Western music (North America)
Encyclopedia
Western music originated as a form of American folk music
. Originally composed by and about the people who settled and worked throughout the Western United States and Western Canada. Directly related musically to old English, Scottish, and Irish folk ballad
s, Western music celebrates the life of the cowboy on the open ranges and prairies of Western North America. The Mexican music of the American Southwest also influenced the development of this genre. Western music was associated with country music
only because of Billboard chart classification. For the artists that wrote and performed Western music, this association as a sub-genre of country music is erroneous. Western music shows no historical origination with the music that came from the southeastern parts of the United States (e.g. Appalachia).
Western music was directly influenced by the folk music traditions of England
, Wales
, Scotland
, and Ireland
, and many cowboy songs, sung around campfire in the nineteenth century, like 'Streets of Laredo
', can be traced back to European folk songs.
Reflecting the realities of the range and ranch houses where the music originated, the early cowboy bands were string band
s supplemented occasionally with the harmonica
. Otto Gary, an early cowboy band leader, stated authentic Western music had only three rhythms, all coming from the gaits of the cowpony—walk, trot, and lope.
In 1908, N. Howard "Jack" Thorp published the first book of Western music, titled Songs of the Cowboys. Containing only lyrics and no musical notation, the book was very popular west of the Mississippi
. Most of these cowboy songs are of unknown authorship, but among the best known is "Little Joe, the Wrangler," written by Thorp himself.
In 1910, John Lomax
, in his book Cowboy Songs and Other Frontier Ballads, first gained national attention for Western music. His book contained many of the same songs as Thorp's book (he collected most of them before Thorp's was published). However, Lomax's compilation included many musical scores. Lomax published a second collection in 1919 titled Songs of the Cattle Trail and Cow Camp.
With the advent of radio and recording devices the music found an audience previously ignored by music school
s and Tin Pan Alley
. Many Westerners preferred familiar music about themselves and their environment.
The first successful cowboy band to tour the East was Otto Gray's Oklahoma Cowboys
put together by William McGinty, an Oklahoma
pioneer
and former Rough Rider. The band appeared on radio and toured the vaudeville circuit from 1924 through 1936. They recorded few songs however, so are overlooked by many scholars of Western Music.
s, such as Roy Rogers
and Gene Autry
, sang cowboy songs in their films and became popular throughout the United States
. Film producers began incorporating fully orchestrated four-part harmonies and sophisticated musical arrangements into their motion pictures. Bing Crosby, the most popular singer of that time, recorded numerous cowboy and Western songs as well as starring in Rhythm on the Range
(1936). During this era, the most popular recordings and musical radio shows included Western music. Western swing
also developed during this time.
dominated music sales and Hollywood recording studios dropped most of their Western artists. Caught unaware of the boom in "Country and Western" sales from Nashville
that followed, Hollywood rushed to cash in. In the process, Country and Western music lost its regionalism and most of its style. Except for the label, much of the music was indistinguishable from Rock and Roll or popular classes of music. Some Western music traditionalists oppose the association of Western music with the Country and Western genre, which does not reflect the spirit of true Western music.
In recent years, Michael Martin Murphey
(b. 1945) has almost single-handedly resurrected the cowboy song genre, promoting Western singers and groups and cowboy poets. The singing group Riders in the Sky recorded a mix of Western and Western Swing
and have won Grammy Awards for their work with Disney
on Toy Story 2
(1999) and Monsters, Inc (2001).
