January 30 - February 4, 2012
Most artist product mentioned is available in our online Gift Shop.
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Amy Hale Auker grew up ranching, cooked 20 years for cowboy crews, and now writes and rides on the Spider Ranch in Prescott, Arizona, where she has learned to rope in the branding pen. Amy writes prose poems about the world around her and the people that make up cowboy culture. Her first book, Rightful Place, is published by Texas Tech University Press. www.amyhaleauker.com/
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Mike Beck and the Bohemian Saints is an old-fashioned guitar band, including guitarist and songwriter Mike Beck and San Francisco Bay Area guitarist Tom Ayres. Born and raised in Monterey County, California, Mike was a student of the legendary horseman Bill Dorrance. He cowboyed in California and Nevada, all the while writing songs that reflect his life as a professional musician and a working cowboy in Montana and Carmel Valley near Big Sur. He travels extensively in the U.S. and Europe, making music and conducting horsemanship clinics. Two of his songs, In Old California and Don’t Tell Me, are listed in Western Horseman’s 13 Best Cowboy Songs of All Time. www.mikebeck.com
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Baxter Black is a cowboy poet known for his humor, quick wit and sharp observations. A former large-animal veterinarian, Baxter's poetry and stories focus on the day-to-day ups and downs of everyday people who live with livestock and work the land. His new book, Lessons from a Desperado Poet, is an inspirational book about being an entrepreneur. Baxter demonstrates that it is the truth in humor that makes it funny. www.baxterblack.com
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Dave Bourne has been playing music professionally since 1958. He played with the Wagonmasters at Knott’s Berry Farm, with the Dawn of the Century Ragtime Orchestra and with The Lobo Rangers. He has recorded and released five solo albums featuring the saloon piano; Saloon Piano Volume I is available for player pianos. He has appeared on the HBO series Deadwood, where he plays piano in the Gem Saloon. www.saloonpiano.com
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Jerry Brooks has loved and recited poetry since she was young. A respected reciter of classic cowboy poetry, Jerry was taught an appreciation for the spoken word by her parents. Jerry chooses poems for the stories they tell. After working for 26 years as an undergound coal miner (to pay for horses, mules and feed), Jerry now takes care of 80 acres along Clear Creek in south-central Utah. Her CD is Shoulder to Shoulder.
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Clarence Carnal is an exceptional reciter of classic poetry as well as a few of his own original poems. A Colorado native, Clarence was raised in Montrose and Ouray Counties and spent his working years on ranches in western Colorado. He took up reciting cowboy poetry about 10 years ago, when he was 92, and has performed at the Grand Junction Cowboy Poetry Gathering. Catch Clarence in the Gold Room at the Elko Convention Center on Thursday (11:15 am "Favorite Poems, with Waddie Mitchell, Randy Rieman and Gail Steiger) and Friday (3:00 pm "Classics" with Jerry Brooks and Randy Rieman).
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Ken Cook spends his days ranching and writing in Martin, South Dakota. Ken’s poetry is about the working cowboy with a nod of deep respect for past generations of cowboys. Ken was named the Academy of Western Artists 2010 Male Poet of the Year and 2009 Lariat Laureate from the Center for Western and Cowboy Poetry. He has three CDs and has been published in many magazines. kencookcowboypoet.com/index.htm
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Barry Corbin is an actor and writer, who has
appeared in more than one hundred television
shows such as Northern Exposure and Hill Street Blues movies, including a number of Westerns like Lonesome Dove and No Country for Old Men. Corbin has portrayed the cowboy on screen, drawingfrom the cowboy life he lives on his small Texas ranch, where he raises cattle and cutting horses.
