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Cowboy Jam Session: Tackling fall chores

Jeri L. Dobrowski
For the October 29, 2011 edition of Tri-State Livestock News.

A mild autumn is providing ample opportunity to accomplish end-of-season chores. Around us, neighbors are planting winter wheat and hauling hay. Above average temperatures are a boon to those with sunflowers. Still, it’s a race to beat the snow.

Here at home, we fixed fence so the cow-calf pairs could glean wheat stubble and grass around the edges of the fields and in fencelines. We also tackled some long-awaited landscaping, installed railing on the deck, and cleared off the garden.

Back at my desk, the CDs submitted for this column caught my eye. It occurred to me that perhaps I should apply the last-hurrah-of-fall attitude to my indoor space as well. Three recordings in particular stood out. Although slated for inclusion, they missed out on previous thematic discussions. Maybe that’s a good thing, meaning they defy being pigeonholed.



When working cowhands tell me they respect an artist, I want to know more about them. Such was the case with ranch cowboy and contemporary singer/songwriter Daron Little. He has a loyal following who suggested I give a listen to his latest project, Ranch Cowboy Music. (Hear full-length tracks of “A Cowboy’s Day,” “Ol’ Cowpuncher,” “Her Caballero,” and “Wyoming” at http://www.ranchcowboymusic.com.)

Growing up in central Louisiana, Little was exposed to country, bluegrass, rock-a-billy, and blues, all which flavor his guitar style. On a family vacation to Wyoming when he was 11, he got his first taste of the West. Today, Little cowboys at the headquarters of the Silver Spur Ranch in Encampment, WY. His work-a-day world infuses his lyrics with muscle and blood. They ring clear in his own compositions and in those he sets to music, such as “Of Horses and Men,” a poem written by Jay Snider. Little’s observations remind me some of Dave Stamey. He’s a rare and authentic talent among today’s cowboy/western genre.



The 14-track Ranch Cowboy Music sells for $18 postpaid from Daron Little, PO Box 314, Encampment, WY 82325; 307-710-3174. For credit card orders, downloads, and music samples, go to http://www.ranchcowboymusic.com.

Rex Rideout sent me his Ladies’ Choice in January. I was bowled over by the package design, which is both elegant and playful. Rideout describes the CD as “a bouquet of courtship and affection by request.” Translated, it’s a collection of songs friends and family urged him to record through the years. It’s an eclectic lot. The 16 tracks are based in the Old West, with “a broad brush of styles ranging from the 1700s to this decade.” Two Stephen Foster tracks made the cut: “Jeanie with the Light Brown Hair” and “Hard Times Come Again No More,” and there are cowboy classics such as “Mexicali Rose,” “Border Affair,” and “The Colorado Trail.” For good measure, Rideout included a handful of original compositions he penned, as well as one by saddle pal Joyce Woodson. (Hear sound clips and/or order at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/rexrideout.)

I first met Rex at the Buffalo Bill Historical Center in Cody, WY, where he and fellow Old West music revivalist Mark Gardner performed. The style in which Rideout plays (mandolin, fiddle, guitar, banjo, tin whistle) and sings is from another time, hence the name of his Web site: http://www.timetravelmusic.com. Watch for Rideout playing the fiddle during a saloon altercation in Cowboys & Aliens starring Harrison Ford and Daniel Craig.

Ladies’ Choice sells for $17 postpaid. To order, contact Rideout at timetravelmusic@yahoo.com; 303-273-3839.

Almeda (Terry) Bradshaw, an Oregon native who now calls Montana home (www.almedam2bmusic.com), is among a handful of performers who have taken a fancy to the poetic works of Rhoda Sivell. In 2010, Bradshaw released the folk recording, Voices from the Range, Almeda Terry Sings the Poetry of Rhoda Sivell. It’s a quality project combing Bradshaw’s musical talents and Sivell’s words. Besides rhythm and lead guitar that Bradshaw plays on the album, she also plays the violin, cello and piano.

Born in Ireland in 1874, Rhoda Cosgrave immigrated with her family to Canada. They homesteaded near Whitewood, Saskatchewan, where they raised cattle and grain. Following her marriage to Charles Sivell, the couple lived in Winnipeg, Manitoba, before homesteading near Medicine Hat, Alberta. A poet and author, Rhoda’s preferred subjects were the life of the pioneers, their hardships and joys. In 1911, she published Voices from the Range. It’s these images from the Canadian prairie that Bradshaw set to music. (Listen to “They Keep a-Stealing on You in the Night” at http://www.almedam2bmusic.com/discography.html.)

Voices from the Range sells for $18 postage from Almeda Bradshaw, 1650 Nahmis Ave., Huntley, MT 59037; 406-348-3282. It is also available at http://www.cdbaby.com. (For more on Sivell and to read her poetry go to http://www.cowboypoetry.com/rhodasivell.htm.)

