Walt says it best at the end of this CD -

"Singing this music is more fun than anyone ought to be able to have!"

We think you'll know all these songs, so we'll let them 'speak' for themselves.

Trails and Rails
Water, Weeds and Ghosts

Written by Allen Singer

I recently heard a cowboy poem about a band called Trails and Rails. This band went riding out one day looking for a weed-covered trail head that would take them into a dead-end canyon to hunt for stray old cowboy songs. The poem went on to tell about an artesian watering hole where a trickster ghost was known to play his parlor guitar and sing lost cowboy songs every night. The band rode on and finally met this ghost and played him "Ghost of Tombstone" from their last CD of the same name. The trickster ghost listened, didn't say a word, grumbled, spit some chew, and looked teary eyed. He trembled as he reached down and handed the band an old chuck box full of 78 shellac records as he sang "Happy Trails" and vanished.

Water, Weeds and Ghosts is Trails and Rails' new CD of western/cowboy standards. The band members are Walt Richards, Paula Strong, Bruce Huntington, and Ken Wilcox. The CD has a fresh, live quality with clear instrumentals and vocal harmonies. It consists of 26 songs that include two medleys, one, a group of instrumentals ("Medley of the West Songs"), and the other, a creative mixture of vocal tunes including "Cowboy's Lament," "Whoopie Ti Yi Yo," "I Ride an Old Paint,"and"The Last Round Up." This CD of updated old standards isn't just another nostalgic musical ride into the past. Each song is faithful to its origins and newly refreshed in the band's creative, innovative hands. Recording, performing, and updating songs that have been in our musical collective memory over the last century is not easy to do. Old standards like "Back in the Saddle Again," "Streets of Laredo,"and"Ragtime Cowboy Joe" sound heartfelt and alive again on this CD. Little instrumental hooks, vocal harmonies that rework the original arrangements, offer a new spark to these songs and bring you back to Gene and Roy.

Western songs are the heartbeat and life blood of the Southwest. Trails and Rails have unearthed some buried musical treasures to keep these traditional melodies from becoming ghost music. What stands out are the seriousness and purposefulness of the band to keep the music fresh and entertaining while still respecting its tradition and origins.

While finishing this review, my monitor starts to fade into an eerie green. Crackly sounds creep out of the speakers like an old crystal radio and I quickly realize it's the trickster ghost singing a tune, a well known song that ends Trails and Rails' new CD, and I find myself singing along.....

" Happy trails to you,
Until we meet again.
Happy trails to you,
Keep smiling until then....."

From the February 2008 issue of the San Diego Troubadour – CD reviews

Banjo and Mandolin, leads and backup, by Walt.

Autoharp, leads and backup, by Ken.

Guitar leads by Walt on: Streets of Laredo; Blue Shadows;
     Riding Down the Canyon; Don't Fence Me In.

Guitar leads by Ken on: Along the Navajo Trail; Ghost Riders;
     Santa Fe Trail; Don't Fence Me In.

Vocal Leads:

The Trio (Walt, Paula, And Ken) sings: Blue Prairie;
Empty Saddle; and choruses.

The Duo (Walt and Paula) sings: Ragtime Cowboy Joe; Happy Trails;

Medley Of The West Songs: Colorado Trail / Bury Me Not / Shenandoah

Cowboy Medley: Cowboy's Lament / Whoopie Ti Yi Yo
/ I ride An Old Paint / The Last Round Up