1. sports
2. rodeo

Library
&
Wyoming
music
Spring 2010
Roundup
musicians
Wyoming Library Roundup • Spring 2010
Wyoming, Wyoming! Beloved State of mine!
Wyoming’s State Song
There has been some
confusion in Wyoming
as to when the song
“Wyoming” became the
official state song.
According to Wyoming
State statutes, the song
“Wyoming,” words by
Charles E. Winter and
music by George E.
Knapp, was named the
official state song in
1955.
But the song had been
called the official song
for more than 50 years
prior to that. Wyoming
has several other notable
songs that were also
known to Wyomingites
as the state song.
“Over the years, we
at the state library have
fielded requests for the
state song, including its
history and background,”
says Wyoming State
Library Digital Initiatives
Librarian Erin Kinney.
Kinney says the
confusion has been a part
of these inquiries.
The version we know
as the state song was
adopted by the Industrial
Convention in 1903,
according to the Oct.
15, 1903 issue of The
Saratoga Sun.
As found in the
Wyoming Newspaper
Project, in the Friday,
Oct. 26, 1903 edition of
the Grand Encampment
Herald, it states that
the song was first
announced by Governor
Fenimore Chatterton
at the convention and
In the far and mighty West,
Where the crimson sun seeks rest,
There’s a growing splendid State that lies above,
On the breast of this great land;
Where the massive Rockies stand,
There’s Wyoming young and strong, the State I love!
Wyoming, Wyoming! Land of the sunlight clear!
Wyoming, Wyoming! Land that we hold so dear!
Wyoming, Wyoming! Precious art thou and thine!
Wyoming, Wyoming! Beloved State of mine!
In the flowers wild and sweet,
Colors rare and perfumes meet;
There’s the columbine so pure, the daisy too,
Wild the rose and red it springs,
White the button and its rings,
Thou art loyal for they’re red and white and blue,
Where thy peaks with crowned head,
Rising till the sky they wed,
Sit like snow queens ruling wood and stream and plain;
‘Neath thy granite bases deep,
‘Neath thy bosom’s broadened sweep,
Lie the riches that have gained and brought thee fame.
Other treasures thou dost hold,
Men and women thou dost mould,
True and earnest are the lives that thou dost raise,
Strengthen thy children though dost teach,
Nature’s truth thou givest to each,
Free and noble are thy workings and thy ways.
In the nation’s banner free
There’s one star that has for me
A radiance pure and splendor like the sun;
Mine it is, Wyoming’s star,
Home it leads me near or far;
O Wyoming! All my heart and love you’ve won!
was later endorsed as the
official song by the state
press association, state
industrial convention and
the state university—then
called the Wyoming State
University.
In a piece called “The
State Song of Wyoming”
by Kenneth Crouch in
the Vol. 29, No. 1 (April
1957) p. 38 of the Annals
of Wyoming, he brings the
attention of his readers
that there is in fact no
state song. Instead, there
is a poem written by
Winter that was popularly
accepted as the state song.
As the piece states, in
the summer of 1903,
Winter wrote the poem
while traveling through
Pennsylvania. Upon his
return, Winter gave the
poem to Earl R. Clements,
who was the editor of
Grand Encampment Herald
at that time. Winter told
Clements if he wanted a
state song he needed to
add a melody.
Both were delegates
in 1903 to the third
Wyoming Industrial
Convention in Sheridan
where the two created a
quartet to sing the song.
According to the
Crouch article, years later
Professor George Edwin
Knapp created music to
go with Winter’s poem
and named it the Wyoming
March Song. It is Knapp
and Winter who are
credited for the creation of
the state song in the state
statutes.
4
Library
Wyoming
Spring 2010
Roundup
Native Wyoming songwriter
Les Bowron.........................................3
The Beat Goes On with
Musicians in libraries........4
table of contents
20
Smells Like Teen Spirit
Teens and Music.........................10
Wyoming All-Around Cowboy
..............................12
Chris LeDoux
Wyoming’s
Music Festivals.............................15
Musical trio, The Prickly Pair
26
Romance with the Range.......20
Wyoming Arts Council Roster
Taking Care of Business. ...22
Wyoming’s historic
Composers......................................24
Ten Sleep’s music festival features
Wyoming Musicians..............26
Wyoming Library Roundup • Spring 2010
Library
Wyoming
Roundup
Dancing on the Desk
Former elementary teacher
Eugene Gagliano had a frontrow seat to the everyday trials
of school life. In honor of all
students who have ever grappled
with show-and-tell missteps
and problematic classmates, he’s
penned a clever poetry collection,
My Teacher Dances on the Desk.
