American West – Music at the Martin

Ramblin’Jack Elliott

Ramblin’ Jack Elliott is returning to the Martin Hotel for a Great Basin Arts and Entertainment produced concert at 7:00 PM, Tuesday, January 25. Jack played the Martin just one year ago, on his way to Hollywood to pick up his Grammy Award.

This year he is returning, on his way to the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering in Elko, but he is bringing along two of the best sidemen in the business so he can perform some of the songs from his Grammy Award winning record. Van Dyke Parks will accompany Jack on the piano, and David Piltch will play standup bass as Ramblin’ Jack performs some of the classic blues tunes that formed the theme for his latest recording.

One of the last true links to the great folk traditions of this country, with over 40 albums under his belt, Ramblin’ Jack Elliott is considered one of the country’s legendary foundations of folk music.

“Nobody I know—and I mean nobody—has covered more ground and made more friends and sung more songs than the fellow you’re about to meet right now. He’s got a song and a friend for every mile behind him. Say hello to my good buddy, Ramblin’ Jack Elliott.”
– Johnny Cash, The Johnny Cash Television Show, 1969.

Long before every kid in America wanted to play guitar — before Elvis, Dylan, the Beatles or Led Zeppelin — Ramblin’ Jack had picked it up and was passing it along. From Johnny Cash to Tom Waits, Beck to Bonnie Raitt, Ry Cooder to Bruce Springsteen, the Grateful Dead to The Rolling Stones, they all pay homage to Ramblin’ Jack Elliott.

In the tradition of roving troubadours Jack has carried the seeds and pollens of story and song for decades from one place to another, from one generation to the next. They are timeless songs that outlast whatever current musical fashion strikes today’s fancy.

“His tone of voice is sharp, focused and piercing. All that and he plays the guitar effortlessly in a fluid flat-picking perfected style. He was a brilliant entertainer…. Most folk musicians waited for you to come to them. Jack went out and grabbed you….. Jack was King of the Folksingers.” – Bob Dylan, Chronicles: Volume One

There are no degrees of separation between Jack and the real thing. He is the guy who ran away from his Brooklyn home at fourteen to join the rodeo and learned his guitar from a cowboy. In 1950, he met Woody Guthrie, moved in with the Guthrie family and traveled with Woody to California and Florida, from the redwood forests to the Gulf Stream waters. Jack became so enthralled with the life and composer of This Land Is Your Land, The Dust Bowl Ballads, and a wealth of children’s songs that he completely absorbed the inflections and mannerisms, leading Guthrie to remark, “Jack sounds more like me than I do.”

In 1954, along with folksinging pals Frank Robinson and Guy Carawan, Jack journeyed south through Appalachia, Nashville and to New Orleans to hear authentic American country music. He later made this the basis for his talking song, 912 Greens.

In 1955 Jack married and traveled to Europe, bringing his genuine American folk, cowboy and blues repertoire and his guitar virtuosity, inspiring a new generation of budding British rockers, from Mick Jagger to Eric Clapton.

When he returned to America in 1961, he met another young folksinger, Bob Dylan at Woody Guthrie’s bedside, and mentored Bob. Jack has continued as an inspiration for every roots-inspired performer since.

Along the way he learned the blues first-hand from Leadbelly, Mississippi John Hurt, the Reverend Gary Davis, Big Bill Broonzy, Brownie Mcghee and Sonny Terry, Jesse Fuller and Champion Jack Dupree.

He has recorded forty albums; wrote one of the first trucking songs, Cup of Coffee, recorded by Johnny Cash; championed the works of new singer-songwriters, from Bob Dylan and Kris Kristofferson to Tim Hardin; became a founding member of Bob Dylan’s Rolling Thunder Revue; and continued the life of the traveling troubadour influencing Jerry Jeff Walker, Guy Clark, Tom Russell The Grateful Dead and countless others.

In 1995, Ramblin’ Jack received his first of five Grammy nominations and the Grammy Award for Best Traditional Folk Album, for South Coast (Red House Records). Jack was again recognized with a Grammy Award for best Traditional Blues Album in 2009, for A Stranger Here (Anti-Epitaph Records).