www.barrycorbin.com/home.htm
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Doris Daley was born and raised in ranching country in southern Alberta, Canada, and comes from a self-described gene pool that includes “mounties, ranchers, sorry team ropers, intrepid homesteaders, petticoated bushwhackers, grain elevator operators and Irish stowaways.” In 2009, the Western Music Association awarded Doris the Female Cowboy Poet of the Year, winner of best cowboy poetry CD. She lives just outside of Calgary near the Bow River. www.dorisdaley.com
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Stephanie Davis is a fourth-generation Montanan known for her well-crafted songs and poetry. Her songs have been recorded by Garth Brooks, Trisha Yearwood, Lynn Anderson, Joey and Rory, Don Edwards and others. Stephanie recently moved to Bozeman, Montana, where, after selling her ranch, she plans to concentrate on writing, recording and various creative projects. A frequent performer on Garrison Keillor's A Prairie Home Companion, Stephanie’s latest CDs are Western Bling and Western Bliss. www.stephaniedavis.net
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John Dofflemyer is a fifth-generation rancher in the southern Sierra Nevada foothills. His creative work as a writer and editor reflects John’s deep connection with the land and contemporary ranch life. John edited the Dry Crik Review of Contemporary Cowboy Poetry from 1991-1994, and has also produced numerous poetry chapbooks through Dry Crik Press; his latest is Uneven Green. John and his wife Robbin maintain an online journal called Dry Crik Journal: Perspectives from the Ranch. John is a member of the Western Folklife Center's Board of Trustees. drycrikjournal.com
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Ramblin' Jack Elliott a native of New York, ran away from home at 14 to join Colonel Jim Eskew’s Rodeo. He has ridden saddle broncs and bareback horses, and roped off the backs of cow ponies. Jack is known for working with Woody Guthrie, Jack Kerouac, Bob Dylan and scores of other poets, musicians and artists. He has never forsaken his affinity for the traditional cowboy music that set him on his troubadour path, and has 40 albums under his belt. Jack received a GRAMMY® for his album South Coast and for his latest release, A Stranger Here. He received the National Medal of Arts in 1998. www.ramblinjack.com
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Rolf Flake was born in Snowflake, Arizona and was raised on the family ranch. Rolf has written over 200 cowboy poems since he first started in 1981. He has recited at gatherings in Arizona, Utah, Nevada, Texas, New Mexico and Colorado. Rolf has a book of poetry, Western Verse or Worse, and two recordings of cowboy poetry, both of which were nominated as best albums by the Academy of Western Artists. He lives in Gilbert, Arizona.
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Dick Gibford was raised on a small cow outfit on the central coast and at age 13, began starting two-year-old colts for his dad. Upon graduation from high school in 1968, Dick left for Tuscarora, Nevada, where he rode for Willis Packer as a "rep" on the 25 wagon. He has been influenced in every facet of his life by that first experience as a "sagebrush buckaroo." Dick's other passion is for long-distance cross-country pack trips with his horses. These days, he cowboys out of an isolated cow camp for the Walking R Ranch in Maricopa, California. He also makes slickfork saddles, does rawhide braiding, paints, and starts an occasional colt.
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The Gillette Brothers, since taking over the running of the family ranch in 1983, have found that diversification is not only a necessity, but it also keeps things interesting. They have six albums of traditional cowboy music interspersed with a few originals. Guy and Pipp were recipients of the 1998 and 2003 Will Rogers Award for Outstanding Achievement in the Advancement of Contemporary Cowboy Music, and the Western Heritage Wrangler Award for the Best Traditional Western Album of 2010 from The National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum for their CD, Cowboys, Minstrels and Medicine Shows. www.campstreetcafe.com/guy&pipp.htm
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Skip Gorman, Connie Dover and the Waddie Pals bring together their deep, heartfelt interpretations of the traditional music of the American West and its Scottish and Irish roots. Skip Gorman brings to the music a scholar's knowledge of the cowboy's Celtic, Spanish and Afro-American roots as well as the personal experience gained by working as a cowboy on a ranch in Wyoming. Connie Dover is known for her clear and pure vocal style and for her interpretations of Celtic ballads. When Connie is not performing, she works as a ranch cook in the beautiful country between Wyoming's Wind River and Absaroka Mountains. The Waddie Pals are Ron Kane on fiddle and Tom Carter on banjo. Meghan Merker will call the dance tunes. www.skipgorman.com/and www.conniedover.com/
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DW Groethe was born and raised in western North Dakota, where his family still has the home quarter. DW has lived in Bainville, Montana, working as a ranch hand, since 1991. He was a participant in the Library of Congress’ Local Legacies project and has contributed poetry to the Library’s collections. DW has recorded three CDs and written four books of poetry. West River Waltz won the Will Rogers Medallion Award for Excellence in Cowboy Poetry.