Episodes from every aspect of
school life, from visiting the
school nurse to sitting next to the
wrong student, are told through
humorous verse.
Move Me Soon
I don’t like sitting next to Rose.
She’s always picking at her nose,
And chews her fingernails way
down,
And always wears a pouty frown.
From Buffalo, Wyo., Eugene
Gagliano is known as “the
teacher who dances on his desk.”
Gene travels to schools and
conferences with presentations
as entertaining as they are
informative.
Wyoming Library Roundup • Spring 2010
Official publication of the
Wyoming State Library,
the Wyoming Library Association,
and the Wyoming Center for the Book
Volume 52, Number 2, Spring 2010
ISSN: 0043-9738
Tina Lackey
Editor
Lesley Rowbal
Assistant Editor and Writer
Wyoming State Library
Publications and Marketing Office
2800 Central Avenue, Cheyenne, WY 82002
307/777-6338
Wyoming Library Roundup is published quarterly by the
Wyoming Library Association and the Wyoming State Library.
All rights reserved. Contents of this magazine may not be
reproduced without the express permission of the publishers.
E-mail us at [email protected]
The Wyoming Library Roundup is produced in part with Library Services and Technology Act federal funds
awarded to the Wyoming State Library program from the Institute of Museum and Library Services.
Twain’s recipe on life lacks one important ingredient
- great music. Friends, books, a conscience nodding
off, and a great song playing on the radio: now that
is the ideal existence. For me, great music is melody
AND lyric, married together so the lyric speaks what
the music feels. Technicians call this prosody. Studio
musicians call it “in the pocket.” I like to call it “the
sweet spot.” Like hitting a baseball dead center – the
bat doesn’t vibrate or sting your hands. Instead it
sends a solid, warm sensation from the wood to your
palms as the ball leaves the bat screaming toward
the fences. A great song does that to the ears when
songwriters are skilled or lucky enough to ensure that each musical
phrase matches the rhythm and intent of the lyric.
The craft of songwriting, like carpentry or sculpture, requires hours of practice: drafting, re-writing,
editing, and mental torture. When a songsmith finds the sweet spot, songs like “In My Life”(Lennon/
McCartney) or “I Hope You Dance” (Mark D. Sanders/Tia Sillers) happen, and whether you’re listening
to it for the first or hundredth time, the song sends physical and emotional sensations into your mind and
body. Many of us can trace memories to songs. A song like “American Pie” (Don McLean) comes on the
radio and transports us back to when we fell in love for the first time, felt hearts break for the first time, or
saw a great artist in concert for the first time. When I hear “Go Your Own Way” (Lindsey Buckingham) on
the radio here in 2010, I remember the color of the t-shirt I wore to the concert back in 1977.
I can’t tell the story of how a 7 year old kid from Casper fell in love with music and lyrics, unless I draw a
direct path to our local library. I didn’t learn to play piano or drums at the library, and we couldn’t play our
records there either. The library is where my imagination was set free – to roam the forest where Twain,
Hemingway, Kipling, Shaw, Fitzgerald and even Hunter Thompson all lived. All I had to do was hand the
lady my card and she let me take the books home…and for 14 days those books were MINE! I wandered
down pathways of carefully chosen words and phrases, and my mind turned those phrases into pictures
and mental “movies”… and as fast as I could read the words, so moved the story in my head. At 17, when
I became infected by the notion that I could write a song - all those words and phrases were living in my
imagination, and parts of the Natrona County Library had become a mini-library inside my head.
I’ve never stopped going to the library, never stopped reading or listening to good books, and never
stopped wandering the forests of words and phrases. I can’t stop, because one of these days a word or
phrase is going to send a signal to my brain and it’s going to match up with a melody floating around in my
subconscious, and BANG! I’m going to write a song that hits that “sweet spot” and all my good friends will
be sitting at home reading good books and it will be my song playing on their radios - and that will be the
ideal life!
