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Your favorite cowboy/western folk songs
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Subject: Your favorite cowboy/western folk songs From: BlueSage Date: 03 Mar 00 - 11:49 PM I'm doing a material search for my trio. Does anyone know of any outstanding folk songs (trad. or contemporary) that deal with themes pertaining to the American West? If so, what recordings of same songs would you recommend? Any suggestions will be of great help to me! Thanks in advance...Mike Iverson
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Subject: RE: Your favorite cowboy/western folk songs From: rainbow Date: 03 Mar 00 - 11:57 PM how about rounder recordings? 1996 "singing in the saddle" - seventy years of recorded cowboy song. rounder cd 1102... has gene autry, sons of the pioneers, roy rogers, tex ritter, bob wills and his texas playboys, ray whitley, elton britt, rosalie allen, louise massey and the westerners, wilf carter (montana slim) and jimmy wakely trio. i really like montana slim's song "there's a love knot in my lariat." and skip gorman's cd's, and sourdough slim's cd's (along with the saddle pals, aka cactus bob and prarie flower)... ... lorraine |
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Subject: RE: Your favorite cowboy/western folk songs From: DonMeixner Date: 04 Mar 00 - 12:08 AM Pure folk? Hard to say, The Strawberry Roan, Tying a Knot in the Devil's Tail, Plains of the Buffalo, Billy Venero, Alongside the Santa Fe Trail. Western Jazz, Cool Water, Blue Bonnet Girl, Way Out There, Everlasting Hills of Oklahoma, anything by The Sons of The Pioneers, Bob Wills Modern, Four Strong Winds, Night Rider's Lament, The Goodnight-Loving Trail. Don |
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Subject: RE: Your favorite cowboy/western folk songs From: Amos Date: 04 Mar 00 - 01:00 AM Lavender Cowboy, Streets of Laredo, Red River Valley, I've Got No Use for the Women, Colorado Trail, I Ride an Old Paint, Night Rider's Lament, Git Along, Little Dogies, The Old Chisholm Trail, and Sweet Baby James |
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Subject: RE: Your favorite cowboy/western folk songs From: Homeless Date: 04 Mar 00 - 01:08 AM I ran across a somewhat scary (for me) CD at the local library. It's called "Cowboy Celtic" by David Wilkie, published by Red House Records, 1996. It's got some of the songs listed in previous posts. The scary part was that most of the songs were done with a celtic flavor to them. It was supposed to show how the Old West songs were influenced by the music that came across with the immigrants of the time. |
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Subject: RE: Your favorite cowboy/western folk songs From: Sandy Paton Date: 04 Mar 00 - 01:30 AM Utah Carroll, Little Joe the Wrangler, The Last Wagon, Old Dolores, The Telling Takes Me Home (one of Utah Phillips' genuine gems), Tying a Knot in the Devil's Tail (AKA Sirey Peaks), Scum the Saddle Bum (on one of Skip Gorman's Folk-Legacy cassettes). Many more. Sandy |
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Subject: RE: Your favorite cowboy/western folk songs From: Liz the Squeak Date: 04 Mar 00 - 01:35 AM Here's a quarter, call someone who cares..... Or are you not wanting more modern stuff? That one for me sums up all that is the American West. Just an old cynic I suppose... If it's the old stuff you want, then I guess Red River Valley always does it for me, a typical story of a bloke shagging a girl from a different background/ethnic group for pleasure, then buggering off when one of his own calls, regardless of what he leaves behind. A broken-hearted NA girl in this case, but usually with something else like TB, syphilis, measles, or chickenpox, all equally deadly, and a lot less fun.... LTS |
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Subject: RE: Your favorite cowboy/western folk songs From: Arkie Date: 04 Mar 00 - 01:52 AM The Gol-Darned Wheel and Stetson Hat are in Glenn Ohrlin's book of cowboy songs. The first describes a cowboy's encounter with a bicycle. The second is a tribute to his hat, as you might suspect. For more contemporary songs you might check into anything by Bob Campbell. Some of my favorites are Big Cowboy Moon; Roll On, Cowboys; Round Up Time on the Pitchfork; Arbuckle Coffee, and Dance At Domingo. Also Sonora's Death Row and Marty Robbin's song about Old Red, about the battle between the horse that had never been rode and the cowboy that had never been throwed. |
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Subject: RE: Your favorite cowboy/western folk songs From: Stewie Date: 04 Mar 00 - 02:23 AM For the classic old stuff (20s and 30s), see the two Yazoo compilations 'When I Was a Cowboy Vols 1 & 2' Yazoo 2022 and 2023 - everything you need from that era. For later material, try Tom Russell's 'Cowboy Real' Philo PH 1146 - highlights are 'El Llano Estacado' and 'Roanie' - also his 'Song of the West' HMG 2501 and Ian Tyson's excellent 'Old Corrals and Sagebrush and Other Cowboy Culture Classics' Bear Family BCD 15437. Those don't skip over the terrain, they well and truly dig into the ground. --Stewie. |
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Subject: RE: Your favorite cowboy/western folk songs From: Chris/Darwin Date: 04 Mar 00 - 02:46 AM "The Goodnight-Loving Trail" (Utah Phillips) would have to be my favourite.
