FEATURING: Mike Beck, Ramblin' Jack Elliott, R.W. Hampton, Brenn Hill, Ross Knox, Shandee Layne, Corb Lund, Gary McMahan, Michael Martin Murphey, Dave Stamey, Dave Wilkie + Denise Withnell, Paul Zarzyski.

A full show honoring The Legendary Ian Tyson. Celebrate Ian's return to Elko with a show of his extraordinary body of work. Join these friends of Ian as they wend their way through favorite Tyson songs. A heartfelt homage to one of the West's most beloved troubadours.

Hosted by Mike Beck.

From the 35th National Cowboy Poetry Gathering

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PLAYLIST

"La Primera" - Mike Beck (words + music by Ian Tyson)
"Barrell Racing Angel" - Brenn Hill (words + music by Ian Tyson)
"I Outgrew the Wagon" - Ross Knox with Trinity Seely (words + music by Ian Tyson)
"Someday Soon" - Shandee Layne with Rigby Summer (words + music by Ian Tyson)
"Summer Wages" - R.W. Hampton (words + music by Ian Tyson)
"Bob Fudge" - Dave Stamey (words + music by Ian Tyson)
"Love Without End" - David Wilkie & Denise Withnell (words + music by Ian Tyson)
"What Does She See" - Gary McMahan (words + music by Ian Tyson)
Side story of Jerry Ambler - Paul Zarzyski
"MC Horses" - Corb Lund (words + music by Ian Tyson)
"Spanish Is The Loving Tongue" - Michael Martin Murphey (music by Billy Simon, based on the poem "A Border Affair" by Charles Badger Clark)
"Will James" - Ramblin' Jack Elliott (words + music by Ian Tyson)
"Four Strong Winds" - artists return to stage for group number (words + music by Ian Tyson)

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ABOUT THE ARTISTS

Mike Beck
Manhattan, MT
Mike is a professional musician and working cowboy whose songs reflect his experiences in California, Oregon, Montana, and Nevada. Born and raised in Monterey County, California, he was a student of legendary horseman Bill Dorrance and now travels extensively in the United States and Europe, making music and conducting horsemanship clinics. Known for his guitar wizardry and acclaimed western songwriting, Mike’s mellow sound combines real cowboy experience with a unique blend of western, rock and Americana styles.

Ramblin' Jack Elliott
Marshall, CA
Ramblin’ Jack chose the cowboy way at the age of 14, trading life at home for one on the rodeo circuit. Elliott’s rough-edged enthusiasm and musical instinct drew the attention of his avowed idol, Woody Guthrie, initiating an invaluable, lifelong association. He was also a good friend of Johnny Cash and inspired the likes of Bob Dylan and Mick Jagger. Ramblin’ Jack’s love for a good song is equaled only by an abiding respect for his fellow man and a profound contempt for injustice. Ramblin’ Jack’s been part of the Gathering for a long time and he’s been a major influence on many Gathering artists and audience members. This National Medal of Arts recipient and two-time Grammy winner is a truly unique American treasure.

R.W. Hampton
Cimarron, NM
R.W. Hampton has lived and worked on ranches throughout the West. Whether driving cows, shoeing horses, singing around the campfire, or leading horse rides in the high country, R.W. knew it was the life he was destined for. He performs traditional and original cowboy songs. He lives with his wife Lisa and their family on the Clearview Ranch at the foot of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains south of Cimarron, New Mexico. In 2011, R.W. was inducted into the Western Music Association’s Hall of Fame.

Brenn Hill
Hooper, UT
Brenn is a singer/songwriter who doesn’t just sing about the West, he reveals its heart to anyone who will take the time to listen. He is not only an observer or narrator of Western lore, but one of its strongest interpreters. The cowboy’s trials and tribulations are his raw material. Brenn’s career spans 12 recordings of mostly self-penned music more than two decades on the road. His most recent release is How You Heal. Like all of his prior recordings, it serves as a pathway through his own personal journey. Brenn is an artist who gives great insight into the West that he calls Heaven. He lives with his wife and three children in Hooper, Utah.

