Happy Trails Western Podcast 1 – February 2008
Click the URL below to listen to our Western Podcast 1. (February 2008)
http://michiganfolklive.podcastpeople.com/posts/20083
Hi, I’m Steve Johnson and I would like to welcome you to a special edition of Michigan Folk Live. This is our “Happy Trails Edition “, the first of a series of podcasts that we will produce to celebrate the music of the American West. I was born in ’55 and raised in Michigan. I can remember that throughout my youth, the Silver screen, the TV broadcasts and the radio airways were filled with Western Music.
I remember the sounds in our home being filled with the western music of Tex Ritter, Marty Robbins, Eddie Arnold, Slim Whitman and Johnny Cash. I remember Saturday afternoons and week-nights, spent with Clayton Moore, Sky King, Bat Masterson, Marshall Dillon, The Rifleman and Bonanza. And of course let’s not forget the singing cowboys, Roy Rogers and Gene Autry, and the singing cowgirls Dale Evans and Dorothy Page. John Wayne was the biggest box office star of the era and his most popular films always featured him astride a horse. I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention Hopalong Cassidy, Tom Mix, William S Hart and Randolph Scott.
Then something happened that killed the dominance of the Western Cowboy on TV and Movie screens. Whether it was Rock and Roll, the 60’s drug culture, the Vietnam war, the Space Race or the Cold War, something killed America’s Love affair with it’s great iconic hero, the cowboy and almost over-night Country-Western Music, became just County music.
Throughout the 30+ years since the demise of the American Cowboy as our most popular pop-culture figure, Western music hasn’t died. It’s been kept alive by Artists who love that genre of Music and love performing the old cowboy tunes and continue to write wonderful new ones. This music is still popular and commonly heard throughout the West, but those of use who live out-side of the West have little opportunity to hear it. So today were bringing the great old and new music of the American West to you. Thank you to all the great artists who participated and thank you for keeping the music alive.
Michigan Folk Live Intro – Laura Bates and Brandon Foot - Shenandoah
Joyce Woodson - I Heard about it in a Song
The Academy of Western Artists, http://www.awa-awards.org/ has voted this song "If I Hadn't Seen the West" #1 on their "Western Music Song" chart for November 2007. The album is currently #4 on their Western Music Album chart.
Joyce Woodson resides in her home town of San Juan Capistrano, California. She is the winner of the 22nd Tucson Folk Festival Songwriting Contest, She has performed at the Napa Valley Music Festival, Kerrville Folk Festival and is a founding member of the Western Music Association in Tucson, Arizona. She is a regular performer at the Gene Autry Museum in Burbank, California and the Buffalo Bill Historical Center in Cody, Wyoming
http://www.joycewoodson.com/
Clay Canfield - The Buffalo Grass
I was fortunate to wrangle a last–minute seat to a sold out concert at the Black Crystal Café when this Nashville Artist appeared in November. Clay Canfield is the real deal. He grew up on a West Texas ranch and left home at 17 to find his fortune is the Greenwich Village Folk Scene. Here he is performing “The Buffalo Grass” from his CD release “The White House Session”
http://www.claycanfield.com/
Juni Fisher - Red Velvet Slippers
I could devote an entire podcast to the Music of this next artist. In fact In the future I just might. Born and raised in the west Juni Fisher is an expert horsewoman and fly fisher. From her appearances, and by word of mouth, the bookings and the kudos keep rolling in, including the 2007 Western Music Association Song of the Year, 2006 Western Music Association Female Vocalist of the Year, 2005 Academy of Western Artists Western Female Vocalist of the Year, and 2005 Western Music Association Crescendo Award. Here is Juni Fisher performing “Red Velvet Slippers” a song she wrote as a companion piece to Marty Robbin’s cowboy classic “El Paso”.
http://www.junifisher.com/
http://www.myspace.com/cowgirlmusic
Eddy Harrison - The Cattle Call
This next Cowboy has been pickin’ Guitar and singing since he was 14. In addition to writing songs and performing. This multi-dimensional artist builds some of the prettiest custom-inlayed acoustic guitars you can imagine. He hails from Las Cruces, New Mexico. Because a Western podcast wouldn’t be complete without a yodel here is Eddy Harrison performing “The Cattle Call.”
http://www.blueeagleguitars.com/
Katy Creek Band - Autumn’s On It’s Way
The Katy Creek Band is fronted by Husband and Wife Wes and Nancy Ruybal. The Katy Creek Band has been performing Western Music, Cowboy Poetry and Cowboy Gospel since 2000. They present Cowboy Music And Poetry in an enjoyable uncomplicated style with recitations from the 1700-1800's to the modern day working cowboy. They make their home in Maricopa Arizona. Here they are performing the Title song from their most recent CD “Autumn Is On Its Way”.