Regards |
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Subject: RE: Your favorite cowboy/western folk songs From: Lanfranc Date: 04 Mar 00 - 06:53 AM RE Celtic & Western Those blasted (blasting?) Hibernians try to suborn every music genre going - I'm waiting for some member of the Irish mafia to claim that Beethoven was really Loudvaich O'Bheathown from Tipperary! RE Modern Cowboy Songs How about "Sweet Baby James" by James Taylor, and there's a Don McLean song whose title escapes me for the moment, "I could have been most anything that I set my mind to be, but a cowboy's life was the only one for me ...". Also "Long Black Rifle" as sung by the Kingston Trio and "South Coast" as sung by Derroll Adams and others. Trad ditto "Streets of Laredo", "The Old Chisholm Trail" and "Bucking Bronco" come to mind. |
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Subject: RE: Your favorite cowboy/western folk songs From: GUEST,Frankie Date: 04 Mar 00 - 08:02 AM Gosh Liz, thanks for setting me straight on Red River Valley. Here I thought it was just a simple, beautiful song of parting. |
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Subject: RE: Your favorite cowboy/western folk songs From: katlaughing Date: 04 Mar 00 - 08:34 AM At www.bibliofind.com, you will find used copies of Lomax's book, Cowboy Songs and Frontier Ballads, which was republished in 1986 by Alan Lomax, ISBN # 0-02-061260-5. You can also find copies of Ms. Katie Lee's Ten Thousand Goddam Cattle You will also find many of the songs already mentioned, in the DigiTrad database here at the Mudcat. Another favorite of mine is "When the Work's All Done This Fall." We also had a huge thread on this with some wonderful postings by Sandy Paton, Frank Hamilton, and others which you will find here. You can also type in COWBOY in the filter box at the top of the threads, set the date to one or two years, and find a few more threads relating to cowboy songs in some manner. Have fun, katlaughing |
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Subject: RE: Your favorite cowboy/western folk songs From: Timehiker Date: 04 Mar 00 - 08:36 AM Being a horseman more so than a cowboy, my favorite oldtimers are "I Ride an Old Paint" and "The Strawberry Roan". As for the newer ones, "Amarillo By Morning" describes the modern rodeo experience better than any of 'em IMHO. There's a rodeo singer named Chris LeDoux who has several albums of cowboy and rodeo songs out. He covers many of the titles already mentioned in this thread. Take care, Timehiker |
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Subject: RE: Your favorite cowboy/western folk songs From: kendall Date: 04 Mar 00 - 09:13 AM Fast Gun Getting Slow by Dave Mallett |
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Subject: RE: Your favorite cowboy/western folk songs From: Uncle_DaveO Date: 04 Mar 00 - 09:19 AM My great favorites are Arrival of the Greenhorn and Zebra Dun. Dave Oesterreich |
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Subject: RE: Your favorite cowboy/western folk songs From: GUEST,Frankie Date: 04 Mar 00 - 09:32 AM Yes, When the Work's All Done This Fall is great, and Doc and Merle Watson do a fine version of it on their On Stage album. One of my all-time favorite recordings is Marty Robbin's Gunfighter Ballads and Trail Songs which includes classics like The Strawberry Roan and Cool Water and his two masterpieces Big Iron and El Paso. F |
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Subject: RE: Your favorite cowboy/western folk songs From: katlaughing Date: 04 Mar 00 - 09:53 AM IMO, Chris Ledoux's early stuff is more trad cowboy stuff than his more recent. We knew him then, he still lives just up the road from where we are in Wyoming. |
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Subject: RE: Your favorite cowboy/western folk songs From: Midchuck Date: 04 Mar 00 - 10:30 AM I concur with enthusiasm on the Tom Russell suggestions. I concur with equal enthusiasm on the Ian Tyson suggestions, but I think "Cowboyography" is really his best. Skip Gorman has several albums of cowboy songs, all good stuff, and more authentic trad. than the above. Try to find Guy Logston's book "The Whorehouse Bells Were Ringing" and Other Songs Cowboys Sing. It has great songs, but they may be too authentic to perform in many venues..... Peter. |