Ross Knox
Sasabe, AZ
Ross first aspires to be a cowboy as a little boy, when he watched his father work their ranch in central Oregon. At 16, he quit school and moved to Nevada to buckaroo, where he also began writing poetry to occupy his time alone. He has worked both at the Grand Canyon and Saguaro National Parks in Arizona, packing in supplies and tools for trail and fire crews. Ross has also led pack trips in Yosemite. He now works on the historic Rancho de la Osa in Sasabe, Arizona. Known for reciting the classics, Ross also writes original poetry from his life experiences and has more than 100 poems committed to memory.

Shandee Layne
Bristow, OK
Shandee is an Americana singer-songwriter from Oklahoma's red dirt country. From her early years, she learned to play guitar, perform, and cowboy, influenced by her father (cowboy poet Jack "Trey" Allen) and other Oklahoma and Texas based cowboy poets and musicians. She is now a full-time school teacher, touring and writing songs when she can.

Corb Lund
Southern AB, Canada
Corb Lund was born and grew up in rural southern Alberta; he comes from four generations of Canadian ranchers and cowboys. He grew up riding horseback, chasing cattle, and rodeoing on the prairies and in the foothills of the Rockies. Lund’s Western heritage stays with him, no matter where he roams. “My whole life is sort of a dichotomy between being a cowboy kid and living in a city,” says Lund. “I guess that informs my music, too.”

Gary McMahan
Bellvue, CO
Gary McMahan has made his living during the last 40 years on a horse, with a guitar, or both. He has ridden, wrangled and roped all over the West, all the while collecting reflections on cowboy ways. Those reflections are the backbone of all his songs, stories and poems. Gary is known for his award-winning songs, captivating stories, uproarious humor and national championship yodeling. His songs have been recorded by artists such as Garth Brooks, Ian Tyson, Chris LeDoux, Riders In The Sky and Dave Stamey.

Michael Martin Murphey
Walden, CO
Michael Martin Murphey is a proud son of Texas, where his family settled in 1858. He divides his time between his home in Amarillo, Texas, Ft. Worth, Texas, and Walden, Colorado. His song “Wildfire” is among the most-aired songs in radio history. Michael’s recent release, Austinology • Alleys of Austin, is a look at a seminal period of the Austin Music Scene that Michael pioneered. He is featured in the Country Music Hall of Fame’s exhibit Outlaws & Armadillos that pays tribute to those contributions. He was recognized in 2019 with a Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum and National Cowboy Hall of Fame, is a member of the Western Music Hall of Fame, and serves on the Western Folklife Center’s National Advisory Council.

Dave Stamey
Orange Cove, CA
Dave Stamey has made it his life's work to celebrate the rural American West. In the past two decades he has recorded 11 albums of original music, travelled literally hundreds of thousands of miles and performed thousands of shows doing just that. He lives in the farthest northeastern corner of Tulare County, and the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains begin just outside his back door.

Dave Wilkie + Denise Withnell
Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
Dave Wilke + Denise Withnell are best known at the gathering as members of the band Cowboy Celtic. Beautiful harmonies backed by Denise on guitar and vocals and David on mandolin and vocals. For nearly 25 years, Denise's lilting voice has anchored Cowboy Celtic's extensive catalogue of traditional songs that celebrate the bond between chaps and tartan. Denise and Cowboy Celtic founder David Wilkie live in Victoria, British Columbia.

Paul Zarzyski
Great Falls, MT
Paul Zarzyski, veteran of 34 consecutive Gatherings and recipient of the 2005 Montana Governor’s Arts Award for Literature, has written poetry for two-thirds of his lifetime, so far, on this planet alone. Even before his short 15-year stint as a rodeo bareback bronc rider, he wrote, unbeknownst to him at the time, Rodeo Poetry, as his approach to the page has always been to “take that extra tuck and let the lingo buck.” Along with his ten books and 6 spoken-word CDs, Paul, thanks to Ian Tyson’s encouragement in the early Elko years, has co-written numerous songs with various artists.

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Filmed in front of a live audience at the Elko Convention Center’s Laurena Moren Theater in Elko, NV, on Feb. 1, 2019.

Made possible by the multitude of staff, artists, volunteers, and community members working behind the scenes to make this show happen.

Brought to you by the Western Folklife Center, using story and cultural expression to connect the American West to the world.
www.westernfolklife.org

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