In 1998, President Bill Clinton awarded Jack the National Medal of the Arts, proclaiming, “In giving new life to our most valuable musical traditions, Ramblin’ Jack has himself become an American treasure.”

In 2000, Jack’s daughter, filmmaker, Aiyana Elliott produced and directed The Ballad of Ramblin’ Jack, her take on Jack’s life and their fragile relationship, winning a Special Jury Prize from the Sundance Film Festival.

Through it all—though agents, managers, wives and recording companies have tried—Jack resisted being molded into a commercial commodity. He played his shows without a written set list or including any songs that did not ring with his gut feeling of what mattered to him.

Ramblin’ Jack’s life of travels, performances and recordings is a testament to the America of lore, a giant land of struggle, hard luck and sometimes even of good fortune. Ramblin’ Jack takes us to places that spur us on to the romance and passion of life in the tunes and voices of real people.

At seventy-nine, Ramblin’ Jack is still on the road, still seeking those people, places, songs and stories that are hand-crafted, wreaking of wood and canvas, cowhide and forged metal. You’ll find him in the sleek lines of a long haul semi-truck, in the rigging of an old sailing ship, in the smell of a fine leather saddle.

BETTER YET, FIND HIM AT THE MARTIN HOTEL IN WINNEMUCCA ON JANUARY 25.

Brenn Hill~Cowboy Singer/Songwriter

Singer/Songwriter Brenn Hill doesn’t just sing about the American West, he reveals its heart to anyone who will take the time to listen. His most recent release “Equine” (2010), clearly defines what might be his most profound work to date, as well as a mirror of his growth as an artist over the last ten years. Its broad theme of horses, the cowboy’s working partner, is but a pathway into and through his own personal journey. No longer just the observer or narrator of our Western story, but its strongest interpreter, life’s trials and tribulations are also his raw material. Faith, trust and love are his guide.

“Overall, I want a listener to know that my music isn’t about me,” explains Hill. “It’s how I make my living and not a vehicle for stardom. My goal is to present a valid story about people, places, and events that are song-worthy. If I can challenge someone’s perspective, or offer a new one on a classic theme or issue, I’ve achieved my goal. I feel a deep sense of purpose with my music and am honored to have the opportunity that I have. I deeply appreciate my listeners. The greatest compliments I receive come directly from those that listen to my music. When a song touches them so profoundly that they tell me, “that song changed my life,” or, “that song got me through a hard time,” or, “that song’s about me,” then I know I got it right. No amount of money or recognition could mean more than that.”

Born into a 6th generation of a family anchored to the West and raised in Utah, Brenn and his music revisit the many stories that come from the land with a fresh, contemporary and personal twist. Home for the Hill’s is Hooper, a rural community in Northern Utah where Brenn resides with his wife, three children and a cavvy of horses. “Time in the saddle is my payoff for the hard miles on the road, the gut-full of showbiz, and the time away from loved ones,” says Brenn. “Horses bring me purpose in life. They provide a foundation and theme for my music and are an endless fountain of inspiration. In a way, horses write a lot of my songs, especially since they are an integral part of my connection to the land. They reveal my character. They’re constant teachers with endless patience and capacity, and likewise, provide an endless bank of inspiration that I can draw from.

Mike Beck

Mike Beck is well-known for his memorable ballads that capture old California, and the cowboy way of life. He has performed in numerous foreign countries, and throughout the United States. Mike recently returned from doing some shows in Norway and Sweden.

Two of Mike Beck’s songs were listed in the “13 Best Cowboy Songs of All Time” in the April 2009 issue of Western Horseman Magazine (“In Old California” – a song about Jo Mora – and “Don’t Tell Me.”) His song, “Patrick” was listed as one of “The Top 15 Roadworthy Cowboy Songs” in the July 2008 issue of Cowboys & Indians Magazine. His song, “Amanda Come Home” was featured on NPR’s Weekend Edition, and is dedicated to all of the women who served in Iraq. In the Spring 2010 edition of The Cowboy Way, Bill Reynolds writes, “His love of the ways of the vaquero and the Pacific Slope region of the West comes through his songs in superb guitar work.”

