Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2024

Howdy everyone!

The Lone Star Cowboy Poetry Gathering is excited to announce the performers for the upcoming 2025 Gathering in Alpine (Feb. 20-22). Our website now has everyone's picture in one place - take a look after you read this newsletter!

The full Branding Crew for the 2025 Lone Star Cowboy Poetry Gathering will include: Dale Burson, Craig Carter (with Zack Casey), Allan Chapman and Rodeo Kate, Juni Fisher, Patricia Frolander, Pipp Gillette (with Lloyd Wright), Jeff Gore, Skip Gorman, Amy Hale, R.W. Hampton, Kristyn Harris, Andy Hedges, Brenn Hill, Darrell Holden, Carson Houser, Randy Huston, Ross Knox, John Lowell, Deanna McCall, Zack McGinn, Chuck Milner, John Moore, Terry Nash, Andy Nelson, Joel Nelson, Vess Quinlan, Brigid and Johnny Reedy, Kye Rieff, Randy Rieman, Jake Riley, Chris Ryden, Trinity Seely, Tom Sharpe, R.P. Smith, Jay Snider, Gail Steiger, Rod Taylor, and Andy Wilkinson (with Emily Wilkinson).

With so many amazing performers, it's tough to know where to start in talking about them. One approach might be to introduce you to those who are joining us for the first time since the Gathering had its inaugural in 2020.

So here's who's new:

Patricia Frolander is the former poet laureate of Wyoming and manager of the family ranch there. Her poetry has been widely published in numerous anthologies and featured in journals, magazines, and newspapers over the past twenty-five years. The author of four books of poetry, her most recent book, Second Wind, was published in 2020. In the words of one reviewer, "Frolander can compress sixty years into fifteen lines." It will be an honor to have this "wisdom-edged woman in Levis" (from "Who Would I Be If I Didn't Have a Name?") join us at the Gathering.

For over half a century, Skip Gorman has enjoyed singing, playing and performing an impressive and varied palette of traditional American and Celtic folk music. As an accomplished singer, guitarist, fiddler and mandolinist, Gorman has completed over 18 recordings of old-time cowboy songs, fiddle, mandolin, bluegrass; has been featured on many others; and established his own record label, Old West Recordings. In the 1990s, Skip's three recordings of cowboy songs on Rounder Records — A Greener Prairie, Lonesome Prairie Love, and A Cowboy's Wild Song to His Herd — were hailed by Scott Alarick as the "most flat-out gorgeous cowboy albums to lope down the trail in years."

Singer/songwriter R.W. Hampton probably needs no introduction. You may have seen him in our film Keeping the Tradition Alive, on a stage near you, or on a CD cover near your player. He has released 14 albums including Ridin' The Dreamland Range, which received "Album of the Year" honors by the Academy of Western Artists in 1997. He was named "Outstanding Vocalist, Male" by the Western Music Association in 2010, and has been awarded "Male Vocalist of the Year" three times by the Academy of Western Artists. He is also a film actor and playwright.

Darrell Holden is a proud fifth-generation rancher who raises cattle on the West Desert of Utah. He started writing cowboy poetry in 1983 while a freshman in high school, and started performing after gentle nudges by his mother, wife, and daughter. ("Nudges" may have been slightly veiled threats of bodily harm.) Married to his best friend and sweetheart, Angie, they have two amazing kids, who are both top hands.

John Lowell has been performing in the Mountain West for the past 43 years as a singer, songwriter, and guitarist, and his smooth voice is heard on many albums. He's toured the world with his bands Kane's River; Growling Old Men; Wheel Hoss; the John Lowell Band; and the international trio Coppo, Kaerner, and Lowell. His recent solo albums include Snow on the Wineglass (western songs, almost all original) and She's Leaving Cheyenne, named Album of the Year for 2021 by Wyoming Public Radio and nominated for four awards by the International Western Music Association. His song "Angus Mackenzie" from that album won Working Cowboy Song of the Year from the IWMA.

Zack McGinn is no stranger to the stage. After growing up the Texas Hill Country and fronting a touring band for over a decade (Dolly Shine), he has seen his fair share of dive bars and dance halls. He gave up touring a few years ago for a horseback sunset and long days in the West Texas heat, running and operating a ranch with his family. His first solo album, Cowboy Moon, was released in 2024. With soulful lyrics and captivating storytelling, his music captures the essence of the American West.

Kye Rieff writes poetry that comes from years spent on the ranch and in the arena, and provides an authentic look into the joy, humor, heartbreak, and hardship of the cowboy life. Kye has ridden saddle broncs, been a professional bullfighter, trained racehorses, started colts, and dayworked for ranches -- anything to keep from having a real job. He is the author of two books of cowboy poetry, Real Ones and A Few More Real Ones, with another book on the way. Kye won the 2023 Kansas Cowboy Poetry Contest's Serious Category, and lives with his wife Kasey and their two children in Missouri.

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Sounds great, right? And these are just the performers who haven't been in Alpine since we became the Lone Star Cowboy Poetry Gathering a few years ago.

With over 40 performers and lots of free performances, the Gathering is an exciting, and expensive, project. You'll be hearing more about our fundraising efforts over the next few months, but here's the bite-sized summary: We need you to support us, either with pledges or donations to our Performers Fund, by becoming a member, or both.

Members get first dibs on tickets and picking their reserved seats (member sales begin Sept 15) plus credits toward tickets or video rentals. Those who pledge get the joy of helping us match donations to make them more powerful. And those who donate get to see our fund tracking graphic jump, because your donations are tripled by those who have pledged matching funds. All members and donors (whether via pledge or immediate donation) get a cool ribbon on their name tag, their name listed in the program book, and our heartfelt gratitude.

Can't wait to experience the poetry and music again with you!

All the best,
Kay and Gene Nowell
Co-Chairs
Lone Star Cowboy Poetry Gathering

P.S. To donate now and have your donation double-matched, click here. Thank you!

P.P.S. To inspire others to give, join our pledge pool of matching funds. Your payments will be due November 1, 2024, and cards on file will be billed on that date. Thank you!

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