Cowboy music

I was listening to some old Ian Tyson tunes in the car today, so I thought I'd see if any of his cowboy material was up on YouTube. Here's Navaho Rug - Ian Tyson and the Chinook Arch Riders.


Here is The Gift, about the American "cowboy" painter, Charles M. Russell.


And here is Mr. Tyson, interviewed by Jerry Jeff Walker. This features the story of Four Strong Winds - Mr. Tyson wrote it - his first song - after hearing Bob Dylan play Blowin in the Wind.


Speaking of Four Strong Winds, here's Neil Young playing it.

Old Paint

I was visiting Gardenia's blog, and was trying to think of songs about leaving Wyoming. Goodbye Old Paint came to mind and I discovered soon enough that this old cowboy tune has many, many different lyrics. Then I stumbled across this interesting article about the origins of the song.

This led me to a website about black cowboys. There are some fabulous stories here, about people like Bose Ikard, who rode with Charles Goodnight. Charles Goodnight and Oliver Loving were the men the famous cattle trail, the Goodnight Loving Trail was named after. Utah Phillips wrote a lovely song called the Goodnight Loving Trail, about a cowboy cook, too old to wrangle or ride on the swing, you beat the triangle and curse everything, and if dirt was the kingdom then you'd be the king.....our old woman's lonesome tonight.

You can learn all about the history of the Goodnight Loving Trail here.

And, you can hear Utah Phillips telling his delightful story, Moose Turd Pie, here