On a more personal level, there are still active communities of Western music performers, attempting to familiarize new generations with their beloved music. The Chuckwagon Association of the West is an organization of six affiliated Western supper and show venues throughout the United States, specializing in providing positive Western music experiences. The members are the Bar -J Chuckwagon in Wilson, Wyoming Bar -J Chuckwagon, the Flying W Ranch in Colorado Springs, Colorado Flying W Ranch, the Bar -D Chuckwagon in Durango, Colorado Bar -D Chuckwagon, the Circle B Supper Show in Branson, Missouri Circle B Supper Show, the Flying J Ranch in Ruidoso, New Mexico Flying J Ranch, and the Circle B Ranch in Rapid City, South Dakota Circle B Ranch. There are other notable Western bands playing live music regularly as well, including the Diamond W Chuckwagon outfit Diamond W Chuckwagon, the remnants of the once-successful Prairie Rose Chuckwagon, in Wichita, Kansas, and Roy "Dusty" Rogers, Jr., at his own theatre & museum honoring Western icon Roy Rogers in Branson, Missouri Roy Rogers, Jr.. Many of the above-mentioned acts perform original and new Western music, as well as newly arranging classic Western tunes, with the hope of endearing new audiences and other performers with Western music.
Western music also plays a large role in the popular video game Fallout: New Vegas.
American folk music
American folk music is a musical term that encompasses numerous genres, many of which are known as traditional music or roots music. Roots music is a broad category of music including bluegrass, country music, gospel, old time music, jug bands, Appalachian folk, blues, Cajun and Native American...
. Originally composed by and about the people who settled and worked throughout the Western United States and Western Canada. Directly related musically to old English, Scottish, and Irish folk ballad
Ballad
A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of British and Irish popular poetry and song from the later medieval period until the 19th century and used extensively across Europe and later the Americas, Australia and North Africa. Many...
s, Western music celebrates the life of the cowboy on the open ranges and prairies of Western North America. The Mexican music of the American Southwest also influenced the development of this genre. Western music was associated with country music
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
only because of Billboard chart classification. For the artists that wrote and performed Western music, this association as a sub-genre of country music is erroneous. Western music shows no historical origination with the music that came from the southeastern parts of the United States (e.g. Appalachia).
Origins
Most people are under the impression Western music began with the cowboy, but this is not the case. To cite Doug Green's recent book, "Singing in the Saddle" the first "western" song was published back in 1844. The title was "Blue Juniata". The song was about a young Indian maid waiting for her brave along the banks of the Juniata River in Pennsylvania (at that time, anything west of the Appalachian Mountains was considered "out West".) The song was recorded and sung by the Sons of the Pioneers over a hundred years later and is still being sung today. Subsequent "western" songs down through the years have dealt with many aspects of the West such as the mountain men, the '49ers, the immigrants, the outlaws, the lawmen, the cowboy, and, of course, the beauty and grandeur of the West. Western music is not limited to the American Cowboy.Western music was directly influenced by the folk music traditions of England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, and Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, and many cowboy songs, sung around campfire in the nineteenth century, like 'Streets of Laredo
Streets of Laredo (song)
"Streets of Laredo" , also known as the "Cowboy's Lament", is a famous American cowboy ballad in which a dying cowboy tells his story to a living one. Derived from the English folk song "The Unfortunate Lad", it has become a folk music standard, and as such has been performed, recorded and adapted...
', can be traced back to European folk songs.
Reflecting the realities of the range and ranch houses where the music originated, the early cowboy bands were string band
String band
A string band is an old-time music or jazz ensemble made up mainly or solely of string instruments. String bands were popular in the 1920s and 1930s, and are among the forerunners of modern country music and bluegrass.-String bands in old-time music:...
s supplemented occasionally with the harmonica
Harmonica
The harmonica, also called harp, French harp, blues harp, and mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used primarily in blues and American folk music, jazz, country, and rock and roll. It is played by blowing air into it or drawing air out by placing lips over individual holes or multiple holes...
. Otto Gary, an early cowboy band leader, stated authentic Western music had only three rhythms, all coming from the gaits of the cowpony—walk, trot, and lope.
In 1908, N. Howard "Jack" Thorp published the first book of Western music, titled Songs of the Cowboys. Containing only lyrics and no musical notation, the book was very popular west of the Mississippi
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
. Most of these cowboy songs are of unknown authorship, but among the best known is "Little Joe, the Wrangler," written by Thorp himself.