A mild autumn is providing ample opportunity to accomplish end-of-season chores. Around us, neighbors are planting winter wheat and hauling hay. Above average temperatures are a boon to those with sunflowers. Still, it’s a race to beat the snow.

Here at home, we fixed fence so the cow-calf pairs could glean wheat stubble and grass around the edges of the fields and in fencelines. We also tackled some long-awaited landscaping, installed railing on the deck, and cleared off the garden.

Back at my desk, the CDs submitted for this column caught my eye. It occurred to me that perhaps I should apply the last-hurrah-of-fall attitude to my indoor space as well. Three recordings in particular stood out. Although slated for inclusion, they missed out on previous thematic discussions. Maybe that’s a good thing, meaning they defy being pigeonholed.

When working cowhands tell me they respect an artist, I want to know more about them. Such was the case with ranch cowboy and contemporary singer/songwriter Daron Little. He has a loyal following who suggested I give a listen to his latest project, Ranch Cowboy Music. (Hear full-length tracks of “A Cowboy’s Day,” “Ol’ Cowpuncher,” “Her Caballero,” and “Wyoming” at http://www.ranchcowboymusic.com.)

Growing up in central Louisiana, Little was exposed to country, bluegrass, rock-a-billy, and blues, all which flavor his guitar style. On a family vacation to Wyoming when he was 11, he got his first taste of the West. Today, Little cowboys at the headquarters of the Silver Spur Ranch in Encampment, WY. His work-a-day world infuses his lyrics with muscle and blood. They ring clear in his own compositions and in those he sets to music, such as “Of Horses and Men,” a poem written by Jay Snider. Little’s observations remind me some of Dave Stamey. He’s a rare and authentic talent among today’s cowboy/western genre.

The 14-track Ranch Cowboy Music sells for $18 postpaid from Daron Little, PO Box 314, Encampment, WY 82325; 307-710-3174. For credit card orders, downloads, and music samples, go to http://www.ranchcowboymusic.com.

Rex Rideout sent me his Ladies’ Choice in January. I was bowled over by the package design, which is both elegant and playful. Rideout describes the CD as “a bouquet of courtship and affection by request.” Translated, it’s a collection of songs friends and family urged him to record through the years. It’s an eclectic lot. The 16 tracks are based in the Old West, with “a broad brush of styles ranging from the 1700s to this decade.” Two Stephen Foster tracks made the cut: “Jeanie with the Light Brown Hair” and “Hard Times Come Again No More,” and there are cowboy classics such as “Mexicali Rose,” “Border Affair,” and “The Colorado Trail.” For good measure, Rideout included a handful of original compositions he penned, as well as one by saddle pal Joyce Woodson. (Hear sound clips and/or order at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/rexrideout.)

I first met Rex at the Buffalo Bill Historical Center in Cody, WY, where he and fellow Old West music revivalist Mark Gardner performed. The style in which Rideout plays (mandolin, fiddle, guitar, banjo, tin whistle) and sings is from another time, hence the name of his Web site: http://www.timetravelmusic.com. Watch for Rideout playing the fiddle during a saloon altercation in Cowboys & Aliens starring Harrison Ford and Daniel Craig.

Ladies’ Choice sells for $17 postpaid. To order, contact Rideout at timetravelmusic@yahoo.com; 303-273-3839.

Almeda (Terry) Bradshaw, an Oregon native who now calls Montana home (www.almedam2bmusic.com), is among a handful of performers who have taken a fancy to the poetic works of Rhoda Sivell. In 2010, Bradshaw released the folk recording, Voices from the Range, Almeda Terry Sings the Poetry of Rhoda Sivell. It’s a quality project combing Bradshaw’s musical talents and Sivell’s words. Besides rhythm and lead guitar that Bradshaw plays on the album, she also plays the violin, cello and piano.

Born in Ireland in 1874, Rhoda Cosgrave immigrated with her family to Canada. They homesteaded near Whitewood, Saskatchewan, where they raised cattle and grain. Following her marriage to Charles Sivell, the couple lived in Winnipeg, Manitoba, before homesteading near Medicine Hat, Alberta. A poet and author, Rhoda’s preferred subjects were the life of the pioneers, their hardships and joys. In 1911, she published Voices from the Range. It’s these images from the Canadian prairie that Bradshaw set to music. (Listen to “They Keep a-Stealing on You in the Night” at http://www.almedam2bmusic.com/discography.html.)

Voices from the Range sells for $18 postage from Almeda Bradshaw, 1650 Nahmis Ave., Huntley, MT 59037; 406-348-3282. It is also available at http://www.cdbaby.com. (For more on Sivell and to read her poetry go to http://www.cowboypoetry.com/rhodasivell.htm.)

