event and those who have participated.

Many of the 900-plus photos and illustrations in the book are collected and published for the first time. The wide diversity of the rodeo's participants—the 1911 Round-up included the still-controversial "Last Go Round" showdown between black cowboy George Fletcher, Indian cowboy Jackson Sundown, and white cowboy John Spain—including cowgirls, Native American tribes, black cowboys, and others are represented in the well-research text and images.

Among the chapters that pull readers into the action and excitement of the rodeo are "The Great Bucking Contests": "Old-Time Cowgirls"; "The Risks"; and "Clowns and Bullfighters." Behind-the-scenes topics such as "Ranch and Rodeo," "Behind the Mike," and "The Arena" give an even deeper look at the event. There is a focus on families and tradition in "Families Are the Backbone," "From Generation to Generation: Tribal Participation"; and "Pendleton Traditions."

Appendices include complete lists with many family-supplied photos of one hundred years of Round-up Presidents; Round-up Chiefs and Prominent Tribal Headmen; Round-up Queens and Princesses; Happy Canyon (Indian) Presidents and Princesses; and Saddle Bronc, Buldogging, Steer Roping, Calf Roping, Team Roping, Bull Riding, and Bareback Champions; All-Around Cowboy Winners; and other categories.

Read more about Pendleton Round-up at 100 and see a short video here at the University of Oklahoma Press site. Find information about the Pendleton Round-up's 100th celebration here at the Pendleton Round-up site.

Posted 2/8

Ramblin' Jack Elliott received a GRAMMY award for his traditional blues album, A Stranger Here, at the 52nd Annual GRAMMY awards show on January 31, 2010. He left the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering a bit early—after several outstanding performances—to attend the GRAMMY show. See a photo of Ramblin' Jack accepting the award here (by Matt Sayles of the Associated Press.)

A short documentary about the making of A Stranger Here is available here on YouTube. Find more at Ramblin' Jack's web site, ramblinjack.com.

The awards are presented by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences for outstanding achievements in the music industry. "Traditional Blues" was included in this year's new GRAMMY division, "American Roots," which also encompassed other categories of Western interest, including Michael Martin Murphey's Buckaroo Blue Grass in the Bluegrass category and Willie Nelson & Asleep At The Wheel's Willie And The Wheel in the Americana category. Find all of the American Roots nominees here. The winners in all categories are listed here.

Posted 2/2

The Western Folklife Center's 26th Annual National Cowboy Poetry Gathering took place January 23-30, 2010, in Elko, Nevada. This year's event included a focus on Seminole and “Cracker” cowboys from Florida and swamp cowboys from Louisiana.

Find some reports and photos from the event here at the BAR-D.

The Western Folklife Center describes the event as "a week-long celebration of life in the rural West, featuring the contemporary and traditional arts that arise from lives lived caring for land and livestock."

Activities included workshops, exhibits, and performances; some performances are broadcast live on the web (and archived). See the entire schedule here.

Among the invited poets and musicians in 2010 were:

Adrian, Mike Beck, Baxter Black, Marty Blocker, Dave Bourne, Jerry Brooks, Bimbo Cheney, Corb Lund and the Hurtin' Albertans, Cowboy Celtic, Doris Daley, Stephanie Davis, John Dofflemyer, Ray Doyle, Elizabeth Ebert, Don Edwards, Ramblin' Jack Elliot, Richard Elloyan, Leon Flick, Dennis Gaines, Dick Gibford, Janice Gilbertson, DW Groethe, R.W. Hampton, Andy Hedges and Andy Wilkinson, Brenn Hill, Yvonne Hollenbeck, Carol Huechan, Linda Hussa, Linda Kirkpatrick, Ross Knox, Ed Littlefield and Marley's Ghost, Liz Masterson, Wally McRae, Denise McRea, Waddie Mitchell, Jane Morton, Michael Martin Murphey, Andy Nelson, Rodney Nelson, Joel Nelson, Rich and Valerie O'Brien, Glenn Ohrlin, Mike Puhallo, Vess Quinlan, Henry Real Bird, John Reedy, Pat Richardson, Riders in the Sky, Randy Rieman, Bob Schild, Sandy Seaton, Georgie Sicking, Jay Snider, Sons of the San Joaquin, Dave Stamey, Red Steagall, Gail Steiger, Milton Taylor, Diane Tribitt, Ian Tyson, Miss "V" The Gypsy Cowbelle, Cora Wood, Wylie & The Wild West, and Paul Zarzyski. (Some were unable to attend.)

Find information about the gathering—including audio and video cybercasts from the auditorium shows—at the official web site here.

[2010 poster image by Jim Harrison, Gainesville, Florida; www.meta-visual.com]

Updated 2/18

Respected cowboy troubadour Don Edwards will receive the Chester A. Reynolds Memorial Award from the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum on April 17, 2010. From the museum's media release:

With a career spanning more than four decades, Don Edwards is a guitarist, composer, recording artist and historian who has preserved and added value to the rich heritage of traditional Western music. Edwards will be honored with the Chester A. Reynolds Memorial Award during the annual Western Heritage Awards at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum^® in Oklahoma City, April 17, 2010. The black-tie affair recognizes principal creators in 16 categories of Western music, literature, television and film. Inductees to the Hall of Great Westerners and Hall of Great Western Performers also will be honored.

