Welcome to the National Day of the Cowboy, today, Saturday, July 27th, 2013 - the ninth such national celebration in our country.
So far, seven states have ratified passage of a bill that makes the 4th Saturday in July as “National Day of the Cowboy,” with Mississippi entering the corral most recently on June 28th, 2013
The mission of the NDC is to contribute to the preservation of America's Cowboy heritage so that the history and culture can be enjoyed, shared and perpetuated for the public good.
Part of that enjoyment spills over into our bluegrass world with the influence of authentic cowboy music.
Michael Martin Murphey has done more than most to help that spill-over with two Bluegrass Buckaroo albums shooting to the top of the charts and then a third Cowboy album (Tall Grass & Cool Water) not following with the Bluegrass Buckaroo handle but still using the genre's instrumentation and pickers also went straight to the top of the Bluegrass charts even before it made the top of the Western charts.
He isn't the only one out there who feels a strong connection between the two music styles and he isn't the only one to make the blend work well either.
Colorado's family band, Sons & Brothers, even label their brand of music as “West-Grass.” Wayne Taylor has such a strong connection, the name of his band comes from one of his western image songs “Appaloosa.” Peter Rowan recorded an entire album with Western Balladeer Don Edwards (“High Lonesome Cowboy) which included such great cowboy standards as “The Old Chisholm Trail”; “The Night Guard”; and “Goodbye Old Paint". We can’t forget Arizona’s own International favorites, The Hey Boyz with their appropriately titled album “ Cowboy Bluegrass” and even Bill Monroe liked the Western image and used it well in songs like “Cheyenne” and “Rawhide”
As a radio programmer, I often find more recordings in this vein than what I can use in one single radio show and it really becomes hard to choose one over another.
So you're not a cowboy and you're wondering just what you can do to celebrate today. Glad you asked.
To help us all find the connection or help make it a little stronger, I've compiled a list of just a few wonderful bluegrass tunes you can listen to today (or any day) that recognize and celebrate the American Cowboy and the heritage. But please remember, this list is by no means all-inclusive and there are most likely this many more still.
Enjoy and have a great “Western,” “Cowboy,” Bluegrass Day pard!
| SONG TITLE | ARTIST | |
| A Cowboy's Sweetheart | Darin & Brooke Aldridge | |
| Aces & Eights | Ron Doering | |
| Appaloosa | Wayne Taylor & Appaloosa | |
| Blue Bonnet Lane | J.D. Crow & New South | |
| Blue Prairie | Michael Martin Murphey | |
| Blue Sky Riding Song | Michael Martin Murphey | |
| Border Ride | Jim & Jesse (McReynolds Brothers) | |
| Bravest Cowboy | John Reischman & The Jaybirds | |
| Buckaroo Dream | Sons & Brothers | |
| Buckaroo Man | Sons & Brothers | |
| Buffalo Gals | Larry Sparks | |
| Buffalo Hunt | I Draw Slow | |
| Caballo Diablo | Randy Waller & The Country Gentlemen | |
| Cactus Is In Bloom | Lonesome Traveler | |
| Call Me A Cowboy | Ron Doering | |
| Cheyenne | Bill Monroe | |
| Cool Water | Michael Martin Murphey | |
| Cowdog Stomp | Sweet Sunny South | |
| Diamond Joe | Jerry Garcia Acoustic Band | |
| Diamond Joe | Sons & Brothers | |
| Diamond Joe | Laurie Lewis & The Right Hands | |
| Diamond Joe | Tim O'Brien | |
| Dixie Cowboy | Dry Branch Fire Squad | |
| Ghost Riders In The Sky | Titan Valley Warheads | |
| I Am A Texas Cowboy | Michael Martin Murphey | |
| Medicine Man | Michael Martin Murphey | |
| Montana Cowboy | Hot Rize | |
| Montana Cowboy | Hazel Dickens & Alice Gerrard | |
| My Ropin' Days Are Done | Blue Highway | |
| Ole Paint | Wayne Taylor & Appaloosa | |
| Panhandle Rag | Kathy Kallick Band | |
| Pistol Packin' Mama | Mac Wiseman & John Prine | |
| Ragged But I'm Right | Jerry Garcia Acoustic Band | |
| Ragtime Annie | Summerdog | |
| Rawhide | Summerdog | |
| Rawhide | Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder | |
| Rider In The Rain | Jim and Jesse (The McReynolds Brothers) | |
| Running Gun | Michael Martin Murphey | |
| Shot Gun Slade | Ralph Stanley | |
| Sugarfoot Rag | Russell Moore & IIIrd Tyme Out | |
| Summer Wages | J.D. Crow & New South | |
| Tennessee Stud | The Chieftains | |
| Tex Mex Shindig | Bill Emerson | |
| Texas Bluebonnets | Laurie Lewis & The Right Hands | |
| The Cowboy Lives Forever | The Whites | |
| The Cowboy Way | Chris Hillman & Herb Pederson | |
| The Deputy | Infamous Stringdusters | |
| The Girl I Left Behind Me | Jim & Jesse (McReynolds Brothers) | |
| The Hanging Tree | Blue Moon Rising | |
| The Outlaw | Dan Fogelberg | |
| The Railroad Corral | Michael Martin Murphey | |
| Trusty Lariat | Michael Martin Murphey | |
| Your Saddle Is Empty Old Pal | Peter McLaughlin | |
| Wah Hoo | Summerdog | |
| Way Out There | Michael Martin Murphey | |
| When I Was A Cowboy | Peter Rowan | |
| Wild Bill Jones | Alison Krauss | |
| Wild Bill Jones | Blue Highway | |
| Wild Horses | Sons & Brothers |
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