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Backforty Bunkhouse Newsletter Cowtown Society of Western Music ‗2009 Publication of the Year‘

Distributed by BACKFORTY BUNKHOUSE PRODUCTIONS 106 Roswell St., Ruidoso, NM 88345 (575) 808-4111

Home of Backforty Roundup and CD Chorale Backforty Bunkhouse Publishing BMI

Venue / Show Productions Western Music Radio Marketing www.Backforty Bunkhouse.com Joe@BackfortyBunkhouse.com

www.MySpace.com/BackfortyBunkhouse Twitter.com/backfortyBH

Joe Baker Publisher

The Backforty Bunkhouse Newsletter is sent to over 700 email subscribers periodically and is growing every day. There are DJs, artists and fans whose interest are Western Swing, Cowboy Poetry, Cowboy Heritage and Texas Honky Tonk music gen-res. We solicit your comments, suggestions and ways we may better serve you. If you do not want to receive this newsletter and want to be removed from our mailing list, reply to this email by entering ―UNSUBSCRIBE‖ in the subject box of the email.

Joe Baker's Top 20 – April, 2010

Western Swing

1. Gayla Earlene, Traditional Sugar

2. Johnny Gimble, Celebrating with Friends

3. Rebecca Linda Smith, True Love

4. Hank Stone, Somewhere In Texas

5. Cornell Hurd, A Bad Year For Love

6. Amber Digby, Another Way To Live

7. Willie Nelson, Willie & The Wheel

8. Kelly Lee James, Did You Take Time

9. Carolyn Martin, Cookin‘ With Carolyn

10. Brady Bowen In My Spare Time, Vol.#5

11. Johnny Lyon, Wynn Stewart Fav., Vol.#2

12. Kevin Carter-Little Red Hayes, East Texas

13. Jerry D., Thank you Mom & Dad

14. Billy Mata, This Is Tommy Duncan Vol.#1

15. Johnny Johnson, One Last Time

16. Wayne Glasson & Friends, Tribute To Bob

Boatright

17. Gene Watson, A Taste Of The Truth

18. Dugg Collins, Looking Back-1977

19. Steel Country, Country Hard As Steel

20. The Desperados, Lucky Seven

Western Music/Cowboy Poetry

1. Bar-D Roundup, Vol.#5 CowboyPoetry.com

2. Yvonne Hollenbeck, Sorting Time

3. Larry McWhorter, Cowboy Poet (Prescott

Music)

4. Ken Cook, Cowboys Are Like That

5. Patty Parker, Southwest Serenade

6. Brenn Hill, Equine

7. Mark Compere, Cowboy Songs

8. Lynn Anderson. Cowgirl II

9. Chuck Woller (D.L.Johnson Vocals), Desert

Moon

10. Rich Flanders, Ride Away

11. Fred Hargrove, My Sacred Ground

12. Gil Prather, Last Of The Border Cowboys

13. Frank Fara, Charming Billy

Joe Baker‟s Backforty Bunkhouse Show is broadcast on 100,000 watt KNMB, 96.7FM “New Mexico Bear” & 100,000 watt KWMW, 105.1FM, “Regional Radio W-105” every Saturday morning 6 am to 10 am in Ruidoso, New Mexico covering New Mexico & West Texas. Member: Western Music Broadcast-ers Association (WMBA). Also available „Streaming live‟ 24/7 on the internet at W-105

14. Horse Crazy, Daughters Of The West

15. Linda Lee Filener, One Life To Live

16. Backforty Roundup Vol. #44

17. Joe Green, Texas Original-Live

18. Troy Bateson, Midnight Moon

19. Chuck Cusimano, Wind Blow My Blues Away

20. Skeeter Mann, Don‘t Ever Sell Your Saddle

LEESWING TOP 12 - April 2010

Lillies Ohlsson

Kountry Korral Magazine

Bennerstigen 120

SE-73395 SALA * SWEDEN

TOP 12 CDs

* Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys -

B.F. Goodrich Transcriptions

* Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys - Radio Days

* Dayna Wills - Inside Out Vol.III

* Gaylynn Robinson - Love & Heartache

* Howard Kalish - What The Hey!

* Kelli Grant - Swing-a-Billy

* Leon Rausch - Doin´ It Bob´s Way

* Patty Parker - Southwestern Serenade

* River Road Boys - Houston

* Shoot Low Sheriff - Mockingbird Sessions

* The Texas Playboys - Live in Pawhuska

* Texas Swing Band - Welcome To Texas

TOP 12 SONGS

* Big Texas - Shoot Low Sheriff

* Convict And The Rose - Rod Moag & Dayna Wills

* I Found Heaven In A Texas Honky Tonk - Kenny Ser-

rat

* Living In A Cheap Motel - Earl Poole Ball w/Heybale

* Over The Hill - River Road Boys

* Ridin´ Down That Lonesome Trail - Gaylynn Robinson

* She Rode A Horse Called Buttermilk - Patty Parker

* Silver Lake Blues - Texas Playboys, Live in Pawhuska

* Sing Faded Love Dayna Gayle - Dayna Wills

Est. January, 2007 Howard Higgins,

Co-Founder & Advisor

Joe Baker, Co-Founder & Publisher

Totsie Slover, Editor

cowtown-swm.org

wsmss.com

westernmusic.com

mtdradio.com backfortybunkhouse.com

mtdradio.com backfortybunkhouse.com

nchacutting.com

2

Ruidoso, New Mexico mountainannies.com

nwwsms.org

westernswingsociety.org

ifco.org

swinginwest.com

demingradio.com realwestoldwest.com

cowboypoetry.com

kalhlp@earthlink.net

cowboysymposium.org

awaawards.org

Bare Naked Ladies , If I Had A Million Dollars.

Gordon Parsons , Back To Those Rolling Plains.

Cary Glenn Lawson , Lucky California Sunset.

Nancy Mareen , Life Is Beautiful.

Donna Ray , Bicycle Ride.

Judy Weldon , Kisses.

Beka , Get Love Right.

Paul Wilson , Restless.

Jim & Rachel , Finding Myself.

wynjoy@orcon.net.nz

The Real West from the Old West

Totsie Slover

AM1230 KOTS

DemingRadio.com

Top 20 CDs

Carolyn Martin - Cookin‘ With Carolyn

Call Of The West - You Are The Rose

Of My Heart

Brady Bowen - In My Spare Time Vol. 5

James Michael - All American Cowboy

Rod Taylor - Here, There and Anywhere

Billy Mata - This Is Tommy Duncan Vol. 1

Brenn Hill - Equine

Bobby Flores - Festival Favorites

Jim Jones - Still Ridin‘

The Desperados - Lucky Seven

Open Range - Yellowstone Winds

Dan Roberts - Viva La Cowboy

Ian Tyson - Yellowhead To Yellowstone

Kevin Davis - Every Horse I Ever Rode

Pete Laumbach - My Picture Window

Juni Fisher - Gone For Colorado

Jean Prescott - Sweethearts In Carhartts

Ken Moore - Bringin‘ The Wild Ones In

Les Gilliam - Oklahoma 1955

Jody Nix - The Fiddle Man

realwestoldwest.com

Hugh McLennan‘s THE SPIRIT OF THE WEST

Kamloops Country Radio 103 – Kamloops, BC

April 17, 2010

1. The Cowboy Code - Belinda Gail 2. Ropin‘ His Dreams - Dan Roberts 3. God Must Be a Cowboy - Chris & Sharkey Shauer 4. Little Foothills Heaven - Corb Lund 5. Cowboy Free - R..J. Vandygriff POEM :Listening for His Cinch Bell - Jessica Hedges

*Smile When You Speak Of Texas - T.Texas Tyler w/

Joaquin Murphey

* Take Me Back To Tulsa - The Texas Playboys w/

Luke Wills, Live in Pawhuska

* When Mexico Gave Up The Rhumba - Mitchell Torok

www.123minsida.se/cowswing

www.LeeSwing88.se

Ken Bass - KALH - Variety 95.1FM

Serving

Alamogordo - La Luz - Holloman

AFB & Tularosa, NM

1. Jerrod Nieman - Lover Lover

2. Ron Williams - Bag of Chips

3. Ronica Coldiron - Chocolate Coffee & Cowboys

4. Billy Dean - Wave On Old Glory Wave On

5. Rosanne Cash & Bruce Springstine - Sea of Hear-

break

6. Devon Dawson - Play Faded Love

7. Candye Kane - You Need a Great Big Woman

8. Karli Whetstone - I'm Having a Good Day

9. Ray Stevens - Throw the Bums Out

10. Anthony Smith - Love Is Love Is Love

11. Rebecca Linda Smith – Lady Warrior

12. Doughboys - Queen City

13. Jeremy Lesley - Cowgirl Tough

14. Michelle Turley - Caroline

15. Kori Jean Olsen - Next Big Nothin'

16. Rebecca Loebe - Her In That Dress

17. Red Molly - Jezebel

18. Little Big Town – Little White Church

19. Bridgett Tatum - I Like My Cowboy's Dirty

20. Landon Dodd – Call Of The Wine

Wyn Machon

Oamaru Heritage Radio 88.3 & 107

FM

5 Lowther St Oamaru 9400

New Zealand

..................................................

Dominic Kirwan , Funny Familiar Forgotten Feelings.

Bill Anderson & Jan Howard , I'm Leaving It All Up To

You.

William Ray , A Good Old Song.

Marilyn McConnell , Here Comes My Baby.

Alison Krauss & Union Station , Heartstrings.

Beth Hunter , You Make A Better Ex,

Lamar Hunter , Full Time Job.

Country Sisters , Oklahoma Bay.

Chad Reilly , Pouring Down Rain.

Allen Shelton , Bending Strings.

Ann Brown , Plug My Heart Into The Juke Box.

Arly Karlsen , A Hold On You.

Gene Watson , Baby's Eyes.

Photo by Faith

3

"Swingin' West"- Mike Gross

WVOF-FM

April 1, 2010

Songs

1. Oklahoma -1955- Les Gilliam

2. Night Coach Out of Dallas- Jake Hooker

3. California Mountains- The Stardust Cowboys

4. Over the Hill- River Road Boys

5. That‘s What I Call Cookin‘- Carolyn Martin

6. Tacos, Enchiladas and Beans- Buck Pizzarelli & West

Texas Tumbleweeds

7. I‘m A Texas Boy- Jerry D. Hobbs

8. Brownsville- John England & Western Swingers

9. Are You Teasing Me- Bobby Flores

10. Crystal Canyon- Patty Parker

Albums

1. Oklahoma- 1955- Les Gilliam

2. Western Bling- Stephanie Davis

3. Houston- River Road Boys

4. Lost Along the Way- Jake Hooker

5. Cookin‘ With Carolyn- Carolyn Martin

6. Diggin‘ Up Bones- Buck Pizzarelli & West Texas Tumble-

weeds

7. Celebrating with Friends- Johnny Gimble

8. Herdin‘ Cats- The Saddle Cats

9. This is Tommy Duncan- Billy Mata & Texas Tradition

10. Last Call for Heartaches- Price Porter

swinginwest.com

Around The Campfire In no particular order, I consider these to be the Top 10 new western releases: 1. Appaloosa Moon - Tom Hiatt 2. Cowgirl II - Lynn Anderson 3. Let 'er Go, Let 'er Buck, Let 'er Fly

4. Wind in the Wire - Ed Stabler with Kelly Henson 5. Goin' My Way - Gary McMahon 6. My Sacred Ground - Fred Hargrove 7. Ridin' Back to You - The Stardust Cowboys 8. Don't Ever Sell Your Saddle - Skeeter Mann 9. Writes & Co-Writes, Vol. II - Les Buffham & Friends 10. Clean Outta Luck - Mary Kaye

Marvin O'Dell Around the Campfire

Heartland Public Radio.org

1. Roy Rogers - Stan Corliss

2. The Day That Trigger Died - Leighton Watts 3. Moonlight Cowgirl - Eli Barsi 4. Bridle Hangin‘ On The Wall - Don Ed-wards & Rex Allen 5. Heroes - Gary Fjellgaard 6. The Standup Radio - Mag Mawhinney

April 3, 2010

1. Driftin‘ With The Wind - R.W. Hampton 2. When The Last Calf Hits The Ground - Matt Johnston 3. Longview Ladies - Bunchgrass Band 4. One Cowboy Left - Jean Prescott 5. Back When The Longhorn Was King - Rusty Richards Poems from Linda Thurston

March 27, 2010

1. B-Western - Stardust Cowboys 2. Garden Spot Pavilion - Mike Hurwitz 3. Dream Ridin‘ - Butch Falk 4. The Little Blue Roan - Mike Hurwitz 5. The Wonder Of It All - Ian Tyson POEM: The Old Crockett Spurs - Andy Nel-son

www.hugh-mclennan.com

The Big Fred Walker

Show WOES 91.3 FM Mid-Michigan

TOP TWELVE SONGS 01 Ann Pascoe – Land

Of The Long White Cloud 02 David Cline‘ – Ace In The Hole 03 Bobby Flores – Don‘t You Believe Her 04 Joe Paul Nichols – Fraulein 05 Reagan Hudson – The Boar Hog Twist 06 Billy Keeble – I Bought The Shoes That Just Walked Out On Me 07 Jack Reno – Heartaches By The Number 08 Patty Parker – Navajo Land 09 Billy Mata – San Antonio Rose 10 Leon Seiter – Rags to Riches 11 Kenny Seratt – Hank & Lefty Raised My Country Soul 12 Bobby Flores – Are you Teasing Me TOP TWELVE CD‘s

01 T.J. Casey – Blue Montana Skies 02 Ann Pascoe – The Best Of Ann Pascoe 03 Mike Headrick – Up To The Gills 04 Billy Mata – This is Tommy Duncan Vol. I 05 Arty Hill – Montgomery On My Mind 06 Leon Seiter – Nashville Memories 07 Joe Paul Nichols – The Best Of Joe Paul Nichols 08 Belinda Gail – And Wild Wind 09 Dusty Owens – The Final Touch 10 Ray Harrison – Scratchin‘ The Surface 11 David Cline – Texas Hold-em 12 Joyce Leonard – Totally Yodeling

djcountryone@charter.net

radioksey.com

ralphsbackporch.com

waynettawwr@aol.com

wswing.home.texas.net

sblackwell18 @comcast.net

cdtex.com

texascountyline.tv

gabeandtony.com

MineralWellsTX.com

Heart Of The Cowboy By John Conley Coming Soon

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WHY WE DO WHAT WE DO!