Les Bowron, a former Wyoming Legislator, now lives with his wife Beth in Nashville, Tennessee, where
he works for Metro Nashville Government and writes songs in his spare time.
les bowron, songwriter and former wyoming legislator
“Good friends, good books and a sleepy conscience:
this is the ideal life.” (Mark Twain)
Wyoming Library Roundup • Spring 2010
3
The Beat Goes On
Musicians in Wyoming’s Libraries
In previous issues of the Wyoming Library Roundup,
we’ve showcased librarians across the state with an
artistic flair. We’ve also shown light on those who have
honorably served our country in the military. But our
stories of librarians do not end there. In this latest
edition of the Roundup, we explore librarians across
the state who have musical talents. They may be a
part of an ensemble, band, or write songs. They might
even be a combination of it all. We invite you to take
another look at the lives of our Wyoming librarians.
Byron Tomingas, Teton County Library
While growing up, Byron’s father had always been very quiet and very private,
but when Byron Tomingas’ uncles came to visit his dad came alive.
“When his brothers would come to town they would all pull out their
instruments and play. They were all like that and they would just open up and
laugh and play and have a good time. I thought, ‘That’s something I want to do,’”
says Tomingas, a library assistant at the Teton County Library.
And that’s how it was. Music was a pivotal part in the Tomingas family life and
upbringing. That is until Tomingas turned five years old when a tragedy hit his
family hard.
“My oldest brother played trumpet, and at 12 years old he was a prodigy. He
was brilliant,” he says.
“He was going to be a professional musician, but then all three of us boys got
polio, and he ultimately perished.”
After that the Tomingas family was different. Music was different.
“Music disappeared for the next five to seven years,” he says.
4
Wyoming Library Roundup • Spring 2010
Furthermore, he had a great interest
When it was time for Tomingas
“It hurt my parents so much that all the
in computers as a hobby, so he chose
instruments disappeared from the house, to attend college, he chose the
to switch his career and hobby. He was
University of Wyoming with a major
and music was essentially turned off.”
going to work on computers and play
in
psychology.
He
calls
this
move
Tomingas was the youngest of the
guitar on the side.
brothers and the middle brother, Henry, “disastrous.”
“Science is a real passion for me, so
“Right before my finals I would be
was eventually the one who would work
when personal computers came out, I
playing guitar for 10 hours. I thought
to bring music back into the family.
really tried to learn about them.”
‘this is wrong.’”
“He came home one day with a guitar
While still in California, Tomingas
Tomingas decided that if music was all
and slowly music started to be back in
absorbed himself in the computer
he was doing with his time, then that is
the family. He showed me how to play
technology field, so much so that when
what he should plan on doing with his
some chords and my interest only grew
he returned to Wyoming he was able to
life.
He
enrolled
in
the
newly
created
from there.”
use some of his technology skills at the
California Institute of the Arts.
Henry went on to college, but even
library.
“It was just an extraordinary learning
in his absence encouraged his younger
“My mom worked at the library, and
environment,” Tomingas says.
brother to start a band.
I thought why not go home, do my
“They had the very best performers in
“I was a very shy person so the thought
concerts and become a librarian instead.”
the world as teachers and that’s why it’s
of doing this seemed nearly impossible.
And that’s what he did. Tomingas
always been considered one of the top
The last thing on earth I wanted was
has been working at the Teton County
schools.”
everyone looking at me,” he says.
Library since 2006—working with the
This type of college proved to be a
But his love for music pushed him
perfect match for him. Upon graduation public in circulation.
on stage. He organized a band, which
“I had always been such a shy person
he worked in a variety of jobs from
also allowed him to share the spotlight
that it seems almost odd to me that I
symphony to TV shows, but California
with other people and not have all the
could work the circulation desk and talk
wasn’t the right fit for him.
attention on himself.
to so many people.”
“The problem is that if you’ve been
“I would put together a list of songs and
“Four people have always been a lot
raised in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, it
teach people to play. I was the only one
harder for me than 1,000, but it seems
really spoils you, and it’s hard to live
around that time who knew how to sing
I’ve found a way.”
anywhere else.”
and play, so in order to have my band
I had to be
willing to
teach.”
The music
kept him busy
and helped
keep the town
teenagers
busy as well.
At the same
time, the
band taught
Tomingas
so much
about the
business side
of the music
industry.
“We’d
rehearse,
send out
advertising
and get
the hall set
up. If we
couldn’t find
chaperones
to come,
we’d hire a
policeman.” Library assistant Byron Tomingas has spent the majority of his life playing and making music.