Born and raised in Monterey County, California, at age 13, Mike Beck went to the Monterey Pop Festival and liked what he heard. He picked up a guitar and never looked back. Since that time, he has been composing and performing a wide array of folk, rock and Americana music. Mike’s songs reflect his life as a professional musician and a working cowboy in Montana and Carmel Valley near Big Sur.

According to Ramblin’ Jack Elliot, “Mike Beck plays the guitar like a Byrd. His strings do things that mine could never do. They obey the slightest finger-touch commands like a fine Reining Horse.”

Beck is riding high after being recognized by Western Horseman magazine in a recent article naming “The 13 Best Cowboy Songs of All Times” along with songs written by luminaries such as Ramblin’ Jack Elliott, Allison Moorer, Lucinda Williams and Ian Tyson.

“I had two songs on that list, which was kind of cool,” said Beck. “to be alongside some of the other people on that list, like Tom Russell, Ian Tyson. I thought, that’s nice company. That was nice of them to say that.”

Visit Mike Beck online http://www.mikebeck.com

(I found this rather amazing video on YouTube, posted by pagenmaestro; with the notes here below the video. – bill)

I met Mike Beck right after this performance in Austin, Texas, in June of 2004, when he delivered among other originals a gripping solo performance of “Old Man,” a song about one of the resin jaws he met while cowboying in Montana. We stood outside in the humid night heat and, along with horseman Magne Hellesjo of Norway, talked music and horses, and shared some cold beers. A year or so later the three of us convened again at Magne’s farm in Norway where, between horse clinics, Mike joined me and other members of Poisoned Red Berries in the recording of my first produced studio album. Mike’s been working with his band, The Bohemian Saints, for a few years now, playing mainly in California with occasional tours. Mike Beck has also just released a beautiful solo album of songs, called “Free”. If you like the sound of “Old Man,” check out the new solo album. Mike’s songs offer a unique perspective on life, opening on a wisdom earned genuinely through a life of horse whispering, work with Ian Tyson and Ramblin’ Jack Elliott, and Beck’s own take on the old ways of the cowboy life in America. Learn more about Mike and his music at http://www.mikebeck.com

Note: If anyone objects to this video presentation due to copyright infringement, please make contact and it will be promptly removed. DL

The Gillette Brothers

Guy and Pipp Gillette, from their home in Crockett Texas, are once again on their way to a series of appearances in California, and they will make a stop for a show in Winnemucca on August 7.

Guy and Pipp appeared at a sold out show in Winnemucca last December, and they were a huge hit. They perform a mix of traditional cowboy songs, and songs reflecting the Celtic roots, country blues, minstrel and medicine show songs that influenced cowboy music. For me it is always worth the price of admission just to watch and hear Guy play the rhythm bones, musical bones they make from cow ribs.

They have played at major events and venues around the country including: The 2008 Smithsonian Folklife Festival in Washington DC, The National Cowboy Poetry Gathering in Elko, NV, The Monterey Cowboy Poetry & Music Festival in Monterey, CA, The Santa Clarita Cowboy Poetry & Music Festival in Santa Clarita, CA, The Willow Tree Festival in Gordon, NE, The Arizona Cowboy Poets Gathering in Prescott, AZ; The Cherry Blossom Festival in Macon, GA; The National Arboretum in Washington, DC, The Buffalo Bill Historical Center in Cody, WY, and The National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City, OK, The Museum of South Texas in Edinburgh Texas.

In August 2005, the Gillette Brothers traveled to Japan representing the State of Texas at the World Expo – Aichi/Nagoya, performing their music at the US Pavilion. In October 2008, the Gillette Brothers toured Somerset, England for two weeks, performing in village halls and the Bridgewater Arts Center.

They have demonstrated chuckwagon cooking at the Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City; the Ranching Heritage Museum in Lubbock, Texas; The Museum of South Texas in Edinburgh Texas; Dalton Days in Longview, Texas; and the Cherry Blossom Festival in Macon, Georgia.

Their cooking has been spotlighted in Persimmon Hill, the magazine of the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum; The National Cowboy Hall of Fame Cookbook by B. Byron Price; A Taste of Texas Ranching by Tom Bryant and Joel Bernstein; and the Spirit of the West: Cooking for Ranch House & Range by Beverly Cox and Martin Jacobs.