People email me all the time with differ-

ent questions about the Back Porch,

how it works, why internet, how they

can listen and so forth but one question

stuck out in my mind so much so that I

thought I'd talk to you about that very

same question.

A lady wrote, "Why is the Back Porch

so silly? All the time you and Tamara

appear to be so silly and that certainly

isn‘t respecting the Cowboy Way or acknowledging the serious-

ness of Western Music!" I have these in quotations because I

didn't think you all would believe me if I just told you so I quoted

the lady.

Let me answer honestly right here and right now. Ma‘am, I'm not

so much concerned with ―saving the West‖ or ―preserving West-

ern culture and heritage", although that is a mighty fine thing to

do, and we should all do it in our own way. I personally don't think

the WEST is in much danger of going anywhere and that the

West, like everything under God's sun changes, that Westerners,

by and large are smart enough not to allow someone to come into

the West and do it harm.

I think Westerners are doing what Westerners have always done

and that is persevere and came out on top in most of the things

they turn a hand at. As for educating people about our heritage…

heck, I don't have to do that! You can't swing a dead cat and not

hit a commercial or TV show or movie that puts the Western heri-

tage in front of millions of folks in the flash of an instant. Me? I'm

content with ENTERTAINING folks.

That's right I said it! The Back Porch COWBOY ONLINE radio

show is dedicated to making people chuckle, making folks smile,

making them think, to hold a song clutched tightly to a beating

heart, a poem remembered, loved, cherished and now spoken

with feeling and emotion.

We point out sunsets and invite you to sit with us and marvel at

the wonder of God in song and poetry. We help make you feel the

sound saddle leather makes and the sweet smell of horses, the

sting of dust on a hot day and the weariness of cold in the moun-

tains and on the range.

We bring you song and laughter and yes, silliness when we can

because we know if we can grab your funny bone and hold it for

two hours on show nights, we can help you feel just like what we

all want to be...cowboys!

So, we are silly and dang proud of it! We also hold dear every-

thing the West stands for and we flat out LOVE COWBOY music!

Our FAVORITE SONGS THIS GO ‗ROUND!

Richard L. Cody & Mary Kaye - Wayward Prairie

Saddles Strings - Iron In A Heart

Mike Siler - It's About To Get Western

Les Buffham & Dave Stamey – Cowboy Blessing

Ryan Fritz - Ocean Of Grass

Polecat Creek - Kiss Me Over The Garden Gate

Red Steagall - He Was There

Kevin Davis - Brown Eyes Of Mexico

Brenn Hill - Equine

Ralph Hampton and Tamara Boatright

www.ralphsbackporch.com

Western Music Association's Radio Station of the Year 2009

Bill McCallie‘s

Cowboy Jubilee Radio Show

Classical 90.5 WSMC-FM

Chattanooga, TN

This month has been a windfall of new mu-

sic. CMH sent me Johnny Gimble's new CD Celebrating With

Friends. With guest artists like Vince Gill, Jason Roberts, Merle

Haggard, and Dale Watson plus others, this CD is bound to be a

collector‘s item for sure. We spotlighted "Somewhere South of

San Antone," "Fiddling Around,‖ "Sweet Georgia Brown,‖ "Hey

Mister Cowboy," "I Needed You" and "Under The X In

Texas." The following week I finally got some new music from the

Quebe Sisters, after nearly wearing out their first one. These gals

are great and now feature the entire band on the CD. The CD is

called "Timeless" and not only features the vintage-style, three

part harmony, and Hulda, Grace, and Sophia fiddling but also

features the rhythm guitar of Joe McKenzie and the bottom end is

covered by Drew Phelps on upright bass. It‘s a really nice collec-

tion on "Timeless" tunes and I highly recommend it for your col-

lection. We featured "Shame On You," "Georgia On My Mind"

and "Across The Alley From The Alamo." We'll be playing more

from this CD over the next several months and for a long time

after that. I did some nice segments on the show this past month

taken from American Cowboy Magazine. I did an article on

Horace Greeley. You remember him, he's the Yankee newspa-

perman who advocated that every man "Go West Young Man, Go

West." Dave Stamey refers to Horace Greeley in his song

"Someone Needs To Go Back Home." I featured Dave doing

"Wheels" as well. Don Edwards is always in the spotlight around

Cowboy Jubilee with "My Blue Heaven,‖ "Ragged But Right" and

"Land Of My Boyhood Dreams." I interviewed Don in Pigeon

Forge, Tennessee at the Saddle Up festival and we'll play that on

a latter show. The Saddle Cats were on tap this month with

"Heardin‘ Cats." We did "Mission to Moscow," "Stardust" and that

old Spade Cooley standard "Oklahoma Stomp."

I did a segment on "Florida Cattle Drives" taken from American

Cowboy and did a story about whips, which the Florida cowboys

used for herding cows ...seems they called them "Crackers" and I

always thought some of us folks in Georgia were "Crackers." The

Florida Cattle Drive article was really interesting and got lots of

comments from listeners. I had some requests for some Hank

Cramer and had a couple of Hoyt Axton songs by Hank and

played them. "Della and the Dealer" and "Angeline." Tim Ryan

rounded out the month with "Tried, True and Tested" from his

great Warner West CD. I did a segment on the Pony Express and

featured Casey Anderson's song about the "Pony Express" and

featured Michael Stevens, Texas songwriter/singer and historian

about the Pony Express as well. I'm just about to wear out my old

Grady Lee CD. We played "Saturday Morning Dreams With Dale,"

"Road to Paris" and "Texas Sunset." Bobby Flores, Jody Nix and

Carolyn Martin are always on the show and Asleep At The Wheel

as well.

Cowboy Poetry this month was from Waddie Mitchell, Baxter

Black, and Andy Hedges with more to come next month. I'm still

looking for MMM's ―Buckeroo Bluegrass‖ and can't seem to make

a connection but hopefully soon Susan will get one to me. New

CD's for next month from Brenn Hill and Juni Fisher will be on the

5

playlist.

That's just about all the news that's fit to print and the sun is get-

ting‘ low in the sky so I'll close for now but we'll catch you again

next month. We broadcast from a 100,000 watt public radio sta-

tion in beautiful downtown Collegedale, Tennessee..."where the

air always smells like a big oatmeal cookie." We're on Facebook

at Bill McCallie's Cowboy Jubilee Radio Show, if you wanna make

some requests or you can listen live anywhere in the wide world

of sports at www.wsmc.org any Sunday evening at 6pm. Ride

safe and remember what our old friend Mark Twain said in 1866, "

No man's life, liberty or property is safe, while the legislature is in

session". And that was in 1866....some things never change!

See you next month..... Ride safe.

Bill McCallie

billmccallie@gmail.com

Sundays at 6:00 PM - wms.org/webstream.html

Andy and Jim Nelson

C. O. W.

4 Week Playlist

3/27/10, Roundup of a Different Kind

The Texas Trailhands: Lone Star Swing

Donnie Blanz: Living Off the Land

Sons of the Pioneers: Maverick

Brenn Hill: Wyoming Wind

Doris Daley: What is a Westerner

Patty Clayton: Montana's Yesterday

3/20/10, Luis Ortega

Stephanie Davis: Montana Cowgirl

Sourdough Slim: Ridin' Down The Canyon

Carolina Cotton: Singing On The Trail

Sawmill Creek Band: Friends

Jess Howard: Singin' Cowboy

Kyle Evans: The Echo Of An Old Man's Last Ride

3/13/10, Why We Do What We Do

Ken Overcast: The Bear Paw Song

Jim Wilson: Blue Mountains Of Mexico

Tex Ritter: New Moon

Prickly Pair: Diamond Joe

Andy Nelson: Doing Winter Work

Horse Crazy: Western Moon

3/6/10, Temple Grandin

Lynn Anderson: Virginia City

Jared Rogerson: Above The Timberline

David Rose: Bonanza

Lone Prairie: Song Of The Bandit

Yvonne Hollenbeck: Sorting Time

Andy Wilkinson/Andy Hedges: Centerline

cowboypoet@wyoming.com

Dallas McCord

AWA Disc Jockey of the Year

KNND 1400AM Sunday 1PM to 4PM

Cowboy Culture Corner

―Keep Out Of The Wire‖

Howard Steele - Oregon

Dallas McCord - Stuff That Works

Misty Mama's - Polka On The Banjo

Horse Crazy- The Vaquero Song

Juni Fisher - Yakama

Steeldust/Donnie Poindexter -The Master's Call

Howard Steele - Oregon

Larry McWhorter - Advice To The Traveler

Juni Fisher/Patty Clayton - Cowgirlfriends

Larry McWhorter/Waddie Mitchell - Cowboy Count Yer Blessings

RW Hampton - Journey

Harry Jackson - Some Cowboy Brag Talk

RW Hampton - Night Rider's Lament

Van Criddle - Montana Heaven

Kathy Criddle - Wyoming Waltz

PJ McCord/Kathy Criddle

Jerry Brooks - Some Cowboy Brag Talk

RW Hampton - Texas, The Springtime And You

Red Steagall - The Fence That Me And Shorty Built

Donny Blanz - He Sings

Red Wing - Loch Laven Castle

Jean Prescott - Old Hank Morgan's Place

Barbara Nelson - When I Was A Cowgirl Out On The Western

Plain

The Stardust Cowboys - Ridin' Back To You

Jean Prescott - The Saddle Tale

Lynn Anderson - Wild, Wild Women Of The Wild, Wild West

Butch Martin - Whittler's Corner

Curly Musgrave/Belinda Gail- The Irish Drover

Lynn Anderson - I Rode In As A Stranger

dallasmccord@yahoo.com

We had a gunfight the last weekend in

March in Cabbagetown (a neighborhood in

Atlanta). Cowboy Bill & Wrangler Marv really

enjoyed shooting Fuzzy.

Cabbagetown is an old mill town from the

early 1900‘s and it produced some out-

standing musicians. We were there to honor Fiddlin‘ Johnny Car-

son. In 1911, Carson's family moved to Cabbagetown, Georgia

and he and his children began working for the Fulton Bag and

Cotton Mill. Two years later, in 1913, the workers of the cotton

mill went on strike for their right to form a union, and Carson had

nothing else to do but to perform for a living in the streets of North

Atlanta. In these days, he wrote many songs and he used to print

copies and sell them in the streets for a nickel or a dime. Some of

the songs he wrote dealt with real life drama like the murder bal-

lad "Mary Phagan". Because the governor of Georgia, John Mar-

shall Slaton, commuted the death sentence of the accused mur-

derer of Mary Phagan to a life sentence, Carson, in outrage, wrote

another version of "Mary Phagan" where he accused the governor

of being paid a million dollars from a New York bank to change

the verdict. Carson was thrown in jail for slander. (The accused

killer, Leo Frank, was lynched; decades later, a witness gave testi-

mony indicating that the killer had actually been another man, Jim

6

Conley.)

Between 1914 and 1922 he was proclaimed "Champion Fiddler of

Georgia" seven times. The governor of Tennessee, Robert L.

Taylor dubbed him "Fiddlin' John". In 1919, Carson recorded al-

most 150 songs, mostly together with the "Virginia Reelers" or his

daughter Rosa Lee Carson, who performed with him as

"Moonshine Kate". He wrote more than 150 songs in his life but

only nine were ever copyrighted. He died in 1949; on his grave-

stone was carved "Look Out! There He Goes!‖ He was the first

Country & Western star to ever be recorded.

After the cele-

bration in old

Cabbagetown

we went to the

gravesite for a

service and

the Cowboys

were asked to

do a 21 gun

salute (see

photo). You

don‘t see too

many folks in that picture because when we pulled the guns, eve-

rybody backed up.

Until then, we want all you pards out there to stay warm, keep

your powder dry and keep it cowboy. Just remember, There‘s

the right way, the wrong way and the …….Cowboy Way!!!!

Also, you can catch Cowboy Bill & Wrangler Marv on The Cow-

boy Way Show by tuning in to www.hounddogradio.net every

Saturday from 11:00 am to Noon. If you got access to the inter-

net, you‘re never out of range.

As always, we continue to get CDs from many artists and groups

and we welcome them all. If you want to send us your CD, we are

at:

The Cowboy Way Show

146 Hwy 139 #230

Monroe, Georgia 30565

Cowboy Bill‘s top ten playlist for April, 2010 is:

1. What Am I Doing Here?....Michael Martin Murphey

2. Cowboy‘s Farewell…Nevada Slim & Cimarron Sue

3. The Cowboy Spirit….Jim Reader

4. Good-Bye Old Paint…Wylie & The Wild West

5. Riding The Range…..Jim Brooks

6. Charming Billy-Billy the Kid…Frank Fara & Patty Parker

7. The Duke…David John & the Comstock Cowboys

8. The Drifter….Dave Boyd

9. Gypsies Like Us…Trey Austin

10. The Pony Express…Casey Anderson

Cowboy Bill willrand@comcast.com

Ray Price

The Cherokee Cowboy

By Dugg Collins

If this is the last column I ever write this is

the one I have wanted most to do.

Ray Price has been my hero ever since I

started trying to sing all these years ago. I loved his voice, I loved

the way he looked on stage and as far as I know, he has never

done a bad song. I don‘t believe he ever cut a throw away song

even for an album fill as so many artist did in that early era. I have

had many artist that I admire over the years, but this man is so

very special.

From all I have read about him he was born in Perryville, Texas

January 12, 1928. I saw him on the Ralph Emery show the other

day and he said he was born in a small community called Peach,

Texas. Could be he was just putting Ralph on, who knows, but

that would be very hard to do if not impossible. Ralph knows

country music almost as well as Johnny Western.

Ray served his country as a Marine from 1944-1946 and served in

the Pacific Theater. After leaving the service he attended North

Texas Agricultural College near Dallas. While in school he started

playing some dances and in 1948 made his radio debut on KRBC

in Abilene, Texas. He later joined the famous Big D Jamboree in

Dallas and stayed there until 1950. The show was shown on CBS

Television which brought him national exposure.