Wyoming Library Roundup • Spring 2010
5
Bobby Phillips, Laramie County Library System
There was a lot going on for Bobby
Phillips when he turned 16.
He had just started writing his own
music and got his first job. He always
expected his first job would be working
at McDonalds or some other fast food
restaurant, but instead, it was at the
Laramie County Library System.
“I was in a car accident that year and
had to pay for the damages. I found
out about this job opening up at the
library through my dad’s work, took
the interview, and got the job,” Phillips
says.
And he’s been at the library ever
since. Last year he was promoted to a
circulation position that allows him to
work more with the public.
But the great thing about working
at the library is that Phillips can still
devote a large amount of time to his real
passion—music.
“When I was five, my grandma gave
me this dinky little acoustic guitar. I
would bang on it and try to play music,”
he recalls.
He put the guitar down for quite
awhile and didn’t pick it back up until
he was 12 or 13 years old.
“The music thing dropped off until I
read a Stevie Ray Vaughn biography in
junior high. I picked up the guitar again
and learned how to tune it. I learned
how to play songs by ear and continued
to play.”
Growing up, Phillips says his father
was an avid music fan of everything
from AC/DC to Dire Straights, and, of
course, Stevie Ray Vaughn.
“I’d go to school, see someone playing
and ask if I could play. I just kept
playing and showing more people.”
When he started to write his own
music, it only got better.
“I was asked to join a band. I have
been in three different bands in the
past,” he says.
He plays at many of the bars
throughout Cheyenne and along with
his band, is trying to branch out to
other places in the area.
6
“It’s a tight-knit
music scene in
Cheyenne. Most
of the people who
play here have
been playing for
years and years. I
was lucky to know
people who already
had a foot in the
door.”
First and foremost,
Phillips says he
is a guitar player,
although he can also
play the bass and
hold a decent beat
on the drum.
“I like to pretend I
can play keyboards,”
he jokes, “but it’s
mostly guitar.
He also does his
own instrumental
music at home
and even contracts
out his musical
talents. He recently
wrote music for a
Laramie County
Community
College play.
The library has
been a great place
for Phillips to work,
he says, especially
because he has such
a strong interest in
music.
“One of the
cool things about
working in a library
is I’ve worked a
lot with the music
collection as a
shelver and that
really expands
your knowledge of Bobby Phillips has been playing on and off since he was a child.
music,” he says.
how to do something guitar wise or
“With having access to such a vast
recording wise, there’s a book to do it.”
library, I know that if I want to learn
Wyoming Library Roundup • Spring 2010
Jennifer Giese,
Thayne Library
Music has always been
a part of her life, no
matter her age or life’s
circumstances.
“There’s only ever been
maybe a short time
without music: I need it,”
says Thayne Library Aide
Jennifer Giese.
Giese has been singing
since her youth, whether
that be through school or
church choirs or smaller
groups.
“Music was the biggest
part of my life while I
was living in Houston
for about 30 years and
singing in the symphony
chorus,” she says.
That group was special
Jennifer Giese, far left, makes sure she’s a part of the music community no matter where she lives.
and Giese says they sang
which is a little group of mainly
research. I was one of those weird
all types of music with very famous
snow birds who sing popular stuff at
kids who would go to the library with
conductors.
nursing homes, around senior centers, index cards just to research and write
But as she and her husband got older
flag ceremonies and what not.”
papers.”
they were looking for a place to retire
She’s also part of a group called
Not long after the Thayne branch
and get out of the “big, nasty city,”
Summer Friends.
opened, Giese made her call to the
she jokes.
“We’re called that because I’m the
library offering to help in any way
“We had done a lot of traveling to
only one who lives here full time.”
possible. She told them she had always
figure out where we wanted to retire.
Sometimes the group also teams up
wanted to work in a library.
We knew we wanted to be somewhere
with a male quartet around town.
“Now I’ve been working here as a
where we could experience all the
Giese says that one of the first things library aide and assistant part-time
seasons. We had always vacationed in
she and her husband did when they
pretty much since we first opened up,
mountainous areas and we loved it.”
got to the area was go get a library
and I just love it.”