In 1990, the Museum established the Chester A. Reynolds Award, named in honor of the founder of the Museum. This honor is bestowed upon a living person who embodies the traits depicted by Chester A. Reynolds himself...an individual, group or institution perpetuating the ideals, history and heritage of the American West, whether by a single remarkable achievement or a body of quality work over a period of years.

Born in New Jersey in 1938 as the son of a Vaudeville magician, Edwards was exposed at an early age to a vast array of music. He taught himself how to play the guitar at the age of 10 and moved to Texas when he was 16. Edwards was drawn to the cowboy way of life by the books of Will James and “B” Western movies that featured cowboys like Tom Mix and Ken Maynard. As a teenager, he worked ranches in Texas and New Mexico and chased rodeos before landing his first entertainment job as an actor, singer and stuntman at Six Flags Over Texas in 1961. Edwards made his first record in 1964. He has since recorded more than 15 albums, participated in numerous collaborations with other artists and has authored three song books.

Edwards has contributed much to the preservation and celebration of traditional cowboy music. He has two albums, Guitars & Saddle Songs and Songs of the Cowboy, included in the Folklore Archives of the Library of Congress. As a result of 40 years of research, Edwards completed Saddle Songs, a compilation of classic cowboy ballads presented through two separate recordings and a book of the songs’ histories, lyrics and music. To add to his resume of talent, Edwards portrayed the role of “Smokey” in Robert Redford’s 1997 film The Horse Whisperer. He also was featured on the movie’s sound track.

Edwards has many awards to show for his accomplishments as a Western music balladeer and historian. He has received the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum’s Wrangler Award, along with numerous other awards from The Western Music Association, The Academy of Western Artists, the Will James Society, the National Association for Independent Music. He was selected Best Balladeer by True West magazine three years in a row. He also is an inductee in the Traditional Country Music Hall of Fame, the Western Walk of Stars, the Texas Trail of Fame, and the Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame.

When Edwards is not recording music he often gives workshops and lectures about Cowboy music heritage. He has taught seminars at Yale, Rice, Texas Christian and other universities. He also has appeared on hundreds of radio and television programs and performed thousands of concerts throughout the United States, Canada, Great Britain, Ireland, New Zealand, Europe and Asia.

Read the entire release here.

See our feature about Don Edwards here and visit his web site, www.donedwardsmusic.com.

[Photograph by Lori Faith Merritt (www.photographybyfaith.com]

Posted 1/20

Popular songwriter and singer Jean Prescott has produced an important, impressive CD set, The Poetry of Larry McWhorter The recording includes the works of Larry McWhorter (1957-2003), one of the most respected contemporary cowboy poets. The CDs include Larry McWhorter's recitations of his poetry, and eleven poems that were never recorded, recited by some of today's top performers.

Jean Prescott describes the release:

The Poetry of Larry McWhorter is the complete collection of Larry McWhorter's cowboy poems. There were eleven poems that Larry never recorded and that's where a number of his peers came into the picture. Red Steagall, Waddie Mitchell, Chris Isaacs, Andy Hedges, Gary McMahan, Dennis Flynn, Oscar Auker and Jesse Smith all eagerly agreed to help out with the project.

Larry had always wanted to recite two of his favorite poems with Waddie Mitchell, "The Retirement of Ashtola" and "Cowboy Count Yer Blessings." Thanks to Waddie, Hal Cannon, Rich O'Brien, and engineer, Aarom Meador, we were able to make that a reality. You can just see Larry and Waddie on stage reciting those poems.

After listening to both CDs for the first time, I came to an even greater realization of what a great poet Larry was and what we lost as a genre when he left us. I am thrilled to be able to present this double CD to the world of cowboy poetry knowing that young cowboy poets and fans alike will be able to enjoy and recite Larry's classic contemporary cowboy poems for years to come.

The CDs were be presented at a special public autograph session at the Western Folklife Center's 26th Annual National Cowboy Poetry Gathering on Saturday, January 30, 2010. Andy Hedges, Jean Prescott, Waddie Mitchell, and Red Steagall, and others were in attendance, along with Andrea McWhorter Waitley and Abi McWhorter (Larry's daughter).

Larry McWhorter is featured on the first volume of The BAR-D Roundup, The BAR-D Roundup: Volume Four (2009), and his solo recitation of "Cowboy Count Yer Blessings" will be included on the forthcoming, fifth volume of The BAR-D Roundup.

Find more about Larry McWhorter and some of his poetry in our feature here, find more about The Poetry of Larry McWhorter and order information in the New Releases news here, and view the entire project and complete track list in a special feature here.

Updated 2/2

The Desert Caballeros Western Museum in Wickenburg, Arizona, presents the fifth annual Cowgirl Up! Art from the Other Half of the West exhibition and sale, March 26-May 2, 2010.