Ray, like so

many country

singers was

influenced by

Hank Williams.

In 1951 when

he joined Co-

lumbia Re-

cords and he

and Hank be-

came friends.

His signing

came about

because his friend Troy Martin told Don Law, (who had already

turned Ray down,) that Paul Cohen was going to sign him to

Decca Records. As a result of him signing with Columbia, Paul

Cohen signed seventeen Dallas singers just so Don Law couldn‘t

get his hands on them.

His connection to Hank Williams resulted in Ray being brought to

the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville in January 1952. Ray‘s first chart

entry later that year and his first top five record happened with

‗TALK TO YOUR HEART.‘ That song went to # 3. Six months

later, Ray was back in the top five with ‗DON‘T LET THE STARS

GET IN YOUR EYES,‘ a Slim Willet composition which was a pop

hit for Perry Como.

Ray wrote ‗GIVE ME MORE, MORE, MORE OF YOUR KISSES,‘

which Lefty Frizzell took to number one. Ray said the song took

fifteen minutes to write. After Hank Williams' death in January

1953, Ray used the Drifting Cowboys as his touring and recording

band. Ray said he had to stop using them after awhile because he

was sounding more Like Hank than Ray. He hired a band he had

worked with called the Western Cherokees then took the name

Cowboys from Hank‘s band and turned it into the Cherokee Cow-

boys.

There were many more releases but he discovered the song

‗CITY LIGHTS‘ in 1958 by its writer Bill Anderson, (who had the

song as his single) while riding in the car with Ernest Tubb. He

said he just had to record that tune and he did. The song I believe

that changed his style was the Ralph Mooney tune ‗CRAZY

A-10 Etcheverry, Creative Achievement Award Winner Cowtown Society of Western Music 2009 - CrayolaCowboy.com

...From a Jack to a King...

7

my show the Friday before his 82nd birthday and believe it or not, I

didn‘t stumble one time. Of course, he was at his home and I in

Wichita, so I couldn‘t see his face. Other wise it would have been

the same as usual...scared stiff.

I love you Ray Price. May you live to be a hundred and still do

what you love.

duggcollins.com

News From BobWills.com

Howdy again from Austin where

Bob Wills is still the King!

As many of you regular listeners

to Bob Wills Radio know, we‘ve

had some changes in personnel

and some problems updating the

weekly programs, lately. Hopefully

all is squared away again and we

can continue to air new and clas-

sic interviews again each Monday,

as we have in the past.

It‘s hard to realize that May is just

around the corner and that means another great Swingfest in Min-

eral Wells, Texas. I look forward to that event each spring and

getting to hear more good music from friends like Brady Bowen,

Bobby Koeffer, Leon Rausch and many more of North Texas‘

finest musicians. Swingfest will once again induct a fine group of

musicians and singers into the Hall of Heroes.

As I said, I‘ll be on hand with my trusty recorder to get some inter-

views. The Texas Western Swing Hall of Fame Show is in San

Marcos as usual, on May 15th and stacks up to be a great one as

well. We are still anxious to interview Al Dressen, the founder of

that fine event and talk about how it all got started.

We hope you listeners have logged into Bob Wills Radio recently

as Dwight edited an interview I did with the phenomenal steel

guitarist, Buddy Emmons. It‘s been added to our archives of pro-

grams since we began last July. I‘m sure you‘d enjoy hearing

about Buddy‘s colorful career. I‘m also sure Buddy will go on the

books as one of the greatest steel players of all time! Don‘t miss

this one…and remember all the programs we‘ve done so far are

available on BobWills.com 24/7. We encourage you to contact

Dwight Adair or me with any special requests or comments about

the show.

Hoping you‘ll continue to support Bob Wills Radio and tell your

friends about our programs, I remain your humble host, Jim

Gough from down in Austin where Bob Wills will ALWAYS be the

King!

Adios for now.

jimgoughmrtexas@aol.com

Sponsored in part by:

ARMS.‘ That‘s when the four/four shuffle beat was born and

would forever be associated with Ray Price even though a lot of

other country singers also adopted that sound to their music. Ray

became the undisputed King of Honky Tonk music. ‗CRAZY

ARMS‘ stayed at number one twenty weeks of the 45 weeks it

was on the charts.

During the sixties Ray didn‘t have any number one records, but

he charted 33 songs of which 16 were in the top ten. Those early

60's entries were tunes like ‗ONE MORE TIME,‘ ‗I WISH I COULD

FALL IN LOVE TODAY,‘ ‗HEART OVER MIND,‘ ‗THE TWENTY

FOURTH HOUR,‘ ‗SOFT RAIN,‘ (which he wrote) ‗THAT‘S WHAT

IT‘S LIKE TO BE LONESOME,‘ Harlan Howard‘s ‗HEARTACHES

BY THE NUMBER,‘ and ‗THE SAME OL‘ ME‘ and so many more.

‗MAKE THE WORLD GO AWAY‘ was a top three single in 1963

and the flip side was a Willie Nelson song which will forever be

associated with the name Ray Price. The song was ‗NIGHT LIFE‘

which also charted and went to number 28. ‗BURNING MEMO-

RIES,‘ another Mel Tillis tune went to number 2 and stayed there

four weeks. The flip side of that was ‗THAT‘S ALL THAT MAT-

TERS TO ME‘ which went to 34.

In July of 1967 Ray decided to take his music where very few

other than Eddy Arnold dared to venture. With a full orchestra he

recorded the great ‗DANNY BOY‘ and nobody has ever done that

song better than Ray Price. Johnny Bush said to me one time

long ago, "When Ray records a song, one else could ever do it

justice." I agree with John. There have been many covers of Ray

Price songs later down the road and that includes me, but the

songs will remain Mr. Prices'.

Ray loved the music of Bob Wills and was the very first artist that

I can think of who recorded a tribute album to Mr. Wills. It was

‗THE SAN ANTONIO ROSE ALBUM.‘ It was pure Ray Price and

to this day is one of my favorite albums. In his shows to this very

day, he honors Bob Wills with at least two songs during his show.

He opens with ‗SAN ANTONIO ROSE‘ and later has those beauti-

ful strings play ‗FADED LOVE.‘ I get chills every time I hear him

and those two selections.

Price got a rise out of the country music community with ‗DANNY

BOY‘ then continued with the big orchestra sound trying to find a

larger audience for country music, which he did. In 1970 he hit

number one again with ‗FOR THE GOOD TIMES,‘ ‗I WON‘T

MENTION IT AGAIN,‘ ‗SHE‘S GOT TO BE A SAINT,‘ and

‗YOU‘RE THE BEST THING THAT EVER HAPPENED TO ME,‘

which happened to be his last number one in 1973. With his new

sound he did all the big television shows and Johnny Carson said

Ray was his favorite singer. Pretty good compliment coming from

Carson who didn‘t brag on too many entertainers. In his career he

placed 109 songs on the charts which is one hell of a feat my

friends.

My admiration for him is so great that when I am in his presence, I

have trouble trying to talk. I get nervous as hell and can‘t do any-

thing right. The last time I saw him perform Joyce and I were in-

vited to come to Dodge City, Kansas for his show. After the show,

I was trying to take a picture of him and Joyce and I kept turning

the camera off. Did it three or four times. Joyce said, "Honey, let

me show you what you‘re doing wrong." Ray responded, "It‘s ok

honey. He‘ll figure it out in a minute." I was so embarrassed by

that, but that how he affects me. I was told by one of the players

that night that Merle Haggard was even intimidated by his pres-

ence on the Last of the Breed tour, so I don‘t feel quiet so bad if

he can get to Haggard.

Ray is still touring at the age of 84 and sounds better than he ever

has. His voice is so strong and great. I love him dearly and maybe

one of these days I will be able to talk to him without sounding like

Mel Tillis. Well, maybe not. Ray was my last guest at KFDI in

Wichita before they set me free the following Monday. He was on

8

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9

The Civilizing Of Taco

Cowgirl Sass & Savvy

by Julie Carter

Becoming an American citizen and

Texas resident has been a work in

progress for Taco the Border Horse.

You will recall that Taco's former

employment involved carrying con-

traband across the border from Mexico to Arizona. The night the

Border Patrol put an end to that career was the beginning of his

new journey as a Texas team roping horse, thanks to a kind offer

from Dan the Team Roper.

Discovery of Taco's likes and dislikes has been an ongoing ad-

venture for everyone involved. Dan bought a radio for the barn in

an effort to orient Taco to the ways of a world that he never en-

countered in his former profession.

Living in ranch isolation in Mexico, it seemed Taco had never

heard music and very few voices other than Jose Maria's.

Dan thought music would not only get him used to the sound of

talking but could also soothe him. He was trying to decide

whether to put it on a Country or a Spanish station but nixed the

later because of the blaring of 50 trumpets with the accordion and

guitars. Although it is possible that Taco might have been to a

quinceañera or two in his life, he didn't want to risk it.

What he discovered was Taco does not tolerate music in any

form or fashion, nearly tearing down the barn to get that point

across. Dan has been thinking ahead to the roping competitions

where they always play "Who Let the Dogs Out" before the short

round. He knows he'll have to warn anybody that ropes with him

that it could get entertaining.

Taco has only reluctantly accepted talk radio into his environ-

ment. In that, it was determined that he is a Republican, possibly

the only Mexican Republican in Texas.

According to Dan, Taco seems to prefer political commentary with

conservative Republican rhetoric being his favorite. No laughter

there, just grim predictions delivered with a serious voice. Liberals

of all stripes will make him back his ears, but so far he has not

destroyed any property because of them.

In trying to teach Taco to stop by voice command, Dan was hav-

ing little or no luck until he hollered, "Alto!" At which point, Taco

put the brakes on and Dan like to have gone over the dashboard

of his saddle. It's all in the translation.

After spending most his life out in the boonies, Taco is afraid of

things that most horses accept as a way of life. Not long after

Taco's arrival in Texas, Dan fixed the light on his back porch,

which involved putting in a new light bulb. He turned it on and

again, Taco showed his dislike and fear by nearly remodeling the

barn.

Ambulance sirens drive him to a frenzy. A CareFlight helicopter

came over when he and Dan were in the middle of a coastal field

and Taco had to go in circles in time with the blades until the

chopper was gone over the horizon.

A serious series of hissy fits over the operations of the hydraulic

roping chute, as well as repeated panic explosions when a motor-

cycle went down the road, made it clearly apparent there were no

máquinas in Taco's former life. The HotHeels roping dummy is

still a life-threatening moment for both horse and rider.

However, Dan can go out in the backyard, sit on the fence of

Taco's pen and shoot at the coyotes. Taco calmly just looks at

him. His world in Mexico obviously had bullets but no lights.

One day, Dan and Taco were following a steer around in the trap

right next to the road. When Dan finally got the steer lined out he

jabbed Taco with his spurs. Instead of grabbing a faster gear,

Taco took a huge leap, unseating Dan in the most awkward of

ways.

Dan had one foot stuck completely through the stirrup up to his

knee, totally lost the other stirrup and was hanging on by bear

hugging Taco around his neck. Taco bucked around a little and

finally gave up with Dan still aboard. When things got still, Dan got

his leg out of the stirrup, got off and looked around.

There was a truckload of guys on the road that had pulled up

alongside the fence. They were laughing hysterically. After they

finally calmed down some, one of them fished a beer out of cooler

in the back of the truck and set it on the fence post. Still laughing,

they hollered, "Thanks," as they pulled away with a wave.

There used to be a saying about horses that had never been to

town. "He ain't never seen no light brighter than a coal oil lantern."

Evidently that is the case with Taco.

Julie can be reached for comment at jcarter@tularosa.net. Visit

her website for a taste of her two books, Cowgirl Sass &

Savvy and Cowboys You Gotta Love ‘em.

Cowboy Jam Session: Western

Culture News & Reviews

- by Jeri L. Dobrowski

March 2010

In the Mood for Spring

A neighbor succinctly summed up the

prevailing mood in this area of the North-

ern Plains. After experiencing some of

the most significant snowfall in decades, and looking upon a sea

of white for months, we‘re heartened at the sight of grass, stubble,

dirt, and mud. Likening himself to a sailor, he said he looked out

the window of his shop this past week, and spying a patch of

brown revealed by the receding ocean, exclaimed, ―Land!‖

Ah, yes, spring! It seems much sweeter this year because of the

harshness of the winter. In celebration of both spring and Easter,

I‘ve selected three albums that seem a perfect fit for the season:

Heaven on Horseback by Don

Edwards

Edwards choreographed this 2009

release to commence with ―Master‘s

Call‖ by Marty Robbins. I was imme-

diately taken with Edwards‘ rendition

the first time I heard it. Every bit as

powerful as Robbins‘ version, Ed-

wards enhanced it with the addition

of a short spoken introduction. The

few brief lines set the stage for the

classic, the last one proclaiming: ―A stampede beat the best camp

meetin‘ when it come to gettin‘ men to pray.‖

Fourteen tracks of traditional and contemporary songs praise the

Lord in this celebration of faith. Among them are ―Amazing

Grace,‖ ―Why Me Lord?,‖ ―Rounded Up In Glory,‖ ―The Great

Speckled Bird,‖ and ―Wayfaring Stranger.‖ (Listen to selected

samples at www.westernjubilee.com.) The Grammy-nominated

cowboy balladeer delivers them all with richness of voice and

masterful guitar accompaniment, hallmarks of the man James Earl

Jones called ―a singing scholar of the old West.‖ (For more on

Edwards: www.donedwardsmusic.com.)

Heaven on Horseback sells for $18 (postpaid to US addresses)

from Western Jubilee Recording Company, PO Box 9187, Colo-

rado Springs, CO 80932; (719) 635-9975;

www.westernjubilee.com.

10

Joy Sweet Joy by Barry Ward

You‘ll find upbeat inspirational

songs and hymns in Barry Ward‘s

first gospel recording. Six of the 11

tracks are originals written by

Ward, the title track anchored with

a bass and punctuated by tinkling

ivories. ―Ridin‘ along the Cimarron‖

recreates a leisurely ride amid

God‘s creation with subtle guitar and accordion accompaniment.