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R.W. Hampton has lived and worked on ranches throughout the West. Whether driving cows, shoeing horses, singing around the campfire, or leading horse rides in the high country, R.W. knew he was destined for the life he leads. After 20 years in the entertainment business, he is still pure cowboy, singing both traditional and original cowboy songs. He lives with his wife, Lisa, and their family on their Clearview Ranch at the foot of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains south of Cimarron, New Mexico. R.W.’s song Shortgrass from his latest CD, Austin to Boston, won the Wrangler award, and in 2011, R.W. was inducted into the Western Music Association’s Hall of Fame. www.rwhampton.com
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Carol Heuchan has lived on the land in rural Australia for over 40 years, some of the time on a sheep and cattle property in the Snowy Mountains. She now lives on smaller acreage in the Hunter Valley, the horse capital of Australia. Carol has taught riding, competed intensively with her show horses, and judged horses throughout Australia and internationally. Much of her poetry is centered around the horse. Carol’s newest CD is I Say! www.carolpoet.com.au
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Yvonne Hollenbeck’s husband, Glen, calls her his “kisser, mixer and windmill fixer,” but “jack-of-all-trades and a master of none” is how Yvonne describes her life as a South Dakota cattle rancher’s wife. Whether she is helping with the livestock, putting up hay, paying the bills, or feeding a crew, Yvonne puts real life experiences into her poetry, which in turn delights audiences of all ages. Although she can credit a long list of awards, she claims the many friends she has made in the western entertainment business as her greatest accolade. www.yvonnehollenbeck.com
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Hot Club of Cowtown is Elana James on violin and vocals, Whit Smith on guitar and vocals, and Jake Erwin on bass and vocals. Hot Club of Cowtown is a high-energy western swing band whose musical journey began with the roots of the Hot Jazz era, Americana music, vintage pop and folk music, and continues to unfold into the new sound of the group's original songs. The band tours nationally and internationally, and in 2006 was inducted into the Texas Western Swing Hall of Fame. Their newest release, What Makes Bob Holler, is a tribute to Western Swing legend Bob Wills. hotclubofcowtown.com
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Jess Howard rode saddle broncs for several years and in 1970 won the title of NRCA Saddle Bronc Champion. When he quit riding saddle broncs he moved to Fallon, Nevada where he shod horses for 20 years. Today, Jess shoes a few horses and runs a few cows on a ranch south of Marmarth, North Dakota. He and his wife Judy raised their kids in a world of rodeo and cattle. Jess and his brother Pat Richardson rode together for years. They still write poetry together about each other and the experiences they’ve had.
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Tim Hus & The Rocky Mountain Two hail from Calgary, Alberta. Tim Hus has been everything from a beer truck driver to a sawhand, a salmon farmer to a tree planter, and a cabinet maker to a well driller: and, he sings about all of it. Billy MacInnis, one of the most accomplished fiddle players in the maritime provinces of Canada, plays fiddle and lead guitar; and Riley Tubbs plays upright string bass. Their latest recording is Hockeytown. www.timhus.ca
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Ross Knox first aspired to be a cowboy when, as a little boy, he watched his father work their ranch in central Oregon. Ross quit school at 16 and moved to Nevada to buckaroo. He began writing poetry to occupy his time alone. Ross worked many years at the Grand Canyon and then for Saguaro National Park in Arizona, packing in supplies and tools for trail and fire crews. He now leads pack trips in Yosemite and lives in Benson, Arizona. Known for reciting the classics, he also writes original poetry from his life experiences. Ross has more than 100 poems committed to memory.
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Ed Littlefield, Jr. and Marley's Ghost is renowned for inspired four-part vocal harmonies, often sung a capella, and their music blends together many styles, including cowboy and western music. The group features former John Denver band member and Tony-nominated Broadway star Dan Wheetman on guitar, fiddle, bass, banjo, and blues harp; Folk Legacy, Sierra/Briar and Sage Arts recording artist Jon Wilcox on mandolin, guitar and bouzouki; Ed Littlefield Jr., formerly of the legendary Northwest swing band Lance Romance, on guitars, dobro, pedal steel guitar and Highland bagpipes; Michael Phelan on guitars, dobro and fiddle; and Jerry Fletcher on drums, accordion and keyboard. www.marleysghostband.com
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Wallace McRae is a third-generation Montana rancher and president of the Rocker Six Cattle Company, the family ranch in Rosebud County. He’s been reciting poetry since he was four years old and began writing poetry and prose to record the value, humor and plight of the cowboy occupation; and he leaves no subject uncovered. Wallace has received the Governor’s Award for the Arts in Montana and the National Endowment for the Arts’ National Heritage Fellowship, and he was appointed by President Clinton to serve on the National Council of the Arts in 1996. Most recently, he received a 2009 Montana Book of the Year award for his collection of stories, Stick Horses.