The Gillette Brothers were recipients of the 2009 AMERICAN COWBOY CULTURE AWARD for western music from the NATIONAL COWBOY SYMPOSIUM & CELEBRATION. They were awarded the 2003 and the 1998 Will Rogers Award for Outstanding Achievement in the Advancement of Contemporary Cowboy Music Best Duo/Group by The Academy of Western Artists. They have also received the National Cowboy Symposium’s American Cowboy Culture Chuck Wagon Award.

The Gillette Brothers run The Camp St. Cafe & Store in Crockett, Texas a live music venue, much like the Martin Hotel, that has featured some of the top performers in the country.

They were also instrumental in getting a life-sized statue of Blues Legend Lightnin’ Hopkins erected in Crockett.

Sourdough Slim with Robert Armstrong

During the Winnemucca Ranch Hand Rodeo

A marvel of musical ingenuity, yodeling cowboy Sourdough Slim and string instrument wizard Robert Armstrong joyously rekindle the country blues, cowboy classics and string band repertoire of pre-WWII America. A fast-paced performance of music and comedy that showcases their seasoned gift for connecting with audiences.

Whether capturing the haunting refrain of a Jimmie Rodgers blue yodel or swinging out a hot novelty number, everyone gets caught up in the fun these two cut-ups have on stage. Long time fans will remember them as founding members of two of California’s favorite acoustic combo’s, “8th Avenue String Band” and “R. Crumb’s Cheap Suit Serenaders.” Between them they share a provocative array of period instruments including: flat-top guitar, national steel, baritone and soprano ukulele, musical saw, accordion, six-string banjo and harmonica.

Well traveled veterans of stages ranging from Carnegie Hall and The Lincoln Center to The National Cowboy Gathering, Strawberry Music Festival and Prairie Home Companion, these modern day vaudevillians capture a sound and moment in time that consistently delights fun loving music fans everywhere they perform.

“First rate entertainment. A delightfully splendid show. . . full of good time music and laughs galore.” – Diane Brinkman, Seattle Times

“You won’t find better authentic Country or Western music being played anywhere.” – David Barnes, British Archive of Country Music

“Much more invigorating than 9/10ths of the stuff you hear from the current cadre of Western revivalists.” – Ronald Lankford, Jr., Sing Out! magazine

“Good stuff!” – Dallas Dobro, Master of Ceremonies, Strawberry Music Festival

Ramblin’ Jack Elliott

THE TUESDAY NIGHT LIVE SHOW IS SOLD OUT.

PLEASE JOIN US ON MONDAY NIGHT 01/25/10 AT 7:00 SHARP FOR A SPECIAL SCREENING OF THE DOCUMENTARY “THE BALLAD OF RAMBLIN’ JACK”.
FREE OF CHARGE!

Along the way he learned the blues first-hand from Leadbelly, Mississippi John Hurt, the Reverend Gary Davis, Big Bill Broonzy, Brownie Mcghee and Sonny Terry, Jesse Fuller and Champion Jack Dupree.

In 1995, Ramblin’ Jack received his first of four Grammy nominations and the Grammy Award for Best Traditional Folk Album, for South Coast (Red House Records).

At seventy-seven, Ramblin’ Jack is still on the road, still seeking those people, places, songs and stories that are hand-crafted, wreaking of wood and canvas, cowhide and forged metal. You’ll find him in the sleek lines of a long haul semi-truck, in the rigging of an old sailing ship, in the smell of a fine leather saddle.

Better yet, find him in at the Martin Hotel in Winnemucca on January 26.

The Gillette Brothers

Guy and Pipp Gillette are on their way to the Cowboy Poetry Festival in Monterey California, from their home in Crockett Texas, and they are going to make a stop for a show in Winnemucca on December 8.

The last time the Guy and Pipp Gillette were at the Martin they shared the stage with Don Edwards and Pop Warner, but this time they will have the place to themselves. They perform a mix of traditional cowboy songs, and songs reflecting the celtic roots, country blues, minstrel and medicine show songs that influenced cowboy music. For me it is always worth the price of admission just to watch and hear Guy play the rhythm bones, musical bones they make from cow ribs.

The Gillette Brothers run The Camp St. Cafe & Store in Crockett, Texas a live music venue, much like the Martin Hotel, that has featured some of the top performers in the country.