As they were looking for a place,
card, and when she found out there
Giese went into accounting when
they drove through Star Valley, Wyo.
was going to be a Thayne library she
she was younger, and says she always
“We said ‘Wow, this is just what we
knew it was something she wanted to
thought the library would have been
wanted,’” she recalls.
be a part of.
the right place for her. But even if
She and her husband found a piece
“When I was in high school, I
she’s not sure of her decision back
of property and in about three years
went to our little branch library
then, she feels very comfortable with
they built their perfect home.
and pleaded for a summer job. They
her life choices right now.
Giese quickly became involved in the
told me they didn’t hire high school
“With the library and the music, I’m
music community in her new Thayne.
people,” she says.
a pretty happy camper.”
“After we moved here I found
“But I thought the library was a
the Star Valley Ranch Singers,
perfect place. I had always loved doing
Wyoming Library Roundup • Spring 2010
7
Jenita Calton,
Carbon County Library
In her nearly 20 years
in Rawlins, she has seen
the music scene have its
ups and downs.
“Probably about 10
years ago they had a
Rawlins Community
Band and then that
kind of petered out,”
says Carbon County
Technology Librarian
Jenita Calton.
In addition to being a member of the ensemble, Jenita Calton also directs the Rawlins Children’s Hand Bell Choir.
But four years ago Calton and some of
her fellow musician friends brought the
band back.
“We decided we wanted to do a whole
new thing in a whole new way.”
Calton, one of four members of the
new “band,” started talking and created
an entirely new organization which
included bylaws and a board. That is
when the ensembles started.
“Very quickly we grew from four
people to six and had a really hard time
finding music because we had a flute,
clarinet, trombone and a cello,” she
jokes.
“What do you do with that?”
But that was then, and now their
ensemble has grown to more than 20
people. One way they increased their
numbers was by working with the high
school band.
“We’re still missing some areas but
now we can play regular songs and
make it work. We’re a lot better. We
really love it.”
The ensemble has a regular season
and takes off January, May and August,
after their big concerts at the end of the
season.
8
“Most of us probably played
instruments in high school and then
just kind of stopped,” Calton says. She
started playing the trombone in sixth
grade.
“Then you grow up and you stop
doing it because you don’t have anyone
to play with anymore. This is a great
way for a bunch of us to say ‘Wow, I
can still play the horn or the flute or
whatever.’”
The best part of the ensemble for
Calton has been watching it grow.
“Those from the earlier years still
remember when there were only six or
seven of us.”
“When a fellow trombonist started
playing with me it was one of the most
exciting days because I wasn’t the only
one playing that part all the time and
had someone to learn with and from.”
Calton says her own musicianship
is better than it’s ever been. She says
she thinks that is because she is more
mature, experienced and focused than
she was in her youth.
“I’m the kind of person who loves
collaborating with people, so the growth
of the group and how we work together
Wyoming Library Roundup • Spring 2010
is great for me.”
When Calton originally joined the
Rawlins Community Band it became a
real part of her, just the way the library
did. She started at the library 14 years
ago while her daughter was just starting
school and her son was at home with
her.
“The library was moving shelves and
the penitentiary guys came to move
books. Well they just left them in these
stacks on the floor and it was a mess.
The library asked for volunteers from
the community to help out, so I came
to help,” she says.
At the same time she had been looking
for a part-time job where she could still
have the flexibility to be with her kids.
“I didn’t want to work when my
kids weren’t in school. I had all these
conditions, but the library was great.
We made it work.”
Calton says while she was in college
at Utah State as a wildlife major she
worked at the library.
“It’s funny how it all works out. It all
kind of makes sense now.”
She is also the director of the Rawlins
Children’s Hand Bell Choir.
Jessica
Neiweem,
Park County
Library
Park County Teen
Librarian Jessica Neiweem
doesn’t just work with her
coworkers, sometimes she
performs for them, too.
Neiweem and her
band mate, Al Dimond,
performed at the library
in November. She says
performing in front of
her coworkers and library
patrons is both exciting and
challenging.
“Al really enjoys
performing here but I’m
just not as into performing
in public,” she says.
Teen librarian Jessica Neiweem and Al Dimond form the band City Steve and the Neon Lights.