A mild autumn is providing ample opportunity to accomplish end-of-season chores. Around us, neighbors are planting winter wheat and hauling hay. Above average temperatures are a boon to those with sunflowers. Still, it’s a race to beat the snow.

Here at home, we fixed fence so the cow-calf pairs could glean wheat stubble and grass around the edges of the fields and in fencelines. We also tackled some long-awaited landscaping, installed railing on the deck, and cleared off the garden.

Back at my desk, the CDs submitted for this column caught my eye. It occurred to me that perhaps I should apply the last-hurrah-of-fall attitude to my indoor space as well. Three recordings in particular stood out. Although slated for inclusion, they missed out on previous thematic discussions. Maybe that’s a good thing, meaning they defy being pigeonholed.

When working cowhands tell me they respect an artist, I want to know more about them. Such was the case with ranch cowboy and contemporary singer/songwriter Daron Little. He has a loyal following who suggested I give a listen to his latest project, Ranch Cowboy Music. (Hear full-length tracks of “A Cowboy’s Day,” “Ol’ Cowpuncher,” “Her Caballero,” and “Wyoming” at http://www.ranchcowboymusic.com.)

Growing up in central Louisiana, Little was exposed to country, bluegrass, rock-a-billy, and blues, all which flavor his guitar style. On a family vacation to Wyoming when he was 11, he got his first taste of the West. Today, Little cowboys at the headquarters of the Silver Spur Ranch in Encampment, WY. His work-a-day world infuses his lyrics with muscle and blood. They ring clear in his own compositions and in those he sets to music, such as “Of Horses and Men,” a poem written by Jay Snider. Little’s observations remind me some of Dave Stamey. He’s a rare and authentic talent among today’s cowboy/western genre.

The 14-track Ranch Cowboy Music sells for $18 postpaid from Daron Little, PO Box 314, Encampment, WY 82325; 307-710-3174. For credit card orders, downloads, and music samples, go to http://www.ranchcowboymusic.com.

Rex Rideout sent me his Ladies’ Choice in January. I was bowled over by the package design, which is both elegant and playful. Rideout describes the CD as “a bouquet of courtship and affection by request.” Translated, it’s a collection of songs friends and family urged him to record through the years. It’s an eclectic lot. The 16 tracks are based in the Old West, with “a broad brush of styles ranging from the 1700s to this decade.” Two Stephen Foster tracks made the cut: “Jeanie with the Light Brown Hair” and “Hard Times Come Again No More,” and there are cowboy classics such as “Mexicali Rose,” “Border Affair,” and “The Colorado Trail.” For good measure, Rideout included a handful of original compositions he penned, as well as one by saddle pal Joyce Woodson. (Hear sound clips and/or order at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/rexrideout.)

I first met Rex at the Buffalo Bill Historical Center in Cody, WY, where he and fellow Old West music revivalist Mark Gardner performed. The style in which Rideout plays (mandolin, fiddle, guitar, banjo, tin whistle) and sings is from another time, hence the name of his Web site: http://www.timetravelmusic.com. Watch for Rideout playing the fiddle during a saloon altercation in Cowboys & Aliens starring Harrison Ford and Daniel Craig.

Ladies’ Choice sells for $17 postpaid. To order, contact Rideout at timetravelmusic@yahoo.com; 303-273-3839.

Almeda (Terry) Bradshaw, an Oregon native who now calls Montana home (www.almedam2bmusic.com), is among a handful of performers who have taken a fancy to the poetic works of Rhoda Sivell. In 2010, Bradshaw released the folk recording, Voices from the Range, Almeda Terry Sings the Poetry of Rhoda Sivell. It’s a quality project combing Bradshaw’s musical talents and Sivell’s words. Besides rhythm and lead guitar that Bradshaw plays on the album, she also plays the violin, cello and piano.

Born in Ireland in 1874, Rhoda Cosgrave immigrated with her family to Canada. They homesteaded near Whitewood, Saskatchewan, where they raised cattle and grain. Following her marriage to Charles Sivell, the couple lived in Winnipeg, Manitoba, before homesteading near Medicine Hat, Alberta. A poet and author, Rhoda’s preferred subjects were the life of the pioneers, their hardships and joys. In 1911, she published Voices from the Range. It’s these images from the Canadian prairie that Bradshaw set to music. (Listen to “They Keep a-Stealing on You in the Night” at http://www.almedam2bmusic.com/discography.html.)

Voices from the Range sells for $18 postage from Almeda Bradshaw, 1650 Nahmis Ave., Huntley, MT 59037; 406-348-3282. It is also available at http://www.cdbaby.com. (For more on Sivell and to read her poetry go to http://www.cowboypoetry.com/rhodasivell.htm.)