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Waddie Mitchell was immersed in the cowboy way of entertaining as a boy on the Nevada ranches where his father worked. The art of spinning tales in rhyme and meter about a rich lifestyle of pushing cows and living off the land came to be called cowboy poetry. Waddie recites the older classics of cowboy poetry as well as his own, both eloquently expressing moments grand and common, humorous and tragic. In 1985, Waddie helped organize Elko's first Cowboy Poetry Gathering. Since then, he has kept busy writing, publishing and recording his unique brand of poetry. Waddie was inducted into the Nevada Writers Hall of Fame in 2011, and will be honored in 2012 with the Nevada Heritage Award. www.waddiemitchell.com
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Michael Martin Murphey & The Rio Grande Band featuring Pat Flynn ~ Michael Martin Murphey is a proud son and life-long resident of Texas, where his family settled in 1858. He divides his time between ranches in the Panhandle of West Texas, Northern New Mexico, Southern Colorado and the Oocooch Mountains of Wisconsin. Michael's music blends many genres, including Pop, Country, Western, Celtic, Jazz and Bluegrass, and focuses on his personal life as a Southwestern “pilgrim.” His song Wildfire is among the most-aired songs in radio history, and his most recent release, Tall Grass & Cool Water, continues to explore the connections between western music and bluegrass. The Rio Grande Band comprises bass player Gary Roller, David Coe on fiddle and mandolin, and lead guitarist Pat Flynn. www.michaelmartinmurphey.com and patflynnmusic.com
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Andy Nelson was raised in Oakley, Idaho, and traveled with his father on farrier jobs throughout the Great Basin from the time he was a child until he went off to college. While in college at Utah State University, he shoed horses for the USU Horsemanship Program while studying Pre-Vet. Andy lives in Pinedale, Wyoming, where he and his wife Jaclyn raise horses and children. Andy and his brother Jim, also a farrier, co-host Clear Out West (C.O.W.) Radio, an award-winning weekly syndicated radio show. In 2004 Andy was named Male Poet of the Year, and in 2010 his book Riding with Jim won Outstanding Poetry/Storytelling Collection from the Western Music Association. www.cowpokepoet.com
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Joel Nelson has been a cowboy since the age of six, when he helped on a cattle drive to the railroad. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Forestry and Range Management, has built custom saddles, and served in Vietnam with the 101st Airborne Division. For more than 30 years Joel made his living working on cow outfits in Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and Hawaii, specializing in breaking colts. Respected as a cowboy’s cowboy, Joel knows the work and handles horses and cattle with a gentleness of spirit. Joel is one of the founders of the Alpine Cowboy Poetry Gathering in Alpine, Texas. He is a 2009 recipient of the National Endowment for the Arts National Heritage Fellowship.
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Rodney Nelson and his wife Teri live in Sims, North Dakota. Rodney raises a few Red Angus cattle, is a brand inspector and trains horses. He has been on the banquet circuit since he became involved in cowboy poetry in l987, and has written a bi-weekly humor column for the Farm and Ranch Guide since l995. Rod started his rodeo career out with a bang when he won third place in the calf riding at a Bantry, North Dakota rodeo in l956. Mainly riding saddle broncs, after a serious slump of fifty years he won the 50+ steer wrestling average at the Senior Pro National Finals Rodeo in 2006. At his current rate of improvement he hopes to win a major bronc riding title, somewhere, by the time he is 80 years old.
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Glenn Ohrlin was born in Minneapolis in 1925 and has been a cowboy virtually all of his life. Glenn was 14 when his family moved to California. At age 16 he left home to become a rodeo bronc rider in Nevada. He worked as a ranch hand and rode the rodeo circuit for a number of years. Today he ranches and runs a cow outfit in the Ozark hills near Mountain View, Arkansas. Glenn is best known as a collector and performer of cowboy songs, range ballads, stories and poems, and he has authored a book called The Hell-Bound Train - A Cowboy’s Songbook. Named a National Endowment for the Arts National Heritage Fellow in 1985, Glenn has a mesmerizing style that is both understated, powerful, and hilarious.
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Vess Quinlan is the third generation on both sides of his family to spend most of his working life raising livestock and feed in Colorado. He has been writing poetry and prose since being confined for nearly a year with polio in 1951. Vess spent his healthy childhood summers with his uncles on their ranches, has worked on ranches since running away from home at 15, attending nine different high schools. He continued to work on ranches in Colorado until buying his own land in Alamosa to raise alfalfa, cattle, kids, dogs and sheep.