“My favorite Cowboy
Poet showed up and I
Neiweem admits that she feels like
“My intro professor in library school
thought ‘He’s never going to look at me
she’s been singing forever. She was in
said, ‘I have been on the Admissions
the same way again,’” she jokes.
choir in elementary school and took
Committee and can say the only thing
The duo met during Neiweem’s
piano and guitar lessons.
all of you have in common is that you’re
sophomore year of college and started
But it was librarianship that led
all crazy enough to want to go to library
recording music together in 2008.
Neiweem to the state of Wyoming. She
school.’”
“He was taking part in the RPM
was a creative writing major in college,
After completing her master’s degree,
Challenge and was kind of struggling
but with a limited number of career
Neiweem says she was open to going
with lyrics. I helped him out with that
opportunities, Neiweem says she wanted pretty much anywhere.
album and we had a really good time and
to do something she would love and
“I was looking for a library position
worked really well together,” she says.
that would put food on the table.
anywhere in the country,” she says.
The RPM Challenge literally challenges
“At the time I thought well, I
“The people here seemed to really
musicians to create an entire album
am working in the library as an
click and things went well when I
in the month of February. “Record an
undergraduate and I think I could do
interviewed. It has been a great fit.”
album in 28 days, just because you can,”
this after I graduate too,” she recalls.
She says she was open to doing pretty
the site says. That is 10 songs or 35
But that job at the library wasn’t
much anything as long as it was in a
minutes of original material recorded in
always a lot of fun Neiweem says. She
public library.
the month of February.
worked as a shifter.
Neiweem says she loves how libraries
They have previously recorded under
“For six hours a day I would pick
and music both represent the best parts
the names Elko West and City Steve
books up and move them to a different
of us.
and the Neon Lights. Their music is
location. So I was saying ‘I love libraries,
“Music as an art form helps you access
available on the RPM Web site.
but I’m not sure if this is necessarily the your whole and helps you integrate
“Fortunately, Al and I are dating, so
role I want to play in them,’” she says.
your experiences in life and libraries can
we live together--which makes recording
Neiweem made her decision and
really help us do the same thing.”
really easy. Anytime we’re at home it
headed to library school.
becomes a recording session.”
Wyoming Library Roundup • Spring 2010
9
Smells LikeTeen
Spirit
Teens complaining of boredom have
not gone unnoticed, especially by
libraries in Wyoming.
“They were always saying ‘We’re bored.
There’s nothing to do,’” says Ellie Eaton,
Assistant Youth Services Librarian at the
Sweetwater County Library.
“So, I said OK well what do you want
to do? What are you interested in? They
said music, poetry, acting and art. And
that’s where this all started.”
That’s when the library started to offer a
variety of activities, especially in music.
“The teens wanted to listen to music
and have concerts. Because all events
at the library are free, this was a great
opportunity to do something for
the teens and also give back to the
community,” Eaton says.
Donations from these events go to
local food banks, help pay for people’s
bills who have been involved in an
accident, and however else the library
and teens can help.
“The library now holds several events
focusing on music in some locations
other than the library. We use venues
throughout the community such as
parks,” Eaton says.
“When planning last summer’s Benefit
Metal Show a band member of the metal
band Picture It In Ruins provided the
substantial damage deposit on behalf of
the library in order to enable us to use a
larger venue in town, which allowed us to
accommodate the 450 attending patrons.”
Shane Siler, bass player for the band Never
Reaching Tomorrow plays during the
Sweetwater County Library’s big concert
last summer.
10
Wyoming Library Roundup • Spring 2010
Shari Haskins, Young Adult Services
says she and others have also been able
Last year’s annual benefit/metal
Librarian for the Riverton Branch
to see musicians’ skills grow, especially
concert came in response to grief
Library, has also paid some special
from the Poetry Jams.
of losing two young men in their
“Poetry Jams offer a really comfortable attention to their local bands.
community.
“It all began in 2004 with the Rock the
environment for individuals to perform
“Everyone handles grief differently and
Vote concert for the presidential, national
and often musicians will end up being
many people feel helpless about it,” she
and local elections,” Haskins says.
featured in one of our concerts later.”
says.”
“We had the Fremont County Election
“To see the growth in these people is
The funds raised from the show were
Office at the concert to help register
just amazing,” Eaton says.
used to buy a memory tree for both
new voters. We also had state and local
The Poetry Jams are geared toward
young men and at the request of the
candidates present, and they had their
two families another tree will be planted people of high school age and up
chance to speak to the crowd.”
because the material is completely
in memory of a two-year-old boy who
After the Tsunami in South Asia in
uncensored. With an open mic
died very close to the same time.