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Subject: RE: Your favorite cowboy/western folk songs From: Duffy Keith Date: 04 Mar 00 - 10:38 AM Hey Homeless, what was that "cowboy celtic' music like....DK |
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Subject: RE: Your favorite cowboy/western folk songs From: pastorpest Date: 04 Mar 00 - 10:47 AM In the fifties (am I dating myself!) the Norman Luboff Choir issues an LP entitled "Songs of the West" with great cowboy/western folk songs on it. I wish that whoever owns the copyrights to the Luboff "Songs of the West, the Sea, The South, and the World" would reissue them as CDs. |
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Subject: RE: Your favorite cowboy/western folk songs From: GUEST,Pixie Date: 04 Mar 00 - 11:38 AM Tumbling Tumbleweeds! What a hard one to narrow down. If I didn't live in the Maritimes, I'd live in the old west! Yahoo! Try some of Michael Martin Murphey's recordings of cowboy songs....Linda Ronstadt has recorded many old western tunes over the years, as has Emmylou Harris. There is a whole culture in the interior of BC devoted to keeping this genre going so there should be lots of resource material out there. Pixie |
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Subject: RE: Your favorite cowboy/western folk songs From: folk1234 Date: 04 Mar 00 - 01:34 PM One of my favorites not yet mentioned is "Blue Mountain". I've heard it done with somewhat of a bluegrass mountain twang and meter, but my favorite version is the one done by Bok, Muir, & Trickett in cowboy waltz-time on their "Language of the Heart" CD. It is available from our friends at Folk-Legacy. |
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Subject: RE: Your favorite cowboy/western folk songs From: Susan A-R Date: 04 Mar 00 - 01:53 PM My favorites would be The Goodnight-Loving Trail, Old Dolores and A Border Affair (Spanish is the Loving Tongue). What are some of the good yodeling songs? Those are fun for harmonizing once you get them down.
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Subject: RE: Your favorite cowboy/western folk songs From: Big Red Date: 04 Mar 00 - 03:50 PM My all time favorite is the old one-liner (melody is variable and/or optional) "I'm lonesome in the saddle since my horose died." |
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Subject: RE: Your favorite cowboy/western folk songs From: Lonesome EJ Date: 04 Mar 00 - 03:58 PM In the Traditional grouping, I like I Ride an Old Paint, The Texas Rangers, Streets of Laredo, San Antonio Rose and Jesse James. Of the newer "old favorites" I like The Blue Canadian Rockies, Me and My Uncle, Someday Soon, Sonora's Death Row, and (Ghost) Riders in the Sky. For sheer energy, it's hard to beat Thin Lizzy's Cowboy Song.
Roll me over and turn me around |
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Subject: RE: Your favorite cowboy/western folk songs From: Biskit Date: 04 Mar 00 - 08:15 PM There are just so many good ones,... if I had to pick one it would have to be "Long Black Veil" as done by the man in black Johnny Cash. -Biskit- |
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Subject: RE: Your favorite cowboy/western folk songs From: Lin in Kansas Date: 05 Mar 00 - 01:33 AM There's a great "cowboy" version of Barbara Allen on Art Thieme's "The Older I Get the Better I Was" CD. A very classy mix... Lin |
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Subject: RE: Your favorite cowboy/western folk songs From: TheOldMole Date: 05 Mar 00 - 02:00 AM Another song about shagging a girl of a different race is "The Yellow Rose of Texas," done beautifully by Michael Martin Murphey on "Cowboy Songs." That album also has a great Ian Tyson song called "Cowboy Pride." Did anyone mention Jerry Jeff Walker's "Navajo Rug" album? And there's a wonderful song by Woody Guthrie called "Belle Starr," never recorded by Woody. In fact, he never wrote music to it, but Pete Seeger did, and put it on an album of cowboy songs by various artists. And you can't forget Frankie Laine. I know how corny he is, but I still love him. Funniest cowboy album...Riders In The Sky, "The Cowboy Way." |
