By Stacy Keith
A passion for a genre, a humble spirit and an eager ear combine to create “Roll On, Cowboy”, a uniquely West Texas record released in 2023 which features a few of the greats in Cowboy poetry and songwriting.
Lubbock folk artist Andy Hedges developed a love of the genre by growing up listening to Cowboy music with his dad and has pursued it ever since. The talented cowboy poet not only performs, but also collects, researches, and talks with the artists themselves to learn more about the industry as well as who they are as an artist.
Andy has a podcast called Cowboy Crossroads where he interviews artists who focus on cowboy culture and song. Through the podcast, conversations, and a lifelong love of the culture he has developed lasting relationships with industry legends.
Thanks to friends and producers, Charles and Terri Sheldon, who posed the question to Andy, “What would be your dream project?” Andy dared to aspire to perform with the legendary musicians he had always admired. So, recording began first with Ramblin’ Jack Elliott – an icon in the storytelling and music industry.
Then, Andy reached out to more friends and musicians. This simple gesture of collaboration has come together and resulted in an extraordinary album featuring iconic names in Cowboy music including not only Ramblin’ Jack Elliott but, Dom Flemons, Pipp Gillette, Brenn Hill, Corb Lund, Waddie Mitchell, Michael Martin Murphey, Brigid Reedy, Randy Rieman, Tom Russell, Rod Taylor, and Andy Wilkinson. The album was mixed by Alan Crossland of Route 1, Acuff Studios.
Andy refers to the album as a tribute to the tradition of cowboy culture. In addition to the iconic cowboy poet Waddie Mitchell and other legacy performers, Andy’s daughter plays fiddle on a few songs.
The album had its kickoff concert to a sold-out Cactus Theater in Lubbock, Texas, making an impact on the audience by sharing the iconic genre. Some of the performers even traveled to Alpine, Texas to perform pieces from the album as well.
Their next stop? Carnegie Hall in New York City. What do cowboys and New York have in common you might ask? New York has always been home to a strong folk-art culture. Cowboy and Western music find their roots from European folk songs which came over with early settlers of the American Colonies. New York, the beautiful and diverse melting pot that it naturally is, lends itself to be a city of many music scenes – including folk.
Another beloved Lubbock Andy – Andy Wilkinson – also has featured work within the album in the form of sonnets and writings. Wilkinson, a historian, collector, songwriter, painter and musician, is an extraordinary friend and mentor to Hedges.
When I asked Andy Hedges, what was next after Carnegie Hall, he humbly said, “I plan to come back home and get back into the work.” The work of becoming better at your craft, research and music, that is. He noted that the right motivations for making music are important to him and that the next project will manifest itself as his mind quiets down from this milestone. Roll on, cowboy.
To purchase the album, you may visit the National Ranching Heritage Center Gift Store or Andy Hedge’s online store by clicking here.
For tickets to the March 22, 2024 Carnegie Hall performance, click here.