December 2004, the library held a
setting, there is a variety of poetic
There has been more than one
benefit concert for Tsunami Aid in
and music genres that make the jams
occasion where the library has been
2005. They’ve also hosted three Darfur
unique.
filled to capacity.
Awareness and benefit concerts.
“We had two young men who started
“This is so neat because by doing
Haskins has said that sometimes
out performing the theme to the Pink
these concerts, Poetry Jams and other
Panther at a Poetry Jam. Since then they teens don’t get enough exposure and
events we’re able to get people into the
awareness and she feels like it’s part of
helped found a heavy metal band and
library who would not ordinarily walk
her job as someone who disseminates
are one of our featured bands at the
through our doors. It’s almost a sneaky
information to bring awareness.
way to grab the attention of people who benefit concerts.”
“The bands have always been excited
The library holds the Poetry Jams
may not realize the variety of materials
about participating and very generous
about once a month, which fills to
available,” Eaton says.
with their help in organizing these
capacity the library’s multi-purpose
“There are many teens whom as I get
benefits along with the set up and
room with others filling the foyer and
to know them and their interests, I am
breakdown,” Haskins says.
clustered around the doors in the main
able to slyly suggest books to them that
“I will continue to use our local talent
room.
I feel will interest them. In some cases I
and this is an excellent way for the
Sweetwater County isn’t the only
encounter closet readers who are better
bands to expose their ‘sounds.’”
versed in classics than I, and yet previously library that coordinates these events.
didn’t feel it was
‘cool’ to advertise
this fact.”
Eaton says
everyone who
works with the
libraries to help put
on these concerts
and attend are very
respectful. Some of
these bands are just
looking for a way
to showcase their
music and can’t
afford a big venue,
and also with a
limited number
of venues in the
area it’s a great
opportunity for
the library and the
bands.
Through these
programs, Eaton
A large crowd is nothing strange for the events put on by the Sweetwater County Library.
Wyoming Library Roundup • Spring 2010
11
Remembering Wyoming’s
All-Around Cowboy
As of March 2010, it has been five
years since the death of renowned
country music artist and Wyomingite
Chris LeDoux.
For most of LeDoux’s fans this is a
shock, because in the last five years his
fans’ loyalty and love have not faded.
The life and a half size sculpture of
LeDoux, titled “Good Ride Cowboy”
12
by D. Michael Thomas, will be unveiled
during LeDoux’ memorial park
dedication June 18-19 this summer in
Kaycee, Wyo.
“There was never any give in Chris’
character,” says friend and former
guitarist and road manager for Ledoux,
Mark Sissel.
“Everything was real about him. He
Wyoming Library Roundup • Spring 2010
was the epitome of the real American
cowboy. People saw that he was true,
and people draw on that kind of thing.”
Sissel spent 16 years as a member of
LeDoux’s band, Western Underground.
“Sixteen years is longer than most
marriages, and to end that time without
having a bad thing to say--in all those
years--well, that says a lot about who
(Left) Mark Sissel,
left, and Western
Underground perform
with Chris Ledoux.
Photo by Paula
Goodell.
“If someone
gave him a love
song about a
brown-eyed,
red-haired girl
you can bet he
was going to
change the lyrics
Chris was,” he says.
to a green-eyed,
When Sissel met
blonde-haired
LeDoux in 1989,
girl. It was always
he knew little about
about his wife,”
him or his music.
he says.
“If there were
Sissel says that
people attending his
he has never
show who had never
met anyone like
heard his music, you
LeDoux and he
can guarantee by the
probably never
end of the show they
will.
were leaving fans.”
“He was positive
After Sissel was
in nature, a kid
hire, LeDoux
at heart. He had
gave the band the
a strong character
name Western
and knew what
Underground. That
he wanted and
was before he was
went for it. He
signed to Capitol
was very focused,
Records in the early
and very loyal
1990s. By then,
in all things. He
LeDoux already
The bronze Chris LeDoux statue, titled Good Ride Cowboy, was created by D. Michael was just truly the
had a pretty strong
Thomas--who was one of LeDoux’s favorite sculptors.
great American
following. He had
Cowboy.”
been selling his records
Sissel says
LeDoux’s music, not only because it was
independently for years
LeDoux
really
believed
in the lifestyle he
real, but also because it was all positive.
through the rodeo circuit.
sang
about,
he
believed
in the West.