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Subject: RE: Your favorite cowboy/western folk songs From: Sabra Date: 05 Mar 00 - 02:19 AM YES! Finally someone mentioned Rider's In the Sky (group, not the song, although song is cool too! Everything I know about cowboy music (& neo-cowboy humour)I learned from Too Slim, Ranger Doug, and Woody Paul...can't rave enough about their hilarious radio show that NPR used to carry. Does anyone know where they might have archived recordings of it? I never heard the end of "Meltdown on the Mesa" However,to return this post to the thread topic a bit...The Riders are great collectors of cowboy songs and their recordings are not only excellent, but a gold mine of information as well!! |
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Subject: RE: Your favorite cowboy/western folk songs From: Owlkat Date: 05 Mar 00 - 03:03 AM Hi hi, "My Sweet Wyoming Home", by Bill Staines (but water takes it out). Such a mellow relaxing tune to hear and sing. He's also a nice guy, which helps. Cheers, Owl. |
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Subject: RE: Your favorite cowboy/western folk songs From: Metchosin Date: 05 Mar 00 - 03:07 AM I can't think of any more traditional ones that haven't already been mentioned, but if you feel up to a bit of yodeling please check out Don Walser's "Cowpoke" on Archive Series, Vol II, its magic. |
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Subject: RE: Your favorite cowboy/western folk songs From: Liz the Squeak Date: 05 Mar 00 - 04:58 AM Oh, Frankie, I'm sorry, I'm just an old cynic who did the American Indians as a school project, and upset my teacher because I mentioned syphilis - this was aged about 10.... not knowing that she was Canadian, part Huron and her great grandmother had died of the same disease, given her by a white 'cowboy during rape. Red River Valley, or at least the version I learnt, clearly has the NA telling the cowpoke that although he marries a white girl, the "red maiden loves you the best". See where I get the cynicism? LTS |
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Subject: RE: Your favorite cowboy/western folk songs From: Timehiker Date: 05 Mar 00 - 09:06 AM Kat, You are right about Chris Ledoux's earlier recordings, they are more traditional than his later ones. Can't blame him for taking advantage of his commercial oportunities. I'd be willing to bet that, if you were to sit with him on his front porch, it would be the old ones he'd sing. Something about horse sweat and dust, the only way to get it out of you is to sing. Take care, Timehiker |
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Subject: RE: Your favorite cowboy/western folk songs From: Susan A-R Date: 05 Mar 00 - 09:22 AM Hmmm, then there's Tom Lehrer's The Wild West Is Where I Want to Be. (uh oh, I guess I'm in one of those moods today, and I haven't even finished my first cup of coffee.) |
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Subject: RE: Your favorite cowboy/western folk songs From: GUEST,Frankie Date: 05 Mar 00 - 09:39 AM Liz, no need to apologise. I'm only familiar with RRV when sung with verses similar to those found in the database, very close to the ones my mom used to sing when she was cooking dinner. If you can scare up the version you're referring to it might be a good addition to the database. At least, I'd really be interested in it. Good to see you here again. Back on topic, the song Old Texas (goes "I'm going to leave old Texas now, They've got no use for the longhorn cow.") is one of my favorites and is in the database although I don't know of any recordings of it. Frankie |
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Subject: RE: Your favorite cowboy/western folk songs From: Uncle_DaveO Date: 05 Mar 00 - 10:04 AM Has anyone mentioned Bury Me Out on the Prairie?