In 1910, John Lomax
John Lomax
John Avery Lomax was an American teacher, a pioneering musicologist and folklorist who did much for the preservation of American folk songs...
, in his book Cowboy Songs and Other Frontier Ballads, first gained national attention for Western music. His book contained many of the same songs as Thorp's book (he collected most of them before Thorp's was published). However, Lomax's compilation included many musical scores. Lomax published a second collection in 1919 titled Songs of the Cattle Trail and Cow Camp.
With the advent of radio and recording devices the music found an audience previously ignored by music school
Music school
The term music school refers to an educational institution specialized in the study, training and research of music.Different terms refer to this concept such as school of music, music academy, music faculty, college of music, music department or conservatory.Music instruction can be provided...
s and Tin Pan Alley
Tin Pan Alley
Tin Pan Alley is the name given to the collection of New York City music publishers and songwriters who dominated the popular music of the United States in the late 19th century and early 20th century...
. Many Westerners preferred familiar music about themselves and their environment.
The first successful cowboy band to tour the East was Otto Gray's Oklahoma Cowboys
Otto Gray and his Oklahoma Cowboys
Otto Gray and his Oklahoma Cowboys were the first nationally-famous cowboy band in the United States, and the first cowboy band to appear on the cover of The Billboard ....
put together by William McGinty, an Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
pioneer
American pioneer
American pioneers are any of the people in American history who migrated west to join in settling and developing new areas. The term especially refers to those who were going to settle any territory which had previously not been settled or developed by European or American society, although the...
and former Rough Rider. The band appeared on radio and toured the vaudeville circuit from 1924 through 1936. They recorded few songs however, so are overlooked by many scholars of Western Music.
Mainstream popularity
Throughout the 1930s and 1940s, Western music became widely popular through the romanticization of the cowboy and idealized depictions of the west in Hollywood films. Singing cowboySinging cowboy
A singing cowboy was a subtype of the archetypal cowboy hero of early Western films, popularized by many of the B-movies of the 1930s and 1940s...
s, such as Roy Rogers
Roy Rogers
Roy Rogers, born Leonard Franklin Slye , was an American singer and cowboy actor, one of the most heavily marketed and merchandised stars of his era, as well as being the namesake of the Roy Rogers Restaurants franchised chain...
and Gene Autry
Gene Autry
Orvon Grover Autry , better known as Gene Autry, was an American performer who gained fame as The Singing Cowboy on the radio, in movies and on television for more than three decades beginning in the 1930s...
, sang cowboy songs in their films and became popular throughout the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Film producers began incorporating fully orchestrated four-part harmonies and sophisticated musical arrangements into their motion pictures. Bing Crosby, the most popular singer of that time, recorded numerous cowboy and Western songs as well as starring in Rhythm on the Range
Rhythm on the Range
Rhythm on the Range is a 1936 Paramount Pictures musical film directed by Norman Taurog.-Plot:Doris Halliday is the daughter of wealthy banker Robert Halliday. She is about to marry a man she doesn't love, so the family will become richer...
(1936). During this era, the most popular recordings and musical radio shows included Western music. Western swing
Western swing
Western swing music is a subgenre of American country music that originated in the late 1920s in the West and South among the region's Western string bands...
also developed during this time.
Decline in popularity
By the 1960s, Western music was in decline. Relegated to the Country and Western genre by marketing agencies, popular Western recording stars released albums to only moderate success. Rock and RollRock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
dominated music sales and Hollywood recording studios dropped most of their Western artists. Caught unaware of the boom in "Country and Western" sales from Nashville
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
that followed, Hollywood rushed to cash in. In the process, Country and Western music lost its regionalism and most of its style. Except for the label, much of the music was indistinguishable from Rock and Roll or popular classes of music. Some Western music traditionalists oppose the association of Western music with the Country and Western genre, which does not reflect the spirit of true Western music.