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Henry Real Bird, a native Crow Indian, grew up ranching on the battlegrounds of the Little Big Horn on the Crow Reservation in Montana. A former rodeo cowboy, now a renowned poet, Henry still lives in and draws inspiration from the land of the Little and Big Horn Valleys. Horses picture large in Henry’s creative work and are the thread of his Rivers of Horse CD. In the summer of 2010, as Montana’s Poet Laureate, Henry traveled by horseback 415 miles to distribute books of poetry.
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Pat Richardson was raised on ranches where his dad worked, but left home at the age of 14. He rode colts, milked cows, hauled hay, competed in rodeos, tried to “draw like Will James . . . and dabbled some in writing poetry.” A former professional saddle-bronc and bull rider, Pat used to draw cartoons for the Rodeo Sports News and has sold his pen-and-ink western art throughout the West. Pat has a book of poetry, four CDs and a DVD of cowboy poetry. He is currently working on his autobiography. www.poetpatrichardson.com
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Randy Rieman has spent much of his life making a living "a-horseback," working on ranches in Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, California and Hawaii. He has spent years learning from legendary horsemen and now teaches horsemanship clinics on problem solving and colt starting. Randy is also a talented rawhide braider, a skill he learned from the late Bill Dorrance. Randy continues to recite traditional cowboy poetry and is known for his classic recitations of poetry from the American West and the Australian Bush. He currently lives on a ranch and works horses near Dillon, Montana. www.randyrieman.com
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Ronstadt Generations represents the multi-cultural roots upon which America was founded. Dating their family history back five generations in North America, Michael J. Ronstadt, younger brother of Linda Ronstadt, continues the family’s musical tradition with his two sons, Michael G. and Petie Ronstadt. These three artists -- all multi-instrumentalists and solo artists in their own right -- bring to life a repertoire that reaches back to the end of the 19th century while continually looking ahead into the 21st, with a rich innovation of original material alongside traditional Southwestern and Mexican songs. www.ronstadtgenerations.com
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Martha Scanlan has been touring and headlining festivals across the U.S. and Europe since the release of her critically acclaimed solo album, The West Was Burning. For the last two years Martha has been living and cowboying on a remote hundred year-old Montana ranch near the Wyoming border, living in a decades-old cottonwood log cabin where she has used the peace and wilderness quiet to write a new set of songs for the Tongue River Stories project, a collection of songs about belonging and place. The project is a collaboration with award-winning film maker Dawson Dunning, who is a fifth generation descendant from an old ranching family. tongueriverstories.com/martha-scanlan
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Georgie Sicking was raised on a ranch outside of Kingman, Arizona. With both her father and stepfather as teachers, Georgie began riding at the age of two and by the age of 16 she was on the payroll of the Green Cattle Company in Seligman, Arizona. Georgie’s poetry speaks of her experience as a woman cowboy and offers a fine blend of humor and wisdom. She has also been inducted into the Cowgirl Hall of Fame and was awarded the 100,000-Miles on Horseback award from the Nevada Cattlemen’s Association. Georgie was the focus of the award-winning documentary film Ridin’ and Rhymin’ by Greg Snider and Dawn Smallman.
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Sourdough Slim was born in Hollywood, California, and spent much of his childhood on a family cattle ranch in the Sierra foothills. But as he explains, “my true calling as a cowboy was not on the range but rather, on the stage.” A childhood cut-up, he developed his comic character, honed his musical and yodeling skills and garnered the nick name “Slim” while performing in several traveling western bands in the 1970s and 80s. His most recent CD is Oh, Sweet Mama (recorded with Robert Armstrong). www.sourdoughslim.com
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R.P. Smith is the fourth generation to raise cattle on the Pine Crest Ranch near Broken Bow, Nebraska. Over the past few years R.P. has been supporting his ranching habit by entertaining folks throughout the country. He has been performing cowboy poetry for 20 years, and for the last seven has hosted a radio show called Homegrown, that features cowboy poetry and music. R.P. also writes a monthly column, and he has written one book, produced three CDs and has recently released a DVD, Caught In The Act. www.rpsmith.us
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Jay Snider was raised in southwest Oklahoma to a ranching and rodeo family. His dad was a top roper and rodeo cowboy and his granddad was a brand inspector for the Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association. Jay rodeoed throughout most of his early years and now stays busy raising ranch horses, cattle and team roping. Jay also hosts the annual Invitational Rafter S Ranch Cowboy Reunion. He writes poetry about his own experiences and as a means of preserving some of the stories of the old-time American Cowboy. www.jaysnider.net
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Dave Stamey learned to play the guitar at age 12. He performs his share of classic cowboy songs, but mainly focuses on his own more contemporary songs of the West and on the plight of the rancher trying to maintain a ranch in these modern times. He has been bucked off and stomped by many horses and mules, and he's been dragged around branding pens by angry cattle of various sizes. Dave is now an entertainer and finds that he prefers it to being stomped on. He's been awarded the Male Performer of the Year by the Western Music Association and is a three-time nominee for Songwriter of the Year. He lives in Orange Grove, California, with his wife Melissa, two horses and several dogs. http://davestamey.com
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Gail Steiger comes from both a ranching and songwriting background. He learned the guitar from his mother, and he’s been writing songs for twenty years. Gail has worked on many ranches, including the 06 and the Spider Ranch in Yavapai County, Arizona, where he has been the foreman since 1995. Gail’s grandfather, Gail Gardner, wrote well-known cowboy songs including Tying the Knots in the Devil’s Tail. Gail works with his brother Lew on various films and multi-media projects and is a member the Western Folklife Center’s Board of Trustees.
