FEATURING: Marinna Mori, Joel Nelson, Gail Steiger, Trinity Seely.

Crooning ranch kid Marinna Mori, renowned reciter and writer Joel Nelson, profound picker Gail Steiger, and soothing songstress Trinity Seely all know a thing or two about horses. A good horse can keep a cowboy safe. And also teach one a thing or two. And, most good horses eventually find their way into a cowboy’s verse, whether as the star of the story or as a more subtle muse. With the fine ears of buckaroos attuned to their four-legged friends, these artists interpret life a-horseback. Listen in as the long-standing companionship between horse and human comes alive in verse and song.

Hosted by Amy Hale.

From the 36th National Cowboy Poetry Gathering.

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PLAYLIST

Marinna Mori
"Coyotes" (words & music by Bob McDill)
"Somethin' 'bout"
"Range Broke"
"Beneath Me"

Joel Nelson
"John Siversten the Farrier's Horse" (poem by Jeff Streeby)
"In The Droving Days" (poem by A.B. "Banjo" Patterson)

Gail Steiger
"Whistle"
"Color of the Hide"
"Nothing Like the Sound"

Trinity Seely
"A Cowboy Song"
"Cricket Roll"
"Chilanko"
"Get Back on Again and Ride"

Trinity Seely & Marinna Mori
"Cowboy's Wage" (by Trinity Seely)

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ABOUT THE ARTISTS

Marinna Mori
Tuscarora, NV
Marinna Mori is an 11-year-old singer, guitarist, and poet who lives and works on her family’s ranch near Tuscarora, Nevada. A fourth-generation rancher, Marinna brings her youthful perspective and personal experiences of ranch life to her original songs and performances. Music is a family affair, and Marinna learned to play guitar and sing from her grandfather. She has been performing at the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering since she was eight years old. She loves roping, branding, and working cows on horseback. She won the Junior Branding Champion title at the 2018 Carlin Bronco Bash in Carlin, Nevada.

Joel Nelson
Alpine, TX
Joel Nelson has been a cowboy since age six when he helped on a cattle drive to the railroad. For more than 30 years, Joel made his living working on cow outfits in Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and Hawaii, specializing in breaking colts. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Forestry and Range Management, has built custom saddles, and served in Vietnam with the 101st Airborne Division. He was a founder of the Texas Cowboy Poetry Gathering in Alpine, Texas, and a 2009 recipient of the National Endowment for the Arts’ National Heritage Fellowship. He and his wife, Sylvia, run Corriente cattle in the beautiful West Texas ranch country.

Gail Steiger
Prescott, AZ
Gail Steiger is a songwriter, filmmaker, and cowboy, and since 1995, foreman of the remote Spider Ranch in Yavapai County, Arizona. He has been playing guitar and writing songs for over 30 years and often recites works by his grandparents, Delia Gist Gardner and Gail I. Gardner. Gail also collaborates with his brother, Lew, on various film and multimedia projects, including the acclaimed documentary Ranch Album. He’s released two CDs, The Romance of Western Life in 1999, and A Matter of Believin’ in 2015. Gail is a member of the Western Folklife Center’s Board of Trustees.

Trinity Seely
Ojai, CA
Trinity Seely grew up in the heart of cow country in the Chilcotin region of British Columbia. Inspired at an early age by this rugged sea of jackpine forests and grasslands, she learned to work hard from kitchen to corral on the family’s guest ranch. As a teen, Trinity moved to California to attend The Thacher School, and her love affair with the vaquero way was born. With humbling honesty and a honey-smooth voice, Trinity sings about loving cowboys and horses, and living “in the middle of nowhere.” She flourishes as a cowboy’s wife and mother to three buckaroos and a buckarette.

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Filmed in front of a live audience at the Western Folklife Center's G Three Bar Theater in Elko, NV, on Jan. 31, 2020.

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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