They were also instrumental in getting a life-sized statue of Blues Legend Lightnin’ Hopkins erected in Crockett.

Literary Nevada: Writings from the Silver State

Cheryll Glotfelty, CASE-Carnegie Professor of the Year for Nevada and Associate Professor of English, University of Nevada, Reno, will be holding a series of public humanities talks and conversations in Northern Nevada based on Literary Nevada: Writings from the Silver State. Literary Nevada is the first comprehensive anthology of Nevada literature. The events are co-sponsored by Nevada Humanities and the University of Nevada Press.

Talks will discuss Nevada through the lens of its literary heritage and include a conversation with the audience about Nevada’s stories. A focal point of the conversation will be about living in Nevada and its rural communities, and the stories that help us “re-see” our place.

Cheryll Glotfelty has published widely on western American literature in periodicals, essay collections, and reference works. Twelve years of literary sleuth-work went into the making of Literary Nevada: Writings from the Silver State, recently published by the University of Nevada Press.

“This book is a wonderful gift to Nevada’s people, to westerners in general, and to a confused nation seeking to understand its roots. It’s full of vivid, compelling storytelling that can lead readers to an imaginative understanding of Nevada and western life and literature as they have evolved. This is a very special defining book. We inhabit our own nation, and its literature is beginning to get due recognition. This book will be an important part of that movement.”
–William Kittredge, editor of The Last Best Place: A Montana Anthology

Sourdough Slim Eats It !

It seems Slim was out on the slopes, shredding with his crew, when he bailed and cratered. Now he is out of commission.

That is, he was snowboarding, fell and broke his wrist. Rick Crowder, that is Sourdough Slim’s real name, felt terrible about having to call and cancel his shows, but it seems he needs to have to have surgery on his wrist this week, and will likely be out of commission for 4 to 6 weeks. Rick said this is the first time in his career that something like this has happened, and he really feels bad about letting us down.

The shows on February 26 and 27 are not going to happen.

We hope Rick has a speedy and complete recovery, and we’ll see him again on down the trail.

Sourdough Slim – Vaudeville Cowboy
TWO NIGHTS
Thursday & Friday, February 26-27American

Swingin’ tunes! Cowboy crooning! Award winning yodeling! Timeless humor! Yes folks, all this and more can be yours at the only show on the planet where you can witness a man in a ten gallon hat, yodel, play accordion, dance a jig and twirl a lariat – all at the same time.

Sagebrush artist, Sourdough Slim, transport us to a whimsical, infectious world where vaudevillian camp and cowboy lore intermingle. With a repertoire of classic western songs and an exuberant, animated, crowd pleasing delivery, Sourdough Slim has become one of the most popular cowboy entertainers of our time.

The East Bay Express calls him “The most entertaining cowboy singer-yodeler-accordionist extant.” The Allentown Morning Call proclaims him to be a “One-man Western extravaganza!” And the music director at the Carnegie Hall Folk Festival commented, “Spectacular! His ability to entertain, charm and educate a New York audience was nothing short of amazing.” From the moment this accordion squeezin’ Will Rogers swaggers on stage, it’s apparent to everyone that they’re in for a rollicking good time.

A well traveled veteran of stages ranging from The National Cowboy Gathering in Elko, Nevada to the Lincoln Center’s recent Roots of American Music Festival, Slim provides accordion, guitar, harmonica and a generous helping of the truly astounding yippie-ti-yi style that won him the 2001 Will Rogers Award for Yodeler of the Year. His national appearances have justly earned him a loyal following of fun loving fans.

Born in Hollywood, California, Rick Crowder spent much of his childhood on a family cattle ranch in the Sierra foothills. But as he explains, “my true calling as a cowboy was not on the range but rather, on the stage.” A childhood cut-up, he developed his comic character, honed his musical and yodeling skills and garnered the nick name “Slim” while performing in several traveling western bands in the 1970’s and 80’s. Sourdough Slim emerged in 1988 when he came up with the idea to meld his experiences into a solo act based on a comical accordion playing yodeling cowhand. His seasoned gift for connecting with audiences from Los Angeles’ Autry Museum to The Kennedy Center is a true testament to the irrepressible talent and dedication of this unique entertainer.