Raised in Copeland, Kansas, Ward shares in the liner notes that

his mother played piano in the small community church the family

attended. For years, she‘s been after Barry to record her favorite

hymn. Mrs. Ward‘s request was honored in a medley combing

Hank William‘s ―I Saw the Light‖ with her favorite by Albert Brum-

ley, ―I‘ll Fly Away.‖ I bet she also appreciates ―Mansion over the

Hilltop,‖ presented with a swing beat. (Listen to 30-second mp3

sound bites at www.barrywardmusic.com/recordings.html.)

Joy Sweet Joy sells for $17 (postpaid to US addresses). They

accept checks, American Express, MasterCard, VISA, and Dis-

cover. Contact Flying W Productions, 2782 CR 98, Elbert, CO

80106; www.BarryWardMusic.com.

The Poetry of Larry McWhorter,

Cowboy Poet

One of cowboy poetry‘s most

authentic and respected voices

went silent in March 2003. Raised

in the Texas Panhandle, Larry

McWhorter lived a pure cowboy

life, punching cows horseback. At

the time of his death at the age of

46, he was living on a small outfit

near Weatherford, Texas, and was

a frequent performer at Western gatherings and festivals around

the United States. (For more: www.cowboypoetry.com/

larrymcwhorter.htm.)

Sensing the profound loss to the genre, friend and fellow Texan

Jean Prescott produced a 2-CD set of McWhorter‘s poetry. It was

released at this year‘s National Cowboy Poetry Gathering in Elko,

Nevada. Resurrected on CD One are 17 poems presented by

McWhorter. CD Two contains 11 poems Larry never recorded.

Prescott recruited his peers to recite them in his absence: Red

Steagall, Waddie Mitchell, Chris Isaacs, Andy Hedges, Gary

McMahan, Dennis Flynn, Oscar Auker, and Jesse Smith. Also on

the second disc are two pieces that McWhorter had hoped to re-

cord with Mitchell: ―The Retirement of Ashtola‖ and ―Cowboy

Count Yer Blessings.‖ (For a complete track listing:

www.cowboypoetry.com/mcwhorter3.htm.)

Whether you knew Larry McWhorter and mourned his passing or

you‘re reading about him for the first time, this is a milestone pro-

ject. I concur with Prescott who says: ―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 Poetry of Larry McWhorter sells for $25 (postpaid) from Pres-

cott Music, PO Box 194, Ovalo, TX 79541; (325) 583-2553;

www.jeanprescott.com.

jamsession@robscabinets.com

Not Just Another Writing Workshop

by Susan Parker

From the get-go the energy was magical,

as if the stars were in perfect writer‘s

alignment, in harmonious synchronicity,

so that all cogs clicked into place at ex-

actly the right moment, setting the muse

into action. Such was noted author and

poet Teresa Jordan‘s workshop, Stories From Life – Writing Short

Nonfiction, at the 26th National Cowboy Poetry Gathering in Elko

in January, 2010.

Through the windowpanes, January‘s crisp sunlight sparkled like

polished diamonds off Nevada‘s Ruby Mountains. Anticipating

inspiration from Jordan‘s writing expertise, we were not disap-

pointed. This group of twelve men and women from varied back-

grounds gathered to learn new writing techniques, to jump-start

their writer‘s batteries back to life, baring intimate souls to a group

of strangers in the process.

In preparation for sixteen hours of writing spread over three days,

Jordan reminded us that good writing is all about the craft; that it

takes practice, practice, practice; and that it is important to write

daily… ―to show up at the page.‖ A good habit to establish is to

just sit down to write for a set period of time, regardless of what

you put on the page. If you are like me, you struggle with every

single piece. But now and then a ―gift from heaven‖ shows up, a

piece that practically writes itself. If you don‘t write daily, the gift

will drift elsewhere. I can‘t count the number of times I have said,

―I will write it down later,‖ only to have ―later‖ never come. Those

brilliant Nobel-prize-winning-words evaporate into the universe

forever! Most of my workshop-mates bemoaned the same experi-

ence.

Jordan pointed out that writers read in a different way. This made

perfect sense to me and hit home. In my former life, I was only

concerned with the bottom line, when a real estate project was, or,

heaven forbid wasn‘t, coming in within budget. So when reading a

book, I usually scanned past the details, in a hurry to see where

the story was going. I lost much in that process and now try to

read with a writer‘s eye, paying closer attention to the smallest

detail. Jordan recommended a book titled Reading Like a Writer

by Francine Prose. I promptly ordered it upon arriving home to

ensure I glean everything possible from time spent reading.

She also stated the importance of ―showing‖ as opposed to

―telling,‖ getting the readers where you want them to be, and then

―showing‖ them from there, like painting a picture with words.

Readers enjoy connecting the dots. It is the writer‘s job to give

readers the dots worth connecting, and trust that they can connect

the dots. Writers also must have enough confidence in their writ-

ing to be able to eliminate lines when there is more ―telling‖ than

―showing.‖

Sometimes writers get stuck along the same trail, in a rut. Jordan

suggests finding something to ―trigger‖ the brain to break out of

that rut. In the workshop we used a variety of triggers to prompt

the process. One of my favorites is ―I remember…‖ Sometimes a

long-forgotten memory bursts into my brain as if it sat there just

waiting…waiting for the day when its story needed to be told.

What an adventure to relive old memories: to laugh at childhood

silliness; recall the less-than-stellar teenage boyfriend; one fright-

ening she-could-have-died horseback ride with mom. And then to

recognize the cathartic value in addressing unpleasant ones, real-

11

izing you came out okay on the other side, perhaps a bit bruised

but sanity intact.

On Wednesday afternoon Paul Zarzyski came in for a few hours

to share some of his thoughts about writing prose as opposed to

poetry. He finds writing prose liberating, relieved from the pres-

sure to analyze every word, without the agony of needing to make

each word ―sing,‖ all the while discovering the joy in the fact that

prose can be more conversational.

This was a workshop where everyone wrote, encouraged greatly

by Jordan‘s positive comments. There were several writing as-

signments each day followed by discussion. There was even

―homework‖ but no one minded, eager to share what they had

written. Everyone was energized and excited about getting the

writer‘s juices flowing again.

For me the workshop was an intensely gratifying experience, re-

leasing thoughts I‘d held onto for a long time because I felt I never

had a format in which to write them. Some things just don‘t work

in poetry. I have the makings of some ―good stuff.‖ I promised

myself I would write something every day and I have. I sure

wouldn‘t want to miss out on The Prize! Thank you, Teresa Jor-

dan.

Thank you also to the Western Folklife Center for recognizing the

importance of writing workshops. I take a writing workshop when-

ever I have the opportunity. My writing is improved by the variety

of instructors, learning or relearning tidbits from each one. There

is usually so much good information it is difficult to remember

everything at one time. It is also about the camaraderie. As one

of this workshop‘s participants stated, ―Writing is a lonely busi-

ness.‖ For that reason it is nice to meet others that share your

interest and passion for writing, with whom you can continue to

communicate. I have remained friends with several writers that I

met at a Zarzyski workshop in Elko in 2007. We continue to take

workshops together at Elko whenever we can. I hope these work-

shops will continue to be an important part of the Elko experience.

4sgalparker1298@comcast.net

Cade‘s Cadence

Watch Yer Step

The average American eats about 67

pounds of beef a year and we who

live in Texas can pretty much see a

cow anywhere we look. The United

States is the world's second largest

exporter of beef behind Australia and

believe it or not we are the world's largest importer. Yep that

Black Angus steak you think you're eating may just have come

from a steer fattened on the Australian outback or the grassy Ar-

gentina plains. So how do you know what you eating? Well I

guess unless you raise them and slaughter them yourself, you

don't.

Beef It‘s What‘s For Dinner

One hundred percent Black Angus

That‘s the only thing that we serve here

How can they be sure I pondered

That it‘s not just some ol roping steer

Or what if this gristle I‘m chawin‘

Was once Hereford, Brahman, or Charolais

Holstein, Longhorn or Jersey

Or maybe Hungarian Grey

There‘s Beefmaster and Santa Gertrudis

Limousin and Simmental

The different breeds of bovine

Total close to a thousand in all

Or what if the FDA meat inspector

Just happened to be color blind

And I‘m actually eating Red Angus

That would surely chap my behind

I‘m sure I could tell the difference

Any self proclaimed meat eater could

Black Angus taste better over oak

While Red‘s best over green mesquite wood

They all look the same with their hides off

‗Cept maybe that breed Xinjiang Brown

Which has a ―Made in China‖ brand

On the left hip underneath its gown

Now if I‘m losing you with my ramblins

There is a point I‘m trying to make

Consider this the next time

You sit down to have a steak

Beef it‘s what‘s for dinner

But the beef that‘s on the label

Might not actually be the beef

That sitting on the table!

By

Cade Schalla

cade@cadeschallacowboypoetry.com

From the messenger

Rhonda Craig Enid OK

The WSMSS Showcase in Wichita Falls,

TX the last weekend in March… My Lat-

est WS ‗FIX‘.

Western Swing (In my nutshell)…

Western Swing could have been called

western jazz. It was the musical phenom-

ena which occurred in the southwest prior

to, during and slightly after the great depression. King of Western

Swing is the title attributed to Bob Wills for his innovations of this

phenomenal music that spread like wildfire …eventually reaching

coast to coast but never achieving the level of success it enjoyed

here in our southwest. It‘s unique mixture of big band, jazz, blues,

and country seemed to be just what the ordinary hard working

folks in this geographic area needed to help them get through

tough economic times. In the early fifties Elvis ushered in the rock

& roll era and permanently shifted musical tastes of the younger

generation, leaving Western Swing to be played and enjoyed only

by those who grew up appreciating it.

Western Swing‘s come-back: Thankfully, some 30 to 40 years

later there were artists who began to play Western Swing again

(Asleep at the Wheel). Some of the original musicians and fans,

who survived that shift to rock and roll, decided western swing

12

music must be preserved for future generations. Hence several

western swing societies began to emerge, embracing western

swing‘s comeback & preservation.

What is WSMSS: The Western Swing Music Society of the

Southwest (WSMSS) is one of those societies which emerged. In

1998 several southwest area musicians, Bobby Winn, Bob Cobb,

Harry Coffman, Bill Gilbert, and Jerry Emery created and founded

the WSMSS with the intent, and still is, to preserve the truly

American art form of western swing music. Their by-laws state

that musicians who participant at WSMSS Showcases and Jams

are not to be monetarily compensated. Those fabulous musicians

come for the same reasons as the dancers and fans...because

they love to play like we love to listen & dance; they love the mu-

sic; and love each other!

WSMSS EVENTS:

Under the current leadership of President Chuck Hayes, who in-

herited a healthy organization which thrived during many years of

strong leaders, WSMSS is still growing stronger in membership

every year. Their 5 events a year showcase each region repre-

sented.

Eastern half of Oklahoma & Eastern Kansas: Showcase in

Wagoner OK in November

Central TX Dallas, FT Worth : Showcase in Wichita Falls in

March

Missouri and Arkansas: Showcase in Cape Girardeau MO in

May

Western half of Oklahoma: Hall of Fame Showcase in OKC

(Yukon) in July

West and North Central Texas & New Mexico: Showcase in

Amarillo TX September

Wichita Falls Showcase: Bobby Dixon and Larry Lange (and

ladies) worked very hard putting together that great event. The

music was superb! Throughout the weekend the bandstand and

jam room was filled with a host of Hall of Famers (and Heroes as

the Cowtown Society calls them). What music these masters

played! Gave me my latest Western Swing FIX!

Independent Events: Genuine Western Swing music enthusiasts

not only attend WSMSS‘s events each year but also scan every

publication, like the Backforty Bunkhouse Newsletter, Western

Swing Monthly, and various internet websites searching for addi-

tional WS society events, independent events, and locations

where working western swing bands are playing. There is quite a

circuit of folks who traverse the country attending as many of

these venues as possible. We may not always know each other‘s

names but we KNOW each other‘s faces and readily trade infor-

mation about our favorite events.

Next ‗fix‘: I‘ll be getting my next FIX at Pacesetters Ballroom the

third weekend of April in Madill OK. The Texoma Shindig is one of

those wonderful small independent three day events. Country

music will be the genre for this event (my second love). There is a

glorious hard-rock maple dance floor; good home cooked conces-

sions; RV hook-ups; inexpensive entry fees and loads great peo-

ple who will become my friends if they are not already.

Turkey here we come: Then it is on to Turkey, TX the 19

through 24th of April for a week of Bob Wills Days. We are look-

ing forward to this one because we have never gotten to attend

this before. ALL the western Swing greats will be there I am told.

I‘ll surely be FIXED again… can‘t wait!

Cowtown Society of Western Music Awards Show: We‘ll be

home a week then it‘s off to Mineral Wells, TX on May 1st to be

on hand when some of our friends are inducted as Heroes during

CSWM‘s Swing Fest. Wow! It is great day of incredible music and

special awards for some awesome folks. I don‘t know the history

of Cowtown Society of Western Music but I intend to find out.

They are doing a great job.

Other Societies: I know there are other Western Swing Societies

in our USA. I just wish I could go to all their events. Heck, I just

wish I knew about all the WS Societies out there. In fact…I wish

we had a National Western Swing Music Society in America!

Surely soon all the ‗movers and shakers‘ of western swing will join

forces and make this happen. A National Society of Western

Swing Music…doesn‘t that sound like a winner? Something to

strive for maybe?

But until then…Long live Western Swing…the musicians who play

it, the promoters who put the events together, the fans who sup-

port it. Indeed you are like family.