Rediscovery
Still, many Westerners prefer music about themselves, their culture, and the land around them. Older music is still available at retail stores in major population centers, through mail-order, or by the Internet. New Western music is constantly written and recorded and performed all across the American West and Western Canada.In recent years, Michael Martin Murphey
Michael Martin Murphey
Michael Martin Murphey is an American singer-songwriter best known for writing and performing Western music, Country music, and Popular music. A multiple Grammy nominee, Murphey has six gold albums, including Cowboy Songs, the first album of cowboy music to achieve gold status since Gunfighter...
(b. 1945) has almost single-handedly resurrected the cowboy song genre, promoting Western singers and groups and cowboy poets. The singing group Riders in the Sky recorded a mix of Western and Western Swing
Western swing
Western swing music is a subgenre of American country music that originated in the late 1920s in the West and South among the region's Western string bands...
and have won Grammy Awards for their work with Disney
The Walt Disney Company
The Walt Disney Company is the largest media conglomerate in the world in terms of revenue. Founded on October 16, 1923, by Walt and Roy Disney as the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio, Walt Disney Productions established itself as a leader in the American animation industry before diversifying into...
on Toy Story 2
Toy Story 2
Toy Story 2 is a 1999 American computer animated film directed by John Lasseter and co-directed by Lee Unkrich and Ash Brannon. It is the sequel to the 1995 film Toy Story, released by Walt Disney Pictures and the third film to be produced by Pixar...
(1999) and Monsters, Inc (2001).
On a more personal level, there are still active communities of Western music performers, attempting to familiarize new generations with their beloved music. The Chuckwagon Association of the West is an organization of six affiliated Western supper and show venues throughout the United States, specializing in providing positive Western music experiences. The members are the Bar -J Chuckwagon in Wilson, Wyoming Bar -J Chuckwagon, the Flying W Ranch in Colorado Springs, Colorado Flying W Ranch, the Bar -D Chuckwagon in Durango, Colorado Bar -D Chuckwagon, the Circle B Supper Show in Branson, Missouri Circle B Supper Show, the Flying J Ranch in Ruidoso, New Mexico Flying J Ranch, and the Circle B Ranch in Rapid City, South Dakota Circle B Ranch. There are other notable Western bands playing live music regularly as well, including the Diamond W Chuckwagon outfit Diamond W Chuckwagon, the remnants of the once-successful Prairie Rose Chuckwagon, in Wichita, Kansas, and Roy "Dusty" Rogers, Jr., at his own theatre & museum honoring Western icon Roy Rogers in Branson, Missouri Roy Rogers, Jr.. Many of the above-mentioned acts perform original and new Western music, as well as newly arranging classic Western tunes, with the hope of endearing new audiences and other performers with Western music.
Western music also plays a large role in the popular video game Fallout: New Vegas.
List of Western songs
- "AbileneAbilene (song)Abilene is the title of a song written by Bob Gibson and John D. Loudermilk, and recorded by American country music artist George Hamilton IV. The song reached number one on the U.S. country music chart for four weeks, and peaked at number 15 on the pop music charts...
" - "Along The Navaho TrailAlong the Navajo Trail (song)"Along the Navajo Trail" is a country/pop song, written by Dick Charles , Larry Markes, and Edgar De Lange in 1945.It has been recorded by many artists, including:*Bing Crosby and The Andrews Sisters*Duane Eddy...
" - "Along The Santa Fe Trail"
- "Back In The Saddle AgainBack in the Saddle Again"Back in the Saddle Again" was the signature song of American cowboy entertainer Gene Autry. It was co-written by Autry with Ray Whitley and first released in 1939...
" - "Ballad Of The Alamo"
- The theme song to BonanzaBonanzaBonanza is an American western television series that both ran on and was a production of NBC from September 12, 1959 to January 16, 1973. Lasting 14 seasons and 430 episodes, it ranks as the second longest running western series and still continues to air in syndication. It centers on the...