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Rod Taylor is originally from Lubbock, Texas, and has been playing music for more than 30 years. He started his cowboy career while in high school at both the C Bar and Philmont Ranches. Rod left Texas Tech to pursue the cowboy life and has worked at the Vermejo Park/WS, TO, UU Bar, and Little Horn ranches. He currently cowboys on the Philmont Ranch, which is owned and operated by the Boy Scouts of America. Rod will be accompanied by multi-instrumentalist Don Richmond. Rod and Don perform regularly together as The Rifters. www.rodtaylormusic.net
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Ian Tyson is a singer and songwriter of the highest order, writing or co-writing such western classics as Navajo Rug, Someday Soon, Four Strong Winds, Bob Fudge and countless other songs. Ian grew up in Canada and spent 20 years as a bronc rider and calf roper. Forced into retirement because of an injury, Ian began playing the guitar and writing songs. After many years of performing during the folk revival of the 1960s, Ian returned to his cowboy and ranching roots, moved to southern Alberta and began to write many of his legendary cowboy songs. Honored throughout North America with multiple awards throughout the years, his latest release is Songs From the Stonehouse. www.iantyson.com
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Dick Warwick is the fourth generation to farm and ranch his family’s home place amid the rolling hills of the Palouse Country in eastern Washington. He takes his poetic inspiration from the land, people, history and the vicissitudes of modern life. Dick has performed throughout the West, in Australia and Ireland, and has two books and several recordings to his credit. A new CD Cowboy Poetry Lite, his first in nearly a decade, will soon be released.
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Andy Wilkinson & Andy Hedges have four joint album projects performing old songs rediscovered by Andy Hedges and new songs written by Andy Wilkinson. Their latest is The Outlands. Andy Wilkinson is a poet, songwriter, singer and playwright whose particular interest is the history and peoples of the Great Plains. He has recorded eight albums of original music and has written six plays. He is Artist in Residence at the Southwest Collection at Texas Tech University, where he is also visiting assistant professor in the School of Music and in the Honors College. Andy Hedges is a reciter, singer and guitarist. Andy began reciting classic cowboy poems when he was 15. He has since released two cowboy poetry albums, and in 2004 debuted his first music album, City Boys, produced by Andy Wilkinson. Andy Hedges' wife Alissa and Andy Wilkinson’s daughter Emily Arellano both sing on the newest release. www.andyandandy.com/fr_home.cfm
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Wylie & The Wild West are self-described as “a good-time cowboy band,” and nothing could be closer to the truth. Wylie Gustafson and his band play a blend of western swing, classic country, cowboy and folk music that makes the audience want to get up and dance. Wylie’s music is true to his heart; he finds inspiration in ranch life, in punching cattle, and in the wide-open spaces of the West. The Wild West members include Sam Platts on steel guitar, Rick Bryceson on drums, Erik Gustafson and Dorlan Shane Queener. www.wyliewwebsite.com
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Paul Zarzyski (1951-20!?), the self-proclaimed One-'n'-Only-Polish-Mafioso-Rodeo-Poet, rode bare back in the '70s, '80s, and '90s. He is the recipient of the 2005 Montana Governor's Arts Award for Literature, as well as four Western Writers of America Spur Awards for both poetry and songwriting. Paul has participated in over a quarter century's worth of Elko Gatherings - what he calls his "most eminent honor of all." His latest collection (Bangtail Press, 2011) is 51: 30 Poems, 20 Lyrics, 1 Self-Interview. www.paulzarzyski.com
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