A Cowboy Song

As a kid, one of my favorite TV shows to watch was the afterschool reruns of The Lone Ranger, starring Clayton Moore and Jay Silverheels. Looking back, I realize that my first “Cowboy Song” was in fact an excerpt from an operatic overture by the famed composer Gioachino Antonio Rossini, which served as The Lone Ranger’s opening theme.

As a life-long lover of all types of music, I have come to understand that the soundtrack of the American Southwest contains influences from all over, including the hills of Appalachia, the plains of the American west, and even further afield to the Spanish vaquero traditions, from whence the American cowboy evolved.

Growing up on the great cowboy movies and TV shows featuring the likes of Gene Autry, Roy Rogers, John Wayne and Clint Eastwood, I am now intrigued to know more about the artists, and the songs and soundtracks that have made these figures and the characters they portrayed into the legends they are today.

My intention is that A Cowboy Song will focus on the songs and soundtracks that celebrate the cowboys, outlaws and loners that have come to symbolize the American west; a culture that has influenced, and been influenced by, artists throughout the world. I hope that you will join me on this ride, and hopefully will be willing to share how any of these songs may have impacted your own life.

Yee haw!