- "Buenas Tardes Amigo"
- "Big IronBig Iron"Big Iron" is a country ballad by Marty Robbins, originally released as an album track on Gunfighter Ballads and Trail Songs in September 1959, then as a single in February 1960....
" - "Billy The Kid"
- "Blue Shadows On The Trail"
- "Blue Prairie"
- "Buffalo Gals (Won't You Come Out Tonight?)Buffalo Gals"Buffalo Gals" is a traditional American song, written and published as "Lubly Fan" in 1844 by the blackface minstrel John Hodges, who performed as "Cool White." The song was widely popular throughout the United States...
" - "Bury Me Not on the Lone PrairieBury Me Not on the Lone Prairie"Bury Me Not on the Lone Prairie" is a cowboy folk song. Also known as "The Cowboy's Lament", "The Dying Cowboy" and "Bury Me Out on the Lone Prairie", the song is described as the most famous cowboy ballad...
" - "Call Of The Canyon"
- "Carry Me Back To The Lone Prairie"
- "Cattle Call"
- "CheyenneCheyenne (song)"Cheyenne" is a popular and sentimental song written in 1906, with words by Harry Williams and music by Egbert Van Alstyne. It became a hit for a number of artists. The chorus is:...
" - "Cimarron (Roll On)"
- "Cool WaterCool Water"Cool Water" is a song written in 1936 by Bob Nolan. It is about a man and his mule, Dan, and a mirage in the desert.-Original version:The best-selling recorded version was done by Vaughn Monroe and The Sons of the Pioneers in 1948. The recording was released by RCA Victor Records as catalog number...
" - "The Cowboy's Life"
- "Oh My Darling, ClementineOh My Darling, ClementineOh My Darling, Clementine is an American western folk ballad usually credited to Percy Montrose , although it is sometimes credited to Barker Bradford. The song is believed to have been based on another song called Down by the River Liv'd a Maiden by H. S...
" - "Deep In The Heart Of TexasDeep in the Heart of Texas"Deep in the Heart of Texas" is an American popular song elaborating on the merits of the state of Texas.The 1941 song features lyrics by June Hershey and music by Don Swander. The song was recorded by Perry Como with Ted Weems and His Orchestra on December 9 of that year for Decca Records in Los...
" - "Don't Fence Me InDon't Fence Me In (song)Don't Fence Me In is a popular American song with music by Cole Porter and lyrics by Robert Fletcher and Cole Porter.-Origins:Originally written in 1934 for Adios, Argentina, an unproduced 20th Century Fox film musical, "Don't Fence Me In" was based on text by a poet and engineer with the...
" - "Don't Take Your Guns to TownDon't Take Your Guns to Town"Don't Take Your Guns to Town" is a 1958 single by Johnny Cash. The song tells the story of a young cowboy who, ignoring the titular advice from his mother, gets into a gunfight at a saloon and is killed. The single became his fifth release to reach the number one position on the country chart,...
" - "El PasoEl Paso (song)"El Paso" is a country and western ballad written and originally recorded by Marty Robbins, and first released on Gunfighter Ballads and Trail Songs in September 1959. It was released as a single the following month, and became a major hit on both the country and pop music charts, reaching number...
" - "El Paso City"
- "Git Along, Little DogiesGit Along, Little Dogies"Git Along, Little Dogies" is a traditional cowboy ballad, also performed under the title "Whoopie Ti Yi Yo". Artists who have played the song include Roy Rogers, the Sons of the Pioneers, The Kingston Trio, Charlie Daniels, David Bromberg, Alvin and the Chipmunks, Holly Golightly, and Nickel Creek...