The messenger…Rhonda Craig Enid Ok

rhondacraig@suddenlink.net

KENNY ROGERS: THE FIRST 50 YEARS TELEVISION

SPECIAL ANNOUNCES MORE GUEST STAR PER-

FORMERS:

SMOKEY ROBINSON, TIM McGRAW, CHRIS ISAAK, DARIUS RUCKER, BILLY CURRINGTON, SHEENA EASTON & THE

FIRST EDITION TO JOIN DOLLY PARTON, LIONEL RICHIE, ALISON KRAUSS, WYNONNA JUDD, THE OAK RIDGE BOYS &

MORE IN STAR-STUDDED LINEUP

Nashville – Smokey Robinson,

Tim McGraw, Chris Isaak, Darius

Rucker, Billy Currington & Sheena

Easton have all now signed on to

perform on the television special

Kenny Rogers: The First 50 Years,

joining previously announced guests

Dolly Parton, Lionel Richie, Alison

Krauss, Wynonna Judd and The

Oak Ridge Boys. The array of all-

star artists will perform, along with

Kenny, and a few will host different

segments of the show travelling

through his six decades of hits at the

special taping on April 10th at the

MGM Grand at Foxwoods in Led-

yard, CT.

Parton, Richie, Krauss, Robinson,

Isaak, Judd, The Oak Ridge Boys, Easton, original members of

The First Edition and Rogers will perform live at the MGM Grand

at Foxwoods. McGraw, Rucker and Currington will be performing

for the show from remote locations.

Far more than just a music special, Kenny Rogers: The First 50

Years, will celebrate the career of a beloved, universally known

icon of American entertainment and 50 years of making mu-

sic. The event will be as star studded as any award show, filled

with music and comedy from some of the biggest stars in the en-

tertainment world performing, appearing and sharing stories about

Kenny Rogers and his music.

13

Kenny Rogers: The First 50 Years will be produced by Dream-

catcher Artist Management and Locomotive Entertainment

Group. Shot in pristine hi-definition, this multi-camera, up-close-

and-personal special will find the viewer ―visually surrounded and

fully immersed" in the concert. Mark Lucas, who recently directed

the concert films for Dave Matthews and Kings of Leon, will direct,

and Monty Powell, 2009 SESAC Songwriter of the Year and pro-

ducer, will serve as Musical Director.

Tickets are on sale now online at www.mgmatfoxwoods.com, by

calling the MGM Grand at Foxwoods Box Office at 1-866-646-

0609, by calling Ticketmaster, or in person at the MGM Grand

Box Office.

―When this was first proposed to me as a 50-year celebration,

something about that sounded final, and I didn‘t want that, so I

suggested we call it ‗The First 50 Years,‘‖ Rogers said. ―I will tell

you this, the first 50 years TV show is gonna be awesome – the

next 50 years TV show is gonna be a bitch.‖

The red carpet for this event will certainly have to roll for a long

way, as there are so many superstars from music, movies, and

sports that Kenny has touched over the course of his 50 years in

entertainment. It will certainly be an unforgettable night for every-

one involved.

Kenny is one of a handful of artists to sell over 125 million al-

bums. He also holds the very rare distinction of having a hit single

in each of the last six decades. His television movie ―The Gam-

bler‖ is one of the highest rated TV movies of all time. His duet

with Dolly Parton, ―Islands In The Stream,‖ is the #1-selling duet

of all time. His extensive history of success also includes 20 plati-

num, 27 gold records and a Diamond-certified Greatest Hits al-

bum that has sold more than 24 million copies worldwide. He has

won three Grammy Awards, five Country Music Association

Awards, 18 American Music Awards, eight Academy of Country

Music Awards and 11 People‘s Choice Awards. He has recorded

65 albums and is ranked #8 on the R.I.A.A.‘s list of Top Selling

Male Artists of all time.

With his unique storytelling ability and soulful voice, Kenny has

continued his amazing run into the 21st century with a critically

acclaimed album (Water and Bridges) and a recent gold certifica-

tion (21 Number Ones). Whether it‘s his classic or current hits, or

his recent appearance on ―American Idol,‖ his relevance in the

world of music and pop culture has never been stronger.

Kenny Rogers is the singer, the photographer, the producer, the

actor, the songwriter, and of course… the Gambler.

Details on the network airing the special, even more guest stars

and other surprises will be announced leading up to the event.

About Dreamcatcher Artist Management

Dreamcatcher Artist Management is based in Nashville, Tennes-

see. The company, specializing in artist management and film

and television production, was founded in 1998 by former Capitol

Records/EMI America President, Jim Mazza, and legendary en-

tertainer, Kenny Rogers. Kelly Junkermann, Senior Vice Presi-

dent of Film & Television for Dreamcatcher Artist Management,

will produce Kenny Rogers: The First 50 Years. Junkermann

has worked with Kenny Rogers for over 25 years as a writer, pro-

ducer and director of award-winning television movies, specials,

and live events.

About Locomotive Entertainment Group

Locomotive Entertainment Group was founded in 2009 by enter-

tainment industry veterans Gabriel Gornell and Colleen Seldin.

The company develops and produces films, television program-

ming and live television events in a multitude of genres with a

slate for the first half of 2010 that will include Tyrannosaurus Sex

which is set to air on Discovery Channel this month and Kenny

Rogers: The First 50 Years. Gornell directed the former and will

act in a producing capacity on the latter. Locomotive Entertain-

ment Group is also a worldwide distributor of award winning films,

television and new media. For more informa-

tion: www.locomotivegroup.com.

About Foxwoods Resort Casino

North America‘s largest casino, Foxwoods Resort Casino®, is

located in the rolling hills of southeastern Connecticut and is eas-

ily accessible from Boston, New York, Hartford and Provi-

dence. Owned by the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation, Fox-

woods features six casinos with 7,200 slots, 380 table games, the

only WPT World Poker Room in New England, High Stakes Bingo

and Ultimate Race Book. There are 1,416 guest rooms and suites

in three hotels, more than 30 restaurants, a luxurious spa, more

than 50,000 square feet of premium meeting and event space, 24

retail shops and five entertainment venues, including the 1,400-

seat Fox Theatre. Conveniently located adjacent to Foxwoods is

Lake of Isles, featuring two, 18-hole championship golf courses

designed by Rees Jones and a state-of-the-art Golf Academy. In

spring 2008, the highly anticipated MGM Grand at Foxwoods®

opened, adding 825 luxurious guest rooms, 115,000 square feet

of meeting space, a 4,000-seat Performing Arts Theater, 21,000-

square-foot spa as well as more dining, retail and gaming facili-

ties, bolstering Foxwoods' preeminence as the East Coast's ulti-

mate casino resort destination. Foxwoods supports responsible

gaming, and plays a leadership role in the Connecticut Council of

Problem Gambling, of which it was a founding entity. For more

information, call 1-800-FOXWOODS or visit www.foxwoods.com.

For all of the latest news, please visit Kenny Rogers‘ official web-

site: www.kennyrogers.com

Cowboy Poetry

at the BAR-D Ranch

by Margo Metegrano, Editor,

CowboyPoetry.com

Cowboy poetry and Western music

events are plentiful in May. They include the 20th annual Chuck

Wagon Gathering and Children's Cowboy Festival at the National

Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City; the 8th

annual Motherin' Up Gathering of Poets and Pickers in White Sul-

phur Springs, Montana; the semi-annual Dollar Watch Cowboy

Jamboree in Winthrop, Washington; the 12th Annual Cowtown

Society Of Western Music Swingfest in Mineral Wells, Texas; the

Green Forest Cowboy Poet Gathering and Trade Show in Green

Forest, Arkansas; the new NV of the West in Reno, Nevada; the

5th annual Canadian Rockies Cowboy Festival in Nordegg, Al-

berta, and many more.

One of the oldest events is the 24th annual Dakota Cowboy Po-

etry Gathering in Medora, North Dakota, which takes place on

Memorial Day Weekend. South Dakota poet and master leather

craftsman Slim McNaught will perform at the Medora event.

Slim‘s recent CD, "Reminiscin‘" received the 2009 Academy of

Western Artists Top Cowboy Poetry Album award. It includes the

following poem, which he says was inspired by the Black

Hills landscape, with ―a high ridge that appeared to go right into

the sky.‖

14

WHERE THE HARD GRASS MEETS THE SKY

When time began God promised man

a lifetime of sweat and toil

So we started our clan where the coyote ran,

in the west, on hard grass soil.

Where winter's snow and summer's blow

took it's toll on those who'd try

To tame this land with calloused hand

where the hard grass meets the sky.

We were young and free with a need to be

out where the rivers run

And we did our work with nary a shirk

from dawn 'til the settin' sun.

We stomped our broncs while the wild geese honked

and the prairie sharpened our eye

Of dangers there we had our share

where the hard grass meets the sky.

We'd mount our horse and set our course

by the stars of early dawn

Each trail we rode by the cowboy code

'til the sun had come and gone.

Then squat on heels and eat our meals

with campfire smoke in our eye

And we thanked our God for this prairie sod

where the hard grass meets the sky.

When winters hold on a range so cold

gave cowboys a dangerous trip

And horses then were our best friends

as the blizzard tightened it's grip.

With each comrade lost we counted the cost

of hardships we all lived by

And inside we cried as the night wind sighed

where the hard grass meets the sky.

But our faith was true 'til our work was through,

we finished each job with pride,

Each blessing received because we believed

made us thankful we'd stuck to the ride.

When my time comes and my roundup's done

and Heaven is waitin' close by

I'll ride o'er the ridge when my Master bids

where the hard grass meets the sky.

© 2007, Slim McNaught, All Rights Reserved

In addition to performing at Western events and creating his fine leather work, Slim serves as the ―poet lariat‖ of the daily Live With Jim Thompson radio show (livewithjt.com) and he wrangles the event listings for CowboyLegacy.org. Slim‘s award-winning "Reminiscin‘" CD is available for $18.50

postpaid from slimscustomleather.com, CDBaby, and by mail:

Slim McNaught, P.O. Box 274, New Underwood, SD 57761; 605-

754-6103.

Find more about hundreds of cowboy poets and Western musi-

cians at CowboyPoetry.com. It's an on-going gathering, with con-

tinual news, features, poetry, lyrics, gathering reports, and an

extensive event calendar. Come by and stay a while.

margo@cowboypoetry.com

Miraculous Surgery Saves

Life Of Hank Cochran

Legendary Songwriter Recover-

ing At Nashville Hospital

Nashville, TN (April 7, 2010) --

NSAI Hall of Famer Hank Coch-

ran has often said that "God

smiles" upon him, and it was

obviously true last Wednesday,

March 31, when Cochran's doc-

tors discovered an aortic aneu-

rysm the size of a grapefruit.

Thanks to the quick intervention

of Doctors Karl Vandevender,

Johanna Bendell and Chad

Swan (Surgeon), Hank was

rushed into surgery and the

aneurysm was repaired before it burst - an outcome that would

have proved fatal for the 74-year old legend of song.

Cochran is in good spirits, although a bit "tired," according to his

wife Suzi. She asks friends to understand that Hank is only able

to see very limited visitors at this time, however emails are wel-

come. They may be sent to: susienashville@aol.com .

Learn more about Hank at www.myspace.com/

songwritersingerhankcochran.

MEDIA can contact: Martha E. Moore @ so-

muchmoore@charter.net or call

615-746-3994 or 615-202-1313.

My name is Mrs. Sketter

Johnston, but my name is

not as important as Angela

Sotelo, founder of

Lonesome Dove Equine Pro-

tection (LDEP). LDEP

Is a 501(c)(3) non-profit or-

ganization with the goal of

rescuing abused and ne-

glected horses. We are a

group of dedicated volunteers united in spirit to ―Protecting Amer-

ica‘s Heritage‖. The mission of Lonesome Dove Equine Protection

is to educate the public, help equine owners in times of natural

and personal disasters, assist Law Enforcement when needed, as

well as rescue, rehabilitate and adopt out equines to their forever

home(s). We have the have the ability to offer to the public a place

to report equine abuse, neglect, possible over breeding, over-

crowding and poor health care that can lead to a horse going to

action for their profit. Horses that are taken to auction in poor

health are often bought for pennies on the pound and then sold

for more to slaughter houses. In many cases these horses could

have been rehabilitated and saved.

We rely on donations and volunteers as much as possible, but

unfortunately we don‘t have the monies and have to rely on An-

gela to carry out her unselfish acts to go as far as we have been

15

able to go. We had our fist annual fundraiser last year and for the

short amount of time we had, pulled off a nice event. This year

however I wanted this to be the biggest fundraiser possible. Our

fundraiser is set for September 18, 2010 starting at 11:00am and

going until we can‘t go anymore. We need bands, vendors of all

kinds: to include western art and crafts, American Indian art and

crafts, dancers, food donations, items that can be used for raffle

items; or even just money. We need bands and dancers to per-

form in different time slots to entertain our public. We already

have bounce houses for the kids, trying for a cake walk, cotton

candy machine for the kids and a bingo game with door prices.

Mr. Buck Taylor an actor from the western Gunsmoke and a well

know artist; has donated a print from his collection to be used to

raffle off for this year‘s fundraiser. The fundraiser will be held at

4680 E FM 1187, Burleson Texas 76028, if anyone wants to vol-

unteer their time they are ask to report to the above location at

10:00am for briefing and assignment to the different booths that

are set up. We need umbrellas and extra tables w/chairs to ac-

commodate our booths. If anyone wants to contact me for more

information or for the times and items they would like to donate,

please feel free to contact me at 817-504-9696 or email me at

frog5234@yahoo.com . Please find attached photos of our ac-

complishments and unfortunately our defeats. Thank you so

much for the opportunity to allow us to be a part of your newslet-

ter it is the chance of a lifetime for us, because of our organization

being so small, but in our hearts we are the biggest. If anyone is

interested in checking out the website for LDEP and access to our

pay pal account for cash donations please go to

www.LDEPRescue.com .

Thank you from the bottom of my heart, Sketter Johnston.

Johnny Western to retire BY RICK PLUMLEE

The Wichita Eagle

Johnny Western in 2001 when it was announced he was being inducted into the Western Music Hall of Fame (Eagle file photo) Legendary Western and cowboy music radio announcer Johnny Western, who has performed with the likes of Gene Autry and Johnny Cash, has announced his retirement. Western, 75, will take his final on-air bow on Wichita's KFTI on Saturday, according to the station's Web site. He began working for the station (formerly KFDI) in 1986. He began hosting his own full-time radio show as a teenager in the 1940s. He wrote and performed, "The Ballad of Paladin," the theme song, "Have Gun - Will Travel, a television series that ran from 1957-63. Western was named the 2008 Disc Jockey of the Year by the Western Music Association. He has been inducted into several halls of fame. For more on this story, read Tuesday's Eagle and return to Kan-sas.com. Read more: http://www.kansas.com/2010/04/05/1255811/johnny-western-to-retire-saturday.html#ixzz0kFpsNavv

Up to my elbows in Alligators?