From the museum's media release,

“We are very proud of the fact that Cowgirl Up! Art from the Other Half of the West, in just four years, has become one of the most important show and sale for women artists in the country,” says Mary Ann Igna, interim director of the Museum. “With 56 artists in this year’s show, you would have to travel to at least three other states and to all the other major art towns in the West to see the breadth and depth of what we will have here at one time…and in one place.” ....

With more than 200 drawings, paintings and sculptures in this year’s show, Cowgirl Up! offers a much broader landscape of works than are usually found at a Western art show. “This is what makes Cowgirl Up! so unique,” says Igna. “We have artists stretching beyond traditional Western art to embrace the West’s unique lifestyle and spirit. Of course, we also have our share of horses and steers, but even those are unusually dramatic.”

Find more information about the event at www.cowgirlupart.com.

Posted 1/11

Texas rancher, horseman, writer, reciter, and poet Joel Nelson, who was recently awarded a prestigious National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) National Heritage Fellowship, was featured in the 2009 National Heritage Fellowship Concert, held in September at Strathmore in North Bethesda, Maryland. The concert is now available for listening on demand here from National Public Radio's American Routes program. Joel Nelson recites his poem, "Words."

The NEA describes the National Heritage Fellowship award, "As part of its efforts to honor and preserve our nation's diverse cultural heritage, the National Endowment for the Arts annually awards one-time-only National Heritage Fellowships for master folk and traditional artists. These fellowships are intended to recognize the recipients' artistic excellence and support their continuing contributions to our nation's traditional arts heritage."

The awards were established in 1982. Two other cowboy poets have been named National Heritage Fellows: Wallace McRae in 1990 and Buck Ramsey in 1995. Cowboy singer, storyteller, and illustrator Glenn Ohrlin received the award in 1985.

Find information about Joel Nelson here at the National Endowment for the Arts' web site, and see our feature that includes some of his poetry here.

[photo of Joel Nelson by Kevin Martini-Fuller]

Posted 12/31

The National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City presents "The Guitar: Art, Artists and Artisans," February 12 through May 9, 2010. From the museum's media release:

There is something about a cowboy and guitar that says "we belong together." Today they do, but that was not always the case. In spring 2010, the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum^® offers a new exhibition showcasing the instrument....
Included in the exhibition are approximately 50 guitars worth millions, from top entertainers — recording artists whose image and career is tied closely to this instrument. These notable artists include Garth Brooks, Vince Gill, Toby Keith, Lynn Anderson, Brooks & Dunn, Eddy Arnold and Marty Robbins.

This exhibit spans the spectrum of time, hosting guitars recently built and played and historic models such as a C.F. Martin, circa 1845, lavishly ornamented and presented to Benito Pablo Juárez, President of Mexico. Also on display is a collection of 12 guitars covered with Swarovski crystals that make up a guitar chandelier designed by Dallas, Texas artist Amanda Dunbar of Dunbar Studios...A portion of the exhibit demonstrates how a guitar is built.
....

For information about "The Guitar: Art, Artists and Artisans" or other Museum events call (405) 478-2250 or visit www.nationalcowboymuseum.org.

Find the entire media release here.

[Photograph supplied by the NCWHM: Western Sky, Gibson, 1995, Artist, Bruce Kunkel, carved wooden body with polychrome Western landscape. Iconic images in abalone inlay on neck. (Photograph courtesy of Alan Levin Collection]

Posted 12/30

The January, 2010 issue of Western Horseman features a number of cowboy poets and Western musicians:

An article about Oklahoma rancher and poet Jay Snider, "Let Me Tell Ya'll a Story," is the Cowboy Culture section's featured story. Jay Snider's poem, "Twister," is also included, along with photographs. Senior Editor Jennifer Denison oversees the Cowboy Culture section, which also has a panel of advisors that includes renowned cowboy troubadour Don Edwards.

Montana-based writer and backcountry guide Ryan Bell (ryantbell.com) profiles poets Ross Knox and Sandy Seaton along with Western singer and songwriter Dave Stamey in "Packers' Prose," about how these artists' backcountry experience has influenced their work.

Ryan Bell's cover story, "The Raven Within," about Western music legend Ian Tyson (with photos by Senior Editor Ross Hecox) delves into Tyson's career and ranching life. It includes the singer's provocative commentary on the changing West and his recent challenges with a vocal chord virus that has affected his singing. The magazine has named Ian Tyson Western Horseman of the Year, an award that will be presented at the Western Folklife Center's 26th Annual National Cowboy Poetry Gathering in January, 2010.

Respected horseman, poet, and reciter Randy Rieman and his rope horse techniques are featured in an in-depth article, "Ready to Rope" (story and photography by Ross Hecox).

Top cowboy poet and philosopher Baxter Black's regular On the Edge of Common Sense column, this time, "The Screwdriver Incident," appears in its customary position on the magazine's back page. A collection of Baxter Black's columns, The Back Page, has just been published by Western Horseman.

Find more about the current issue, including special web-only features, at the Western Horseman web site.

Posted 12/21