"Wrap me up in my blanket,
I love that lugubrious song. I always did wonder, though, about the availability of granite boulders on the prairie. Oh, well. Dave Oesterreich
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Subject: RE: Your favorite cowboy/western folk songs From: Big Red Date: 05 Mar 00 - 10:43 AM For some comic relief, try Gunslinger by the Limeliters. |
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Subject: RE: Your favorite cowboy/western folk songs From: ddw Date: 05 Mar 00 - 05:42 PM I know somebody mentioned Ian Tyson's Old Corrals and Sagebrush in an earlier posting, but it was just the first of a set of "Cowboyography" albums. There are six of them, if I remember correctly and they are excellent from start to finish, tho' the first three have more traditional stuff on them, interspersed with some modern things. The second in the set was just called "Ian Tyson" and "Cowboyography" was the third. After that, all I can remember is one was called "I Outgrew The Wagon" and another was called "18 Inches of Rain." Can't think what the last one was called, but if you can find the first five you'll have a wealth of great material and probably a link to the last one. A couple of other country artists whose stuff you might find interesting — tho' it's usually just a "filler" track in more mainstream country stuff — are John Anderson's "Sometimes an Eagle" and a bunch of Willie Nelson's stuff — The Red Headed Stranger leading that pack. Hank Williams Jr. also does one about a wrongly convicted man breaking out of a prison at Deer Lodge, Montana that's great, tho' I'm not sure of either the album it's on or the exact title. I'll do some looking when I get home and try to post more on those Monday night. cheers david |
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Subject: RE: Your favorite cowboy/western folk songs From: GUEST,punkypony Date: 05 Mar 00 - 05:56 PM All this cowboy stuff reminded me of a song, I think it's called "(Ghost) Riders in the Sky." Very haunting, recorded eons ago. Anyone know what I'm talking about? Is it famous? |
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Subject: RE: Your favorite cowboy/western folk songs From: ddw Date: 05 Mar 00 - 06:03 PM Just remembered the other album in Ian Tyson's cowboy series. It's called "And Stood There Amazed." The title comes from the second or third verse of "Home on the Rangee" — and I think it was the first time I'd ever heard anything past the first verse of that tune. Just a by-the-by — Ian does dynamite versions of Navajo Rug and Night Rider's Lament in this series, plus a lot of other songs that have been mentioned above by other artists. And don't take it that I'm slighting any of the other performers like Utah Phillips and The Sons of the Pioneers — They're great too. There's also Marty Robbins, who did some great songs, albeit a little too slickly for my tastes in some instances. cheers david |
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Subject: RE: Your favorite cowboy/western folk songs From: Callie Date: 05 Mar 00 - 06:11 PM Liz: are you able to post the words you know to RRV? I also never knew the real song. It was taught to us at age 8 to learn basic guitar chords. By the way, that Don McLean song mentioned earlier is on his Live album from yonks ago. Dunno the name of the song, but it's not at all glamorous. The cowboy wants to do himself in. --Callie |
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Subject: RE: Your favorite cowboy/western folk songs From: BlueSage Date: 05 Mar 00 - 07:45 PM I'm overwhelmed by the response to my plea for song suggestions. Many of the recommended songs are already in my repretoire, but many are new to me. This will give me a great place to start searching for new material. Thanks again for all great suggestions.....Mike Iverson |
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Subject: RE: Your favorite cowboy/western folk songs From: TheOldMole Date: 05 Mar 00 - 09:22 PM (Ghost) Riders in the Sky, a great song, was a pop hit for crooner Vaughn Monroe. There's also a really nice Hank, Jr. song about Doc Holliday. |
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Subject: RE: Your favorite cowboy/western folk songs From: Ely Date: 05 Mar 00 - 09:46 PM "Hills of Mexico" "Good-Bye, Old Paint" "Jesse James" (Golden Ring version preferred--sorry, I grew up with it) "Mining for Gold" (trad words, on Cowboy Junkies' _Trinity Sessions_) Will always like N. Blake's "Billy Gray" even though I try not to fall hard for sappy songs. |
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Subject: RE: Your favorite cowboy/western folk songs From: GUEST,The Beanster Date: 05 Mar 00 - 10:05 PM Dear OldMole (love that name!) Thank you so much for answering my (Ghost) Riders in the Sky question. I am going on the hunt immediately! Thanx again. |
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Subject: RE: Your favorite cowboy/western folk songs From: LC Date: 05 Mar 00 - 10:50 PM Has to be Marty Robbins', "El Paso". Being a child of the 60's & 70's I also really like Michael Murphy / Monkees, "What Am I Doing Hangin' 'Round?" and Seals and Crofts', "Dust on My Saddle". I'm 6'4" and 210 lbs, but Dan Seals' "Everything that Glitters" gets me misty every time I hear it. |
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Subject: RE: Your favorite cowboy/western folk songs From: Dan Evergreen Date: 06 Mar 00 - 11:49 AM Dean Martin sang two good ones in "Rio Bravo" I've never heard anywhere else: "Purple Eyes," and "My Rifle, My Pony and Me." |
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Subject: RE: Your favorite cowboy/western folk songs From: Rex Date: 06 Mar 00 - 06:31 PM Nobody mentioned "Windy Bill" yet. Rex |
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Subject: RE: Your favorite cowboy/western folk songs From: Lanfranc Date: 06 Mar 00 - 07:20 PM I finally remembered the name of the Don McLean song I mentioned earlier - Bronco Bill's Lament. I forgot about El Paso, that was the first ever 45 single that I bought as a kid. OK, Marty Robbins isn't folk, but that song is probably one of the better narrative western ballads. |
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