" - "Halfway To Montana"
- "Happy TrailsHappy Trails (song)"Happy Trails," by Dale Evans Rogers, was the theme song for the 1940s and 1950s radio program and the 1950s television show starring Roy Rogers and Dale Evans Rogers, always sung over the end credits of the program. Happy Trails was released in 1952 as a 78 RPM and 45 RPM by Rogers and Evans with...
" - "Hold on Little Dogies"
- "Hold OnHold On-Albums:* Hold On! , by Herman's Hermits, or the title song* Hold On * Hold On * Hold On , or the title song* Hold On, by Carolyne Mas* Hold On, by Dan Hill...
" - "Home On The RangeHome on the Range"Home on the Range" is the state song of Kansas, U.S.Home on the Range may also refer to:* Home on the Range , a drama directed by Arthur Jacobson* Home on the Range , a Disney animated feature film...
" - "I'm An Old Cowhand (From The Rio Grande)I'm an Old Cowhand from the Rio Grande"I'm an Old Cow Hand " is a comic song written by Johnny Mercer for the film Rhythm on the Range and sung by its star, Bing Crosby...
" - "I Ride An Old Paint"
- "I Want To Be A Cowboy's SweetheartI Want to be a Cowboy's Sweetheart"I Want to be a Cowboy's Sweetheart" is a country and Western song written and first recorded in 1935 by Rubye Blevins, who performed as Patsy Montana. It was the first country and Western song by a female artist to sell more than one million copies....
" - "Jingle Jangle Jingle (I Got Spurs)Jingle Jangle JingleJingle Jangle Jingle is a song written by Joseph J. Lilley and Frank Loesser, and published in 1942. It was featured in the film The Forest Rangers, in which it was sung by Dick Thomas....
" - "Little Joe The Wrangler"
- "The Last RoundupThe Last RoundupThe Last Roundup is a series of three novels by Irish writer Roddy Doyle. They follow the life of Henry Smart from Ireland to America spanning most of the 20th century. The series is narrated by Henry as well, providing us the "Omniscient Narrator."...
" - "The Lone Star Trail"
- "The Masters Call"
- "Night Rider's Lament"
- "Oh! SusannaOh! Susanna"Oh! Susanna" is a minstrel song by Stephen Foster . It was published by W. C. Peters & Co. in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1848. The song was introduced by a local quintette at a concert in Andrews' Eagle Ice Cream Saloon in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on September 11, 1847. Foster was said to have written...
" - "The Old Chisholm TrailThe Old Chisholm Trail"The Old Chisholm Trail" is a cowboy song that dates back to the 1870s, when it was among the most popular songs sung by cowboys during that era. Based on an English lyrical song that dates back to 1640, "The Old Chisholm Trail" was modified by the cowboy idiom...
" - "Pistol Packin' MamaPistol Packin' Mama"Pistol Packin' Mama" is a 1943 song composed by Al Dexter. The song is notable in that it was the first number one on the Juke Box Folk Records chart, which would later be known as the Hot Country Songs chart...
" - "Red River ValleyRed River Valley (song)Red River Valley is a folk song and cowboy music standard of controversial origins that has gone by different names—e.g., "Cowboy Love Song", "Bright Sherman Valley", "Bright Laurel Valley", "In the Bright Mohawk Valley", and "Bright Little Valley"—depending on where it has been sung. ...
" - "Red WingRed Wing (song)"Red Wing" is a popular song written in 1907 with music by Kerry Mills and lyrics by Thurland Chattaway. Mills adapted the music from Robert Schumann's composition for piano "The Happy Farmer, Returning From Work" from his 1848 work Album for the Young, Opus 68. The song tells of a young Indian...
" - "Running Gun"
- "Ghost Riders in the Sky (A Cowboy Legend)"
- "Rogue River Valley"
- "San Antonio RoseNew San Antonio Rose"San Antonio Rose"/"New San Antonio Rose" was the signature song of Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys. "San Antonio Rose" was an instrumental song written by Bob Wills, who first recorded it with the Playboys in 1938. Band members added lyrics and it was retitled "New San Antonio Rose"...
