Western Tales Liner
Notes:
1) Coyote
Ridge - Bruce Huntington - 2011. In the hills near San Diego there’s
a street
sign that started Bruce thinking - then writing. - ‘What
if . . . ‘
2) McGee Creek - Dave
Stamey; Horse Camp Music 1997. From Dave’s
experiences
leading pack trains in the Eastern Sierras comes a hauntingly beautiful
description of
a magic place.
3) Joaquin - Keeter Stuart; Keeter Stuart Music 2001. Hearing Keeter sing
this in
Albuquerque, we thought, “What a perfect song for a group
that lives just minutes from the Mexican border!” Any group,
really - but especially for us.
4) Wind In The Wire
- David Wilke: Ghostwriters in Disguise SOCAN and
Stewart MacDougall : Trouble Clef Music 1989 SOCAN A beautifully
written reminder
that white Europeans were not first to people the West.
5) Down The California
Trail - Bruce Huntington - 2011. There are many ‘trail’ songs in
the western repertoire, but where was California’s?
Bruce came to the rescue.
6) Fifty Years Ago -
Ian Tyson: Slick Fork Music 1986 CAPAC /ASCAP . As we get older
and think about lost friends - a first love - Walt asks,“I
wonder if I could still find her . . .”
7) Waltz For Marie -
Bruce Huntington - 2011. In 2006 we recorded Bruce’s
song, “If
You Would Dance With Me”. Marie accepted that invitation
- and then what happened...
8) Pioneer Medley -
Traditional. Three popular 1800s tunes: June Apple, Red-Haired
Boy and Ol’ Joe Clark with Walt on banjo - and with Ken’s autoharp ‘sparkle’ at
the end.
9) Hawaiian Rough Rider
- Traditional. A great (and true) story. How Hawaiian
paniolos, Ikua Purdy and Archie Ka’au’a,
stunned the rodeo world by taking first and
third in the 1908 World Roping Championship in Cheyenne,
Wyoming - on borrowed
horses! Who knew that vaqueros had taught roping
skills to the Hawaiians decades
before we even had American cowboys! Get out your
travel dictionaries - this one is in
Hawaiian - we hope!
10) Swing a Cowboy Song
- Bruce Huntington - 2011. Not only did we get a great
song from Bruce, we also learned about new BLM
land - The Upper Missouri River Breaks National
Monument - established in Montana in 2001.
11) Train Back to Texas
- Les Buffham lyrics / Walt Richards music - 2011. His first
trail drive was one-too-many for this young cowboy.
Note Ken’s
guitar tribute to the
cowboys friend, “Billy” - who had to be left behind
- “in the Lowground” -
12) Mountains of the
Heart - Dave Stamey: Horse Camp Music 1997. Another
song from Dave that shows why he is Songwriter of the Year - after Year
- after Year!
Listen again - there is more than one story here.
13) Rambler, Gambler - Traditional. A sad, lonely western story -
14) Old House - Ian Tyson: Slick Fork Music 1993 SOCAN . Have you ever
wondered
what those old abandoned buildings could be telling us?
15) Hills of Aberdeen - Bruce Huntington - 2011. The haunting sound of
a
bagpipe could transport an immigrant back in memory to the home he would
never
see again. In quiet times that sound might even seem to be playing for
him from the
imprint on his very soul. Ken Graydon’s introduction captures the
resigned sadness
of the father who must stay behind as another Scottish son leaves the home
country.
16) Guess I’ll Have To Stay - Les Buffham lyrics / Walt Richards
melody - 2011. How
many ways of making a living are as risky - as unpredictable - yet as difficult
to leave?
17) Up On The High Ground - Les Buffham lyrics / David Anderson melody:
Buckaroo Ballads Publishing BMI 2006. Les takes us on a cowboy’s
last ride. David’s
tune carries us to the chosen destination.
18) Outbound Train - Les Buffham lyrics / Walt Richards melody - 2011.
How lucky
that Les likes trains, too. Notice the ‘Quatro’ waving from
the caboose - It‘s a clue . . .
19) Dear Friends - Bruce Huntington - 2011. At concert’s end we love
to acknowledge those who have come to share the music and help keep tales of the
West alive.
New Friends and Old - You are all ‘Dear’.
20) Sunflower Dance - Traditional. Music styles, and groups, come and go.
As we
dance away on our own journeys, we invite you to join us as you hear the
approaching strains of hammered dulcimer and banjo playing a popular 1880s
tune,
before fading back again into the past. Thanks to friend Phee for the duet
with
Walt and, again, for the wonderful painting on the cover.
Such talent !
Special thanks to Pete Varhola for superb bass playing; Ken Graydon for
lending us his grand voice; Phee Sherline for everything; and Pete Harrison
for hours of patient
recording and mixing. He and Melissa made doing this project a real pleasure.
We especially thank all the songwriters who gave us these great stories
to sing! |
