Andy recites a Larry McWhorter piece—one of our all-time favorite poems with a lesson. Andy performs "The Red Cow" during the "Words Growing Wild in the West" show at the 35th National Cowboy Poetry Gathering.

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Andy Hedges
Lubbock, TX
Andy Hedges is a songster, reciter, storyteller, guitarist, and collector of cowboy songs and poems. The son of an Italian schoolteacher and a rodeo cowboy turned preacher, Andy was born in Lubbock, Texas, in the spring of 1980. He grew up in the small community of Tokio, Texas, where his family paid rent on an old farmhouse by looking after a few head of cattle. It was there that Andy fell in love with traditional music by listening to his father’s cassettes of cowboy songs. Andy’s vast and varied repertoire includes classic cowboy poetry recitations, obscure cowboy songs, dust bowl ballads, and blues. He also hosts a podcast called "Cowboy Crossroads," which features in-depth interviews with fellow musicians and poets. Andy’s performance with Ramblin’ Jack Elliott at the 60th Newport Folk Festival was named one of the “10 Best Things We Saw” by Rolling Stone magazine.

"The Red Cow" poem by Larry McWhorter.

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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 Feb. 2, 2019.

This show was made possible by Best Western and 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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