" - "Sioux City SueSioux City Sue"Sioux City Sue" is a 1945 song by Dick Thomas. The song was Thomas' first chart entry on the Juke Box Folk Records chart and was also his most successful release: "Sioux City Sue" spent four weeks at number one and a total of twenty-three weeks on the charts....
" - "Song Of The Sierras"
- "The Soughrty Peaks"
- "Strawberry Roan"
- "Streets Of Laredo (The Cowboy's Lament)Streets of Laredo (song)"Streets of Laredo" , also known as the "Cowboy's Lament", is a famous American cowboy ballad in which a dying cowboy tells his story to a living one. Derived from the English folk song "The Unfortunate Lad", it has become a folk music standard, and as such has been performed, recorded and adapted...
" - "Sweet Betsy from PikeSweet Betsy from Pike"Sweet Betsy from Pike" is an American ballad about the trials of a pioneer named Betsy and her lover Ike who migrate from Pike County to California. This Gold Rush-era song, with lyrics written by John A. Stone before 1858, was recorded by Burl Ives on February 11, 1941 for his debut album Okeh...
" - "Texas Plains"
- "Tumbling TumbleweedsTumbling Tumbleweeds"Tumbling Tumbleweeds" is a song composed by Bob Nolan, one of the founding members of the Sons of the Pioneers. Although one of the most famous songs associated with cowboys, the song was composed by Nolan back in the 1930s while he was working as a caddy and living in Los Angeles...
" - "Utah Carol"
- "Way Out There"
- "When The Cactus Is In Bloom"
- "The Yellow Rose Of TexasThe Yellow Rose of Texas"The Yellow Rose of Texas" is a traditional folk song. The original love song has become associated with the legend of how an indentured servant named Emily Morgan "helped win the battle of San Jacinto, the decisive battle in the Texas Revolution."...
" - "Zebra DunZebra Dun"Zebra Dun" is a traditional American cowboy song dating from at least 1890. Jack Thorp says he collected it from Randolph Reynolds at Carrizzozo Flats in that year. The song tells of a stranger who happened into a cowboy camp at the head of the Cimarron River. When he asks to borrow a "fat saddle...
"
List of Western singers
- Lynn AndersonLynn AndersonLynn Rene Anderson is an American country music singer and equestrian known for a string of hits throughout the 1970s and early 1980s, most notably her Grammy Award-winning, worldwide mega-hit, " Rose Garden." Helped by her regular exposure on national television, Anderson was one of the most...
- Gene AutryGene AutryOrvon Grover Autry , better known as Gene Autry, was an American performer who gained fame as The Singing Cowboy on the radio, in movies and on television for more than three decades beginning in the 1930s...
- Bill Barwick
- Joe BethancourtJoe BethancourtW.J. Bethancourt III is a traditional American musician , based in Phoenix, Arizona.-Biography:Bethancourt was born in El Paso, Texas. He began learning banjo at age 9, after he heard his maternal grandfather, C. H. Burnett, playing fiddle. His first banjo was given him by his grandfather, and...
- Wilf CarterWilf CarterWilf Carter , also known as Montana Slim, was a Canadian country music singer, songwriter, guitarist, and yodeller...
- Johnny CashJohnny CashJohn R. "Johnny" Cash was an American singer-songwriter, actor, and author, who has been called one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century...
- Don EdwardsDon Edwards (cowboy singer)Don Edwards is a cowboy singer and guitarist who plays Western music. He has recorded several albums, two of which, Guitars & Saddle Songs and Songs of the Cowboy, are included in the Folklore Archives of the Library of Congress...
- Juni FisherJuni FisherJuni Fisher is a western and folk singer-songwriter.She has received six awards from the Western Music Association: the Crescendo Award, Female Performer of the Year , Song of the Year, Songwriter of the Year, and Album of the Year in 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, and 2009 respectively...