By Paula Jungman

Did you ever decide to get involved in a cause or project and try to

figure out what you could do to help it along? Well, I have

and have found that I‘ve been up to my elbows in alligators a

couple of times trying to get the job done. I don‘t give up easily I

just seek another way to tame the critters down.

You see I‘m an avid fan of Western Swing music and I'd love to

see this music live on.

Here‘s one of my projects that I‘ve been working on of late that I

hope will bring the music to public attention. There‘s nothing bet-

ter than good press and good publicity to make good things hap-

pen.Thomas Elmer Duncan, born Whitley, Texas January 11,

1911, a son of truck farmers, who wanted more in life than the

back breaking work of farm labor. A man who had musical influ-

ences that were learned from the cotton fields of Texas. Who

sang hillbilly and cowboy music and the blues. A sound that was

to beat out 67 other singing hopefuls to become the voice of Bob

Wills and His Texas Playboys. Tommy sang all but, one of Bob

Wills most famous hits. He was a founding member of the Texas

Playboys . He wrote or contributed to this list songs that has had

such staying power, Take Me Back to Tulsa, Bubbles in my Beer,

Time Changes Everything. Contributed along with others to and

sang the lyrics of the New San Antonio Rose which sold over

3,000,000 copies worldwide. One of the most recorded Western

Swing songs in the history of the genre.

Among the singers of today who list Duncan as an early influence

of their music, is Garth Brooks, George Strait, Ray Benson, John

Denver, Elvis and the list goes on. Now that‘s an impressive list

of today‘s entertainers who felt that Tommy did it right.

Duncan is a member of the Texas Music Hall of Fame, Texas

Western Swing Hall of Fame, and yes folks, the Rock and Roll

Hall of Fame as an early influence to that genre.

But, did you know he‘s never been inducted in the Country Music

Hall of Fame in Nashville, Tennessee? (Now that‘s a big alligator,

where music is concerned ). January 11, 2011, will be the 100th

Anniversary of his birth and I am working on a project to get Tho-

mas entered into this esteemed hall as a posthumous honor so

he can be there with the rest of the early pioneers of Western

Swing. I have a couple of CMA members interested in this and

are working to get the information out there. The folks they talk to

all agreed that it‘s high time that this is done and are getting

some positive feedback and support. We‘ll keep you posted on

this as we get closer to 2011.

In seeking a way to accomplish this I happened on another means

to honor this pioneer of Western Swing Music, The Texas Heri-

tage Song Writers Hall of Fame is looking into Tommy‘s eligibility

to receive a posthumous honor for this hall, hopefully , also, in

2011.

By doing these things I hope to bring Western Swing Music to

public attention, get folks interested in the music once again, cre-

ate an interest new in dancing , revive the genre and hopefully

help along a resurgent of this music .

Western Swing is simply great music that people can enjoy to-

gether ,get some great exercise and be with the people they ap-

preciate and care about. I hope that others will find a way to

honor the Voice of Bob Wills greatest tunes, Thomas Elmer Dun-

can in 2011.

Paula Jungmann

paulpaula795@aol.com

16

17

May listings for Silver Strings Entertainment Center, Bowie, Texas:

SATURDAY, MAY 1, BILL GORDON & FRIENDS, AT SILVER STRINGS ENTERTAINMENT CENTER, BOWIE. (940) 692-8699 MONDAY, MAY 3, ACROSS THE RIVER BAND , AT SILVER STRINGS ENTERTAINMENT CENTER, BOWIE. (940) 692-8699 SATURDAY, MAY 8, QUIK DRAW, AT SILVER STRINGS EN-TERTAINMENT CENTER, BOWIE. (940) 692-8699 MONDAY, MAY 10, QUIK DRAW, AT SILVER STRINGS EN-TERTAINMENT CENTER, BOWIE. (940) 692-8699 SATURDAY, MAY 15, LONE STAR TROUBADOURS, AT SIL-VER STRINGS ENTERTAINMENT CENTER, BOWIE (940) 692-8699 MONDAY, MAY 17, OUT OF CONTROL, AT SILVER STRINGS ENTERTAINMENT CENTER, BOWIE (940) 692-8699 SATURDAY, MAY 22, THE RED DOOR BAND, AT SILVER STRINGS ENTERTAINMENT CENTER, BOWIE (940) 692-8699 MONDAY, MAY 24, ACROSS THE RIVER BAND, AT SILVER STRINGS ENTERTAINMENT CENTER, BOWIE (940) 692-8699 SATURDAY, MAY 29, ACROSS THE RIVER BAND, AT SILVER STRINGS ENTERTAINMENT CENTER, BOWIE (940) 692-8699 MONDAY, MAY 31 (Memorial Day), OUT OF CONTROL, AT SILVER STRINGS ENTERTAINMENT CENTER, BOWIE (940) 692-8699

Historic Ritzville Days

Western Arts Show

The event will feature over 60 renown artisans -

western artists, sculptors and authors. In addi-

tion, to the downtown art show, there will be

food booths, youth activities and live entertain-

ment.

The performing artists for the 2010 Art show include Cowboy

Celtic, Dave Stamey, Sourdough Slim, Rockin HW, Nevada Slim

& Cimarron Sue, and The Copper Mountain Band with Smoke

Wade acting as emcee and host of the cowboy poetry open mic

sessions. There is no admission charge for the entertainment

venues.

Added to the Art Show this year are 4 hours of cowboy poetry

open mic sessions - including an 1 -1/2 hour Saturday evening

poetry open mic show before the dance. For additional informa-

tion on the cowboy poetry open mic sessions, visit the web site or

contact Smoke Wadesmokewade@clarkston.com

The Academy of Western Artists Cartoonist of the Year - 2007,

Jack Fordyce, is the featured artist this year. His art work was

selected as the art for the 2010 poster.

The event will kick-off on Friday night, May 28, with an artists

reception featuring live entertainment at the C. J. Newland

American Legion Memorial Hall, Ritzville. The Saturday art show

and live entertainment will start at 10:00 a.m. and run to 8:00 p.m.

followed by a western street dance featuring The Copper Moun-

tain Band. Sunday's art show and entertainment will run from

10:00 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. For those still in town, there will be a Mon-

day morning breakfast at the fire station followed by a memorial

service at the Ritzville Memorial Cemetery.

Highlights of the weekend will also include an artist's "quick draw,"

wandering street performers, western characters in period cos-

tume, scheduled youth activities and free live entertainment all

day on both Saturday and Sunday.

For more information on the event and for information on accom-

modations, visit: www.ritzvilledowntown.com/ or

contact Smoke Wade smokewade@clarkston.com

Rick Huff‘s Best Of The West Reviews

Review - Patty Parker

"Southwestern Serenade"

When Comstock Records decides to issue an

original CD, the partners in business and life

who run it (Frank Fara & Patty Parker) tend to

not skimp on the production end. This new

release showcasing Patty's talents is no exception.

Nashville session players are backing her on the tracks, and the

effort shows. Of particular note in the collection are the pretty

track "Crystal Canyon," her song written some years back in trib-

ute to Dale Evans (apparently quite popular with Dale herself)

"She Rode A Horse Called Buttermilk" and "Navajo Land" (which

exhibits more than a passing understanding of the people and the

culture). And although I am seldom fond of religious material, I

have to say that musically at least "When Mama Prayed" is really

quite a nice track.

Other tracks on the CD are "Song Of The Grand Canyon," "Hotel

Saguaro" (a cute concept about the life that inhabits the various

levels of the giant succulents), "Sedona Serenade," "Tips For

Stagecoach Travellers " (a sort of novelty track that is also to be

found on Frank Fara's last release) and "La Noche Buena - It's

Christmas Eve."

CDs: $!5 ppd (outside the US $18) from Comstock Records,

LTD., PO Box 19720, Fountain Hills, AZ 85269 and digital

downloads are available through Apple I Tunes and amazon.com

by Rick Huff

bestofthewest@swpc.com

The Backforty newsletter is the best source for great

info regarding all the cowboy/country music, events,

and related items. Always look forward to it!

Greg Stasny, Snook, Texas

Smoke Wade

18

A Ride With Bob in Richardson, TX - July 15-18, 2010

Announcing a special return engagement to Richardson in July, with special guests Leon Rausch

and Quebe Sisters Band (Fri, Sat and Sun only)

Starting today, you can use this link:http://www.eisemanncenter.com/tickets/

select which show you would like to attend and enter wheelfan as the promo code. Tickets go on

sale to the general public on April 5th.

July 15 - 18, 2010

Eisemann Center

Richardson, TX

Thursday: 8pm

Friday: 8pm

Saturday: 2pm & 8pm

Sunday: 2pm

The Ticket Office phone # is 972.744.4650 - hours are 10-6 Monday through Saturday and during all public

events

Standard group sales policy is groups of 10 or more get a 10% discount and the group sales phone is

972.744.4657. The Group Sales Coordinator is Stephen Willis.

ABILENE, TX Pre-sale

And just as a reminder....the pre-sale for Abilene, TX, for July 23 - 24 is still available for the Abilene Civic

Center Auditorium. Using this link: http://purchase.tickets.com/buy/TicketPurchase?

organ_val=2762&venue_val=228206&day_value=07232010-07242010&schedule=list enter the

code jimrob as the coupon code.

badbob1026@aol.com

19

A Mack Abernathy - Nolan Bruce Allen - Lembo Allen Tiffany Jo Allen - Jason Allen - Liz Anderson - Lynn Ander-son Vic Anderson - Trey Austin B CowboyPoetry.com's Bar-D Roundup - Troy Bateson - Lawrence Bishop - Chelsea Beck - Johnny Beck - John Bergstrom - Kim Blakey - Bob Boatright – Aspen Black - Bob & Johnny Boatright - Bad Bob Rohan - Tony Booth - The Booher Brothers - Brady Bowen - Dave Boyd - Randy Brown - Marci Broyhill - Frenchie Burke - Brian Burns - Johnny Bush - Johnny Bush/Justin Trevino C Chuck Caldwell - Cave Caley - Carr Family Band - Billy Cate - Joe Paul Clark - David Cline - Mark Compere - Ken Cook - Carolina Cotton - Leighan Cortes - Hank Cramer - Country Night Live - Georgia Cowboys - Katy Creek - Van Criddle - Chuck Cusimano D Stephanie Davis - Al Dean - Robin Deeter - The Desper-ados - Amber Digby - Bill Dobkins - Cliff Douglas - J R Dunn - Bill Durham - Rusty & Dory Dutton - Jerry D. E Michael Elliott F Joe Fisher - Juni Fisher - Scotty & The Silverscreen Ranchands - Bobby Flores - Ryan Fritz - Donald Fuller G Kelli Grant - Bill Green - Joe Green - Jeff Griffith - Cornell Hurd - Ferlin Husky I Dennis Ivey J Pat Jacobs - Judy James - Pat James - The Jazzabillies - Pretty Little Miss Norma Jean - Joe Johns - Jill Jones - Deborah Liv Johnson - Johnny Johnson - Jim Jones - Zona Jones - Justus & The Montanas - J'Lee K Allen Karl - Katy Creek - Mary Allen Keating - Dave Kirby - Billy Keeble L Pete Laumbach - Eddy Leverett - Clay Lindley - Sharon J. Lippe - Big Bill Lister - Jim Loessberg - Tommy Lucas - Bobby Lueders - Johnny Lyon M Carolyn Martin - Billy Mata - Roger Maxwell - New Mexico Artists - Darrell McCall - Mona McCall - Tree Menane - Micheal & Dawn Moon - Bob Miller - Frankie Miller - Dick Morton - Jane Morton - Kimberly Murray - Larry McWhorter

N Any Nelson - Joe Paul Nichols - Rance Norton O Marvin O'Dell - Oklahoma Swing Project P Palo Duro - Susan Parker - Playboys II - Curtis Potter - Gil Prather - Jean Prescott - Gary Prescott - David Price - Prescott Playboys R Jim Raby - Lost Canyon Rangers - Tony Reed - Herb Remington - Mark Remington - J Cross C Riders - Keith Reimer - Jamie Richards - River Road Boys - Open Range - Natalie Rose - Cowboy Slim Rinehart S Jason Savory - Reid Wells & Segovia 1862 - Leon Seiter - Mike Siler - Rebecca Linda Smith - Lonnie Spiker - Star-dust Cowboys - Hank Stone - Doc Stovall - Sal Sage - Sundance - Isaac Payton Sweat T Tailor Made Band - Liz Talley - Scott R. Taylor - Monty Teel - Hank Thompson - Floyd Tillman - Geronimo Trevino III - Justin Trevino - Justin Trevino/Johnny Bush - Lone Star Troubadours - Mike & Brenda True - Justin Tubb U Al Urban V R J Vandygriff - Tony Vice W Don Wallace - Dave Watson - Lynn Ward - Jerry Webb - Robert Weeks - Ken West - Trey Wilson - Smokey Wilson - Bob Wills 100th - Leona Williams - Mentor Williams - Flying J Wranglers - Playboys/Drifting Cowboys - Bob Wills Texas Playgirls - K R Wood - Wild Oats Y Yampa Valley Boys Simply go to www.BackfortyBunkhouse.com and click on "CD Chorale Artists". Purchase CD's with Check, Money Order or by Pay Pal. Overseas orders please email joe@backfortybunkhouse.com for shipping costs.

www.Backforty Bunkhouse.com is the ―go to‖ website for hard to find to current artists of

Western Swing, Western Music, Cowboy Poetry, Country Gospel, Classic Country and Texas Honky Tonk.

We have over 200 artists at ―CD Chorale‖ and you can even hear it before you buy it.

With the most convenient and secure way to purchase

20

Changes At Willie's Place

It is my understanding that Willie Nelson has pulled his name

from the theater and truckstop in Carl's Corner, Texas.