http://www.katycreekband.com/
Dave Stamey - The Skies of Lincoln County
He's been awarded the Male Performer of the Year by the Western Music Association, is a three time nominee for Songwriter of the Year. He’s one of the most popular Western entertainers working today. Dave Stamey lives in Nipomo California with his wife and partner Melissa, several horses, cats and dogs. From his CD “If I had a Horse” comes this song “The Skies of Lincoln County” Dave wrote this song about the notorious outlaw Billy the kid, when it occurred to him that almost everything we know about him comes from a book written by the man who killed him.
http://www.davestamey.com/
Juni Fisher - Wish I’d Never Had That Kid
Here’s another song from Juni Fisher. It also presents a different take on William Bonny written from the viewpoint of his mother.
http://www.junifisher.com/
http://www.myspace.com/cowgirlmusic
TJ Casey - It’s In my Blood
TJ Casey bill’s himself as “Montana’s Singing Cowboy”. He grew up cowboying in Montana’s harsh but beautiful Pryor Mountains, living closely with horses and cattle before he can even remember. They lived primitively with no electricity, telephone or indoor plumbing, which taught him just how unimportant money and possessions really are in life. In the world of cowboy poets, T.J. stands out as a top-notch songwriter, historian. Here he is performing “It’s In My Blood” from his CD “Pure “D” Cowboy”.
Dave Stamey – Tonapah
Here’s another song from one of the Western Music Genre’s Best Singer-Songwriters, Dave Stamey. It’s the title tune from his 1999 release “Tonapah”.
http://www.davestamey.com/
Laurie Wood - Rosa May ( Dave Stamey)
Now we are going to hear one more song written by Dave Stamey. However this time it is performed by Laurie Wood of Encampment Wyoming. Laurie grew up in Southern New Mexico and began playing guitar at age 16. She played in “at least a dozen country bands” before she retired from music 15 years ago. Now she is back playing the music she always loved “Western Music and Cowboy songs”. Here is Laurie performing “Rosa May”.
http://www.woodwesternmusic.com/index.cfm
http://www.myspace.com/woodwesternmusic
Eddy Harrison- Mr Shorty
Here is another song by Eddy Harrison of from Las Cruces, New Mexico. This one was written by the late great Marty Robbins. Here is Eddy performing “Mr. Shorty”
http://www.blueeagleguitars.com/
Daughters of the Purple Sage - Shenandoah
Daughters of the Purple Sage formed in 1995 and specialize in songs of the Golden West, they are internationally acclaimed for their remarkable vocal blend and nostalgic style. With numerous nominations from the Academy of Western Artists and the Western Music Association, The Daughter’s continue to delight audiences with their signature three-part harmony and arrangements of western classics such as Tumblin’ Tumbleweeds and Shenandoah. Here they are performing Shenandoah from their release Songs of the Golden West.
http://www.thedaughters.com
Rich Flanders - Cool Water Written by Bob Nolan, along with Tumbling Tumbleweeds, Cool Water is Bob Nolan’s most famous composition and was a huge hit for The Sons of the Pioneers and for Marty Robbins. Here it’s performed by Rich Flanders. Rich is not a cowboy, in fact he makes his home in Thompson Ridge New York. But since he was a boy he has had a love affair with the West. That Love affair is celebrated in his release “Yondering – Songs of the American West”.
http://www.richflanders.com/
Dave Stamey - Ghost Riders In The Sky
Here’s Western Great Dave Stamey performing one of the greatest Cowboy songs ever written. It was written by Stan Jones, a Death Valley Park Ranger and was discovered when he sang it one night around a campfire of a Hollywood movie crew Rich FlanderRTJClay Canfield, on location. Stan went on to write song form many movie and television shows. This song has been recorded more than 50 times by Vaughn Monroe, Bing Crosby, Marty Robbins, Johnny Cash, and Peggy Lee. Here is Dave Stamey singing “Ghost Riders In The Sky”.
http://www.davestamey.com/
Conclusion Michigan Folk Live – Wayfaring Stranger - Darol Anger with Scott Nygaard.
This visionary instrumentalist calls himself a “Peripatetic Freestyle Fiddler and Legendary Weirdo". What he is, is a fiddle savant. Here to end The MichiganFolkLive podcast is Darol Anger performing his magic on a traditional folk tune “Wayfaring Stranger”
Thank you to all the talented Artists who have particpated in our podcasts!
We are not worthy!!
MichiganFolkLIve by Flying Spur Productions is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0 United States License.