- Lorne GreeneLorne GreeneLorne Greene , was the stage name of Lyon Himan Green, OC, a Canadian actor.His television roles include Ben Cartwright on the western Bonanza, and Commander Adama in the science fiction movie and subsequent TV Series Battlestar Galactica...
- Frankie LaineFrankie LaineFrankie Laine, born Francesco Paolo LoVecchio , was a successful American singer, songwriter, and actor whose career spanned 75 years, from his first concerts in 1930 with a marathon dance company to his final performance of "That's My Desire" in 2005...
- Chris LeDouxChris LeDouxChris Ledoux was an American country music singer-songwriter, bronze sculptor and rodeo champion.During his career LeDoux recorded 36 albums which have sold more than six million units in the United States as of January 2007...
- Girls of the Golden WestGirls of the Golden WestThe Girls of the Golden West comprising and was an American female country music female duo that was popular during the "Western Era" of the 1930s and 1940s. Mildred and Dolly Good were born in Mt...
- Patsy MontanaPatsy MontanaRuby Rose Blevins , known professionally as Patsy Montana, was an American country music singer-songwriter and the first female country performer to have a million-selling single...
- Michael Martin MurpheyMichael Martin MurpheyMichael Martin Murphey is an American singer-songwriter best known for writing and performing Western music, Country music, and Popular music. A multiple Grammy nominee, Murphey has six gold albums, including Cowboy Songs, the first album of cowboy music to achieve gold status since Gunfighter...
- Bob NolanBob NolanBob Nolan was a Canadian-born American singer, songwriter, and actor. He was a founding member of the Sons of the Pioneers, and composer of numerous Country music and Western music songs, including the standards "Cool Water" and "Tumbling Tumbleweeds." He is generally regarded as one of the...
- The Quebe Sisters BandThe Quebe Sisters BandThe Quebe Sisters Band is an American fiddle Western swing group from Fort Worth, Texas, United States. The band consists of sisters Grace, Sophia and Hulda Quebe as well as Joey L. McKenzie on guitar and Drew Phelps on upright bass...
*also plays Western Swing music - Riders in the Sky
- Tex RitterTex RitterWoodward Maurice Ritter , better known as Tex Ritter, was an American country music singer and movie actor popular from the mid-1930s into the 1960s, and the patriarch of the Ritter family in acting...
- Marty RobbinsMarty RobbinsMartin David Robinson , known professionally as Marty Robbins, was an American singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist...
- Roy RogersRoy RogersRoy Rogers, born Leonard Franklin Slye , was an American singer and cowboy actor, one of the most heavily marketed and merchandised stars of his era, as well as being the namesake of the Roy Rogers Restaurants franchised chain...
- Sons of the PioneersSons of the PioneersThe Sons of the Pioneers are one of America's earliest Western singing groups whose classic recordings set a new standard for performers of Western music. Known for the high quality of their vocal performances, musicianship, and songwriting, they produced finely-crafted and innovative recordings...
- Ian TysonIan TysonIan Tyson CM, AOE is a Canadian singer-songwriter, best known for his song "Four Strong Winds". He was also one half of the duo Ian & Sylvia.-Career:Tyson was born to British immigrants in Victoria in 1933, and grew up in Duncan B.C...
- Johnny WesternJohnny WesternJohnny Western is an American country singer-songwriter, musician, actor, and radio show host. He is a member of the Western Music Association Hall of Fame and the Country Music Disc Jockey Hall of Fame.-Early life:...
- John I. White
- Ray WhitleyRay WhitleyRaymond Otis Whitley , also known as Ray Whitley, was a Country and Western singer, radio and Hollywood movie star.-Singing and live performance:...
- Jim WilsonJim Wilson-Sports:* James B. Wilson , American football player and coach* Jim Wilson , American Major League Baseball player* Jim Wilson , American pitcher in Major League Baseball, 1945–1958...