The Gene Watson and Amber Digby Show will go on as sched-

uled for Saturday night with absolutely no changes, but other per-

formances are on hold for the time being.

Evidentally, the daily live broadcast with Dallas Wayne on Willie's

Place on Sirius/XM will be moved to Luck, Texas, from Carl's Cor-

ner in the near future. Of course the great music programming

will remain the same as always on Willie Place on Sirius/XM.

All of us at Heart of Texas Records appreciate what Willie's Place

at Carl's Corner has meant to our artists in both personal appear-

ances at the Nightlife Theater and selling of our Heart of Texas

Records projects on a daily basis in their wonderful truck stop.

We wish every one involved only the best and look forward to

working with both Willie and Carl in future endeavors.

Tracy Pitcox

www.heartoftexascountry.com

WANTED: A few Good Vendors look'n for a fun

Festival to sell or showcase their wares

WHO: Seeking Businesses, Artisans, non Prof-

its and Food providers

WHAT: Wild West Cowboy Roundup 2010- 2nd

annual

WHERE: Held on the Square- Historic Downtown

Garland, Texas / Main & 6th

WHEN: Saturday September 18, 2010~~10:00Am-

7:00 PM

WEB: www.garlandcowboyroundup.com

WHAT WE'RE UP TO:

Authentic Chuck Wagon Cook Off

Day long Western Entertainment

Fiddle Contest

Street Vendors

Kids Corral for the Li'l Buckaroos

Stage Coach Rides

Whatever else we'll "cook up" between now

and then

Expected attendance: 3,500-5,000

Application Attached.

Contact us if you have questions. We'll be wait'n

for your call or email!

Kendra Walden

Wild West Cowboy Roundup

Vendor Chair

972-839-4031

kendra@artful-designs.com

Sunset Music Charts Western Swing

Album

1 Jake Hooker-Lost Along The Way

2 River Road Boys-Houston

3 Buck Pizarelli-Digging Up Bones

4 Les Gilliam-Oklahoma

5 Barbara Nelson-Round Up Ready

6 Saddle Cats-Herding Cats

7 Stephanie Davis-Western Bling

8 Price Porter-Last Call For Heartaches

9 Dave Caley-It's A Long Way Back

10 Stretch Dawson-Celtic Swing

Western Swing

Song

1 Jake Hooker-Night Coach Out of Dallas

2 Rich Lester-I Can Almost Tell

3 River Road Boys-Over The Hill

4 Les Gilliam-My Window Faces The South

5 Buck Pizarelli-Tacos, Enchiladas and Beans

6 John England-Brownsville

7 Jerry Hobbs-I'm A Texas Boy

8 Cornell Hurd-Southern Hospitality

9 Bobby Flores-Are You Teasing Me

10 John England-Brownsville

Western Music

Album

1 Jennifer Lind-Cowboy State Of Mind

2 Wylie Gustafson-Unwired

3 Lynn Anderson-Cowgirl II

4 Diamond W Wranglers-The Old And The New

5 Tom Hiatt-Appaloosa Moon

6 Stardust Cowboys-Riding Back To You

7 M M Murphey- Lone Cowboy

8 Patty Parker-Southwestern Serenade

9 Benhamin DeHart-Bittersweet Cowboy Reflections

10 Mountain Saddle Band-The Ballad of Kitty Jo

Western Music

Song

1 Lynn Anderson-Bandita

2 Wylie Gustafson-Where Horses Are Heroes

3 Tom Hiatt-Only Love He Knows

4 Diamond W Wranglers-Billy the Kid

5 Benjamin DeHart-Wild River Rose

6 Patty Parker-Crystal Canyon

7 Rebecca Linda Smith-Come As You Are

8 Prairie Rose Rangers-Thank Heaven For Dale

9 Cowboy Celtic-Lady Margaret Hamilton

10 Jim Jones-Wyatt's Lament

Backforty Bunkhouse Radio show's summer hours starting Saturday, May 29, 2010 will be from 6 to 9am, (MDT). We had a huge successful snow skiing season that was extended one week after the normal Easter

Weekend date. Starting Memorial Day Weekend thru La-bor Day in September our Summer Live Horse Racing

season begins at Ruidoso Downs, New Mexico. MTD Ra-dio's General Manager Tim Keithley's "Inside Track" Radio show will be from 9 to 10am (MDT) every Saturday morn-

ing. You can catch both radio shows on the internet by going to: www.BackfortyBunkhouse.com and click on

the black banner that says "Listen Live To W-105 24/7" and simply turn up your volume and enjoy.

21

Cowtown Society of Western Music

Hello Members and Friends of Cowtown Society of Western Music:

DON'T FORGET we have a meeting Monday night 7:15 PM, April 30th at 10708 Hwy. 180 in Cool, TX

at Charlie and Linda O'Bannon's Party Barn (see directions below under Friday night jam session

info). This is our last meeting before Swing Fest and it is very important that we have your input.

Please try to attend this meeting. If you need more info, call Joyce Miller 817-556-0100 or Gary Bea-

ver 817-558-7580 or 817-240-4580. Hope to see you Monday night.

Read on...there's some stuff you need to know!

You can go to our website www.cowtown-swm.org and find out more information about Swing Fest

and get a complete listing of Heroes being inducted this year.

Our tentative schedule for Swing Fest is as follows:

Friday Night, April 30, 2010 - Western Swing Jam Session - 7:00 PM

10708 Highway 180

Cool, Texas (a few miles East of Mineral Wells) (Charlie and Linda O'Bannon's Party Barn) Look for

large white sign on highway - Piano Lessons and Repair with Big Red Arrow pointing the way down

the lane.

Light refreshments and some beverages will be served.

Your welcome to BYOL/BYOB

Live Music and Dancing until ???

Saturday - May 1, 2010 - Holiday Hills Country Club - Hwy 180, Mineral Wells, Texas Tickets for All

Day and Evening - $10.00 at the door.

12:00 PM Doors Open to The Public

(Warm Buffet Lunch will be available for purchase as well as Cash Bar) 1:00 PM Chuck Curtis and

The Palo Pinto Cowboy Church Band 2:00 PM Heroes Awards Presentation Ceremony 3:00 PM Larry

Lange and the Lonestar Troubadours Band 4:00 PM Heroes Awards Presentation Ceremony 5:00 PM

Bill Gilbert and Swingtime in Texas Band 6:00 PM Living Legends Awards Presentation Ceremony

6:30 PM Dinner Break (Mexican Buffet) 7:00 PM Brady Bowen and Swing Country Band 10:00 PM

Conclusion of Swing Fest

Two Raffles will be ongoing May 1st - One is for an Acoustic Guitar signed by All The Heroes Past

and Present attending Swing Fest. The other is for an Antique Gum Ball Machine from the barber

shop in Turkey, Texas where Bob Wills cut hair in the 1920's.

A silent auction table will be set up for bids. There will be a couple of live auctions during band breaks in

the afternoon. Tee shirts, Caps and Swing Fest Program Booklets will be available for purchase also.

All proceeds from Swing Fest go to maintaining Cowtown Society of Western Music . Cowtown Society

of Western Music is a 501(c)3 non-profit corporation dedicated to preserving and promoting western

music.

Discount Rooms available at Best Western Motel Hwy 180 (Across from Holiday

Hills) by Mentioning

CSWM Swing Fest when you call 940-325-2270 to receive special room rate.

For more information contact: Gary Beaver, President (817) 558-7580 or (817) 240-4580 or Joyce Miller,

Secretary/Treasurer (817)556-0100. Joe Baker, Membership Director: (575) 808-4111.

Hope to see ya there!

Joyce Miller

3709 E Hwy 67, Cleburne, Texas 76031

Joe Baker, Membership Director, 106 Roswell St, Ruidoso, NM 88345 (575) 808-4111

Email: joe@backfortybunkhouse.com

President Gary Beaver Vice President Larry Lange Secretary Joyce Miller Treasurer Joyce Miller Board Member Jerry Tatum Board Member Joe Baker Board Member Tom Lee Advisory Board Member Brady Bowen Buddie Hrabal Chuck Curtis Membership Director Joe Baker Webmaster Howard Higgins Website www.cowtown-swm.org

E-Mail info@cowtown-swm.org

22

52,000 intelligent good-looking readers.

SONGS BY ACCIDENT. I get a encouraging letters from people who say nice things about my writings... my songs, articles, and stories. It‘s a real incentive to write more. Most of my writing seems to me to be by accident. By that I mean: I have never planned or plotted a story or song in my life. I don‘t know how. I usually let my mind wander into a situation, real or imaginary, and the pictures unfold in front of me. I just take down what happens, as it happens. I don‘t know what the ending will be until it ends. I‘m as surprised as everybody else. I seldom know the title of a song until the rest of it is done. I often have a temporary working title but it‘s usually replaced and demoted to a line somewhere in the piece. Any craftsmanship I may have comes later, when I go in and edit the whole thing, trying to get rid of all phrases that don‘t add to the story, and replacing words that are almost right with ones that are closer to right. I don‘t like fill-in lines. I‘d rather have it short. Or, maybe a better word is ―tight‖. In school sports I was a good sprinter but not good in any race over 100 yards. I did alright in football, baseball, and hockey because the action is in spurts. My writing limitations are the same... short bursts. I like composing song lyrics. because they‘re miniatures, like little pieces of jewelry.

Working out the music part is fun because the secret of music is surprises. The music can come first, last, or along with the words. No formula works for me all the time. I‘m telling you this because people are often interested in how writers work. I know I am. I would write even if I never got paid... which is somewhat true.

Jack Blanchard © 2010. -- Jack Blanchard & Misty Morgan... Grammy Nominees. Billboard's Country Duet of the Year. OUR HOME PAGE: http://jackandmisty.com

Norma Austin Fred Berry Jimal Bible Nell Bridger Tom Burgess Richard Neal Clemens Mary Corley Dugg Collins Jim Cox and Family Billie and James Dobbs Glynn Fairburn Paige Haas Tom and Donna Hatton Briggs Hill and his family Bud House Marian Howell Mary Hunter Dennis Ivey

Johnny Lyon Ruth McCollum Millie Mack Bob Nible Joe Paul Nichols Beverly and Joel North Walter Pate Johnny Patterson Lyall Paulson Jim Quisenberry Connie Stom Hank Stone Family Darlene Thornton Mike Ward Charlie Watkins Ed White Ray & Beth Willingham's Family Kenny Williamson

23

C O U N T R Y M U S I C C L A S S I C S Doug Davis Owner/Publisher/Manager/Editor/ Writer/Gopher/Chief Cook & Bottle Washer Monday April 12th, 2010 CHECK OUT OUR WEBSITE AT www.countrymusicclassics.com STORY BEHIND THE SONG A lot of songs are written just because someone sat down to write while others were written for a purpose. According to Merle Haggard, his 1973 number one, ―I Wonder If They Ever Think of Me‖ was written on behalf of POW‘s. Merle commented, ―I didn‘t write that song because of any specific event, except the prisoner of war issue was big at the time. I think the Viet Nam War was very misunderstood and very strange.‖ Haggard‘s Capitol records single, ―I Wonder If They Ever Think of Me‖ entered the country music charts December 9

th, 1972 and

made it to number one on February 17th, five days after the first group of POW‘s left Hanoi. The single was Haggard‘s 31st charted song and his 14th number one. It was on the charts for 14 weeks. ^^^^^^^^^^ A T T E N T I O N: R A D I O S T A T I O N S: Our short form daily radio feature, ―Classic Country First‖ now has its own website at www.classiccountryfirst.com The program is now syndicated thru Keller Broadcasting and is available thru barter. Hear audio samples of the programs at: http://www.keller-broadcasting.com/shows/classiccountryfirst/demo.mp3 To sign up to carry the program, email to: kellerm@keller-broadcasting.com OR call Mitchell Keller at (503) 860-4707

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS QUESTION: I heard on the radio that Vince Gill is receiving some kind of award. Is this from the hall of fame? ANSWER: Vince Gill will receive the Robert E. Mulloy Award of Excellence from Nashville's Belmont University. The award ac-knowledges people in the music industry who have excelled in the field and have used their status to support the local community. The presentation is at Belmont University's Mike Curb College of Entertainment and Music Business on April 24th. QUESTION: Who was the guy with the record of ―You‘re Gettin‘ To Me Again‖ some years ago? ANSWER: ―You‘re Gettin‘ To Me Again‖ was a number one for Jim Glaser in 1984 QUESTION: Do you know anything about a Roy Orbison birthday celebration? The radio folks mentioned it. ANSWER: The late Roy Orbison would have turned 74-years-old April 23rd, and the Hard Rock Cafe Nashville will host a birthday party in his honor. Proceeds will benefit Musicians On Call, a charity founded in 1999 to provide live and recorded music at patients' bedsides. Hard Rock Cafes around the globe will also play recordings and music videos featuring the Texas-born singer. In addition, the Milwaukee Brewers' triple-A team, the Nashville Sounds, will celebrate Roy Orbison Night at the ballpark on April 22nd. The first one-thousand fans attending the game at Nashville's Greer Stadium will receive a pair of Roy Orbison sunglasses. ―Country Music Classics‖ is made possible only by donations from subscribers like you. If you enjoy receiving this newsletter, please support us by sending a check payable to ―Country Music Classics‖ for any amount to: Doug Davis—Country Music Classics—3702 Pleasant Grove Road-Texarkana, Texas 75503. Or use PAYPAL ( http://www.paypal.com ) and donate (via your account or their secure credit card site) directly thru our email address (classics@countrymusicclassics.com). Thank you.

If you wish to make a contribution but do not have a Pay Pal account, you may use any major credit card and donate thru our secure Pro Pay account. QUESTION: There was a song on the radio back in the 50‘s by a guy singing about ―I‘ll Baby Sit With You.‘ Do you know his name? ANSWER: ―I‘ll Baby Sit With you‖ was a # 14 hit for Ferlin Husky in 1955 QUESTION: I heard that somebody is giving Marty Robbins another award. Do you have any information? ANSWER: Marty Robbins, and Mel Tillis are this year's recipients of the Cliffie Stone Pioneer Award from The Academy of Coun-try Music. The award recognizes innovators in country music. The Special Award recipients will be formally recognized at an event in Nashville on September 21st. The 45th annual ACM Awards will be presented in Las Vegas on April 18th, and air on CBS. QUESTION: Have you heard of a song about ―Pride Covers my Ears?‖ My brother says it was on the radio many years ago. ANSWER: ―Pride Covered Ears‖ was the flipside of Johnny Paycheck‘s 1966 # 8 hit, ―Motel Time Again.‖ QUESTION: There was a mention of TV News about Judds asking fans to name their tour. What is that all about? ANSWER: The Judds are inviting their fans to come up with the title for their final tour. The duo is launching "The Judds 'Name That Tour' Contest." Prizes include a mention in The Judds' 2010 commemorative tour book, 500-dollars worth of tour merchandise,

24

and a personal "thank you" video from Wy and Naomi. Dates for The Judds' final tour haven't been revealed yet. More details on the contest are available online at www.wynonna.com. Just in case you are not aware---you definitely should know about ―RALPH EMERY LIVE‖, each Monday night on RFD-TV -- with a repeat on Tuesday. Ralph is still the best around in conducting interviews and presenting the most interesting and informing program on the tube. It‘s on Dish Network, Direct TV and many other cable TV properties. In case you‘re a Dish Network subscriber, it‘s on Channel 231. If you‘ve been missing it, you‘ve missed a lot. It‘s G R E A T ! Your comments, suggestions, gripes, etc. concerning this newsletter---are welcome. Email to:Classics@countrymusicclassics.com NUMBER ONE ON THIS DATE: 1950 Long Gone Lonesome Blues - Hank Williams 1958 Oh Lonesome Me - Don Gibson 1966 I Want to Go with You - Eddy Arnold 1974 A Very Special Love Song - Charlie Rich 1982 Big City - Merle Haggard 1990 Hard Rock Bottom of Your Heart - Randy Travis A T T E N T I O N : I would like to start saluting the classic country radio stations. Please email me the call letters, location and email address of the classic country radio station in your area. TODAY IN COUNTRY MUSIC HISTORY compiled by Bill Morrison 1916 - Ernie Lee 1916~1991, the Kentucky Balladeer, was born Ernest Eli Cornelison in Berea, Kentucky. 1925 - Ned Miller, singer, songwriter, guitarist was born Henry Ned Miller in Raines, Utah.

1936 - Judy Lynn, singer, songwriter, and yodeler was born Judy Voiten in Boise, Idaho. 1944 - Hank Williams signed a songwriter' s agreement with Acuff-Rose. 1953 - Hank Williams' "Your Cheatin' Heart" sat atop the country charts. This was Hank's 10th #1 hit, and was released by MGM al-most two months after his death. The song is now a Grammy Hall of Fame recording. 1957 - Vince Gill was born Vincent Grant Gill in Norman, Oklahoma. Vince became a member of the Grand Ole Opry August 10, 1991, and was inducted into the CMHF in 2007. Vince was one of Roy Acuff's favorite singers. 1958 - Don Gibson joined the Grand Ole Opry. His single "Oh Lonesome Me" was #1 on the charts at the time. 1961 - Marty Robbins' single "El Paso" won a Grammy. 1964 - Deryl Dodd singer, songwriter, musician was born in Dallas, Texas. 1972 - Capitol Records released Buck Owens single "Ruby (Are You Mad)" b/w "Heartbreak Mountain." 1972 - Grand Ole Opry manager Bud Wendell produced the first edition of Nashville' s Fan Fair. The Fair opened April 12 th, and ran through the 15th. 1977 - Jackson Browne's Asylum album "The Pretender" was certified Platinum. 1980 - Vince Gill and Janis Oliver were married on Vince' s 23rd birthday. They divorced in 1997. 1984 - Johnny Cash recorded his single "Chicken in Black." The Columbia single was released in July, and charted on July 14 th. 1991 - Jimmie Revard of "The Oklahoma Playboys" died at age 81. 1994 - The first issue of Country Weekly magazine went on sale. 1997 - Lewis Crook 1909~1997, age 87, of The Crook Brothers died in Nashville. The Crook Brothers joined the cast of the WSM Barn Dance on July 24, 1926, and played on the Grand Ole Opry until 1988. A sixty-two year gig at the greatest venue in the world. 1999 - Lecil Travis Martin 1931~1999, a.k.a. "Boxcar Willie," age 67, died as the result of leukemia in Branson, Missouri. He was one of the first artists, to open a theatre of his own in Branson (1986). Cast member of the Big D Jamboree at the age of 16, he joined the Grand Ole Opry in 1981. Box was laid to rest in Ozarks Memorial Park, Branson, Missouri. Courtesy Bill Morrison: http://www.talentondisplay.com/countrycalMAR.html

25

Country showman Johnnie

High, 80, loved to make stars

of others

Mar. 18, 2010

NORTH RICHLAND HILLS --

Starmaker Johnnie High, who

enjoyed helping other people

shine at his iconic Johnnie

High's Country Music Revue for

more than 30 years, died

Wednesday afternoon at home,

his family said.

His Opry-style show launched

the careers of Nashville superstars including LeAnn Rimes, Gary

Morris, the Dixie Chicks, Lee Ann Womack and many others.

Mr. High also made it possible for many North Texans with day

jobs to live out their dreams onstage on weekends before mem-

bers of a legendarily loyal audience, some of whom attended the

show faithfully for years.

Mr. High died of congestive heart failure, his granddaughter said.

He was 80.

"It's hard to let go of a man who has done so much for this indus-

try," said longtime friend Bill Mack of Fort Worth, the "Midnight

Cowboy" of country radio who now has a satellite-radio show-

case."He was determined to help people get into one of the most

complex businesses in the world." Mack said Mr. High's profes-

sionalism was legendary."His shows always had a lot of class."

Free performances

Mr. High was born May 1, 1929, in Central Texas. He grew up in

McGregor, and music was a major interest from a very early age,

music journalist Dorothy Hamm said. He acquired a $6 guitar and

when he was 13, hitchhiked to nearby Waco to audition for a ra-

dio show. The station manager told him to get a better guitar,

practice two hours every day and come back in a year, Hamm

said. Mr. High followed the advice, and when he was 14 he was

given his own radio show, which was broadcast live, 6 to 6:15

a.m. five days a week, Hamm said. "He went down at 6 in the

morning and performed live for free every morning," Hamm said.

"He didn't know you were supposed to get paid."

For several years, he was at the radio station, singing and accom-

panying himself on guitar. He collected words to songs from

Country Song Roundup, a magazine that published lyrics, Hamm

said. He couldn't read music nor did he need to. As with many

other country musicians he played guitar by ear. He said he never

missed a show nor was he ever late.

"He seemed to operate at a faster pace than everyone else,"

Hamm said. "He would read a book in a night. He seemed to get

a lot more life in than everyone else."

Mr. High and Wanda Davis met and married in 1948 in Waco

when they were still teenagers.

The revue

Mr. High began his country music show in 1974, when he and

dance teacher Chisai Childs of Fort Worth bought and refurbished

Grapevine's Palace Theatre. Five years later, Childs moved to

Branson, Mo., and Mr. High opened his Saturday night show at

Will Rogers Auditorium in Fort Worth. It stayed there for 13 years

before moving to Haltom City's Shannon Auditorium.

In 1995, Mr. High bought an old movie theater in Arlington and

created the Arlington Music Hall. His dream of a permanent home

for the show was complete.

"It just filled your heart every week to see that show," said Patsy

Seeton of Arlington, who was a longtime revue fan and volunteer

usher. She and husband Lee attended for 35 years, she said. "We

started going to the Grapevine show after we saw it advertised in

the paper," Seeton said. "We became friends immediately and it

just became a weekly thing."

Wanda High and their daughter, Luanne Dorman, worked behind

the scenes at the revue. Granddaughter Ashley Smith, however,

performed from age 8 onstage with her grandfather and has been

hosting the show with him for several years. Mr. High hadn't been

to the revue for a month, Smith said, but before that he was

seated in the front row every Saturday although he could no

longer be onstage. "You know how he was -- he had to make sure

everything was running smoothly," Smith said.

She and her mother were at the Highs' home Wednesday after-

noon when he died. He had been hospitalized twice during the

past month for congestive heart failure, she said. "We were all

here, but we didn't realize that this was the day," Smith said.

Jon Rutherford of Lewisville, a vocalist and longtime revue regu-

lar, said he met Mr. High in 1995 and within a couple of months

was performing on the show and receiving the polish and perform-

ing tips that Mr. High dispensed. "He was like my father," Ruther-

ford said. "What I do is because of him. He encouraged me and

gave me an opportunity to do what I love."

Staff writer Mitch Mitchell contributed to this report, which includes

material from Star-Telegram archives.

By SHIRLEY JINKINS

syjinkins@star-telegram.com

Ruby F. Towner

Nov. 18, 1923 -

March 29, 2010

Resident of San Pablo Ruby

F. Towner went to be with

the Lord on March 29, 2010.

She and her husband John

had just recently celebrated

their 55th wedding anniver-

sary.

Ruby had a passion for fam-

ily, crocheting, and country

music. She was also a member of the Western Swing Society of

Sacramento. Ruby is survived by her devoted husband John

Towner; sons Elmer and Darrell Stephens; sister Elm Playford;

grandchildren Mike and Dan Stephens.

She is preceded in death by her 2 grandchildren Sandra and

Mathew Stephens. She was loved by all and will be missed by all.

Family and friends are invited to attend the Visitation from 9-

11:30am on Friday, April 2, with Funeral Services at 11:30 at Wil-

son & Kratzer Mortuaries Mission Bells Chapel, 13644 San Pablo

Ave., San Pablo, CA 94806 Wilson & Kratzer Mortuaries (510)

232-6552

26

Hank Stone

Musician and band leader

Hank Stone — who played a

rowdy brand of traditional

country dance hall music and

performed with artists including

Johnny Bush, Darryl McCall

and Curtis Potter — died

March 18 in San Antonio after

a long battle with cancer. He

was 69.

His song choices once were

described as ―tear-in-your beer

stuff.‖ He unapologetically said, ―We don't do Garth,‖ referring to

Garth Brooks. Stone preferred Ernest Tubb, George Jones ―and a

whole lot of Ray Price.‖

Stone and his Texas Honky Tonk Swing Band made the rounds

locally and regionally. Their base was the John T. Floore Country

Store in Helotes. Over the years, Stone opened for Price and

Johnny Paycheck, and performed in Tootsies, the Bluebird Cafe

and the Legends Bar in Nashville, Tenn.

In the late '70s, ―he had songs on jukeboxes all over Texas,‖

friend and music producer Peter Carey said. ―He made a stab at

being a star.‖

Stone's given name was Harold Kruse. The blue-eyed redhead

played piano. ―When he was a child, he started hearing music in

his head,‖ said his wife, Marilyn Kruse. ―It never went away.‖

―We would be eating or driving, sometimes I would just look over

and say, ‗What song are you listening to?' And he would tell me,‖

she said.

Stone was an enthusiastic performer who loved mixing with the

crowd during set breaks, passing a hat and taking requests.

In 2000, ―Alone in San Antone‖ won him several honors at the

13th annual San Antonio Current Magazine Music Awards. His

Web site says the song was named Single of the Year.

He went to Jefferson High School, took courses at San Antonio

College and played guitar and violin. During Vietnam, he served

in the Navy aboard the USS Lexington and the USS Hancock.

After the war, he worked as a cargo supervisor for Braniff Airlines.

Later, he was self-employed. His hobby was rebuilding and racing

high-performance cars.

He recorded three CDs, one of which was nominated for a Euro-

pean Country Music Association award.

―He didn't win,‖ his wife said, ―but he got his name in a magazine,

and that just thrilled him.‖

Carey said Stone ―had a great historic sense of great country

music. He was fussy about picking a set of songs to put on a re-

cord. He knew so much material.‖

Stone was described as having boundless energy. Even after he

couldn't sing anymore, he'd pop into bars and restaurants to listen

to other bands play.

―He did that the Monday before he died,‖ Carey said. ―As sick as

he was, he just wanted to sit in for a set.‖

John Alvin

"Johnny"

Patterson

Memorial services for Country

Music Great John Alvin

"Johnny" Patterson, will be

10:30 a.m. Tuesday, April 13,

2010, at Lakeview Funeral

Home. Interment will follow in

Lakeview Memorial Gardens.

Johnny passed away April 8,

2010, in Longview.

He was born on March 28, 1935, in Cantwell, Missouri, to John

and Nora Belle Patterson. His sister gave him his first guitar when

Johnny was 8, and at the age of 10, he was already picking and

singing on KFMO Radio in Flat River, Missouri. He got his first job

with Al Roberts and the Missouri Playboys, and his first bit job was

with Skett Yancy when he was 13. Johnny went on to play with

such greats as Charlie Pride, Vonnie Mack, Roy Meese and other

Country Music Greats.

His most memorable moment came when he was one of Bob

Wills' Texas Playboy's. The band was recording a record at Lib-

erty Records in California when Bob pointed to Johnny with his

legendary bow, and Johnny immediately started his solo, combin-

ing two of Bob's biggest hits, "Faded Love" and "A Maiden's

Prayer," which was the first time it had ever been done.

Johnny leaves behind to cherish his memory, his daughter, Deb-

orah Sterling; granddaughter, Mitzi Dixon; and great-

grandchildren, Cody Dixon, Andrew Bailey, Jewel Marie Bailey,

Skyler Bailey and William Tyler Bailey.

Condolences may be offered at www.lakeviewfh.com

Joe Baker‘s Recognition and Honors

Cowtown Society of Western Music Heroes Academy of Western Artists Disc Jockey of the Year

Cowtown Society of Western Music Disc Jockey of the Year Western Swing Music Society of the Southwest Hall of Fame Membership Director—Cowtown Society of Western Music

Board of Directors—Cowtown Society of Western Music Seattle Western Swing Music Society POWS Hall of Fame

Backforty Newsletter—CSWM‘s Publication of the Year 2009 The Western Swing Society Sacramento CA Hall of Fame

KNMB, Western Music Assn. 2006 Radio Station Of The Year KWMW, Western Music Assn. 2007 Radio Station Of The Year