“The early fans could have cared less if LeDoux didn’t have any cheating,
“He
once
joked
about
being the only
fighting, did-me-wrong songs.
Chris went main stream, actually they
person who liked to irrigate, but that
“Positive music was always important
probably liked it better when he wasn’t.
was Chris. This place was his home.”
to him. It was important the kind of
That’s because Chris had always been
Although LeDoux was a Wyomingite,
message he sent out to his fans about his
their guy.”
he
didn’t start out that way. He was
music and who he was.”
LeDoux sold nearly $4 million in
born in Mississippi and moved around
LeDoux was always very true to
records before he was even signed, Sissel
himself; no matter how big he got, there with his military family. When the
says.
family moved to Texas, he found a way
were certain things he wouldn’t do.
“By the time he got signed, he had
of life that he loved.
“Before every show he’d have me go
already built a following that he was
“I think he had some uncle stick him
tell the meet and greet folks that there
honestly barely aware of,” Sissel says.
on
a calf and went to it,” Sissel says.
“It always surprised him when all these would be no hugging or kissing Chris.
The
family eventually moved to
He was more than willing to take
people showed up to the shows.”
Cheyenne
and when it was time to
pictures with the fans, but if it was with
Sissel says he remembers LeDoux
move again, LeDoux decided that he
a woman you can bet his hands were
asking more than once, “why do you
wasn’t leaving.
folded in front of him.”
think all these people come out and
“He wasn’t leaving Wyoming. He
This was all out of respect for his
follow this raggedy old Cowboy?”
had
found his place and then he really
wife. LeDoux never wanted a picture
“Because they believe in you. Hell, I
became that guy.”
of him to end up in some magazine of
believe in you. We have no reason not
It took a while to figure out what
him and a female fan. His wife was too
to,” Sissel would tell him.
Western
Underground was going to do
important for that.
There was something refreshing about
Wyoming Library Roundup • Spring 2010
13
after LeDoux’s death.
“We talked about what we were
going to do for several months, and
then someone invited us to come play
and that really helped us.”
To sing the songs, the band hired
Dustin Evans who opened up 20 to
25 of LeDoux’s shows.
“He knew all the material and was
a great guy. He wasn’t someone to fill
Chris’s shoes by any means, but he
was someone who could pay respect
to the music,” he says.
They continued to do shows
throughout the last half of 2005.
Sissel says the shows were almost
therapeutic for the band.
“We really went out late that first
year to just play a few shows and kind
of tip our hats and say goodbye to
these special places we’d played many
times over the 15-16 years, and really
say farewell given the fact that Chris
didn’t ever get a chance.”
That first year they played mostly
songs they had performed with
LeDoux. They added a song called
“King of Wyoming,” co-written by
Sissel that paid homage to LeDoux.
“It felt so good to be out there and I
think it helped some of the fans too.
Actually, I know it did.”
Sissel says they had a lot of fans
come up and just be thankful to hear
the music again. That’s what Western
Underground had really wanted too.
“There were some who just couldn’t The life and a half sized statue will be unveiled during the Chris LeDoux Memorial Park
handle coming to the shows, and
Dedication on June 18-19.
I certainly understand that. It was
band was struggling with those same
other band members.
different for everyone.”
emotions.
But
with
each
year
the
band
“There’s an awful lot of memories there
He recalls playing a show in Oregon
continues
to
add
its
own
music
to
the
and
it feels good when we can all get
and watching two women in the front
lineup. In 2007, they recorded an album together and remember Chris and all
row and their reaction to the music.
of all their own material.
those times,” Sissel says.
“There were two fairly young gals in
“Our
music
is
still
in
the
same
taste
Sissel talks a lot about how real
the front row and they were crying at
that
Chris
would
like.
It’s
still
about
this
LeDoux’
character was, how he was
the beginning of the show. I watched
area and it’s still all positive in nature,”
that guy, that great American Cowboy.
them throughout the show and they
Sissel says.
But even with all those things LeDoux
slowly began screaming and carrying
The
show
is
now
about
50
percent
was, Sissel says there was really only one
on--just having a good ole’ time by the
LeDoux
music
and
50
percent
their
own.
thing he wanted to be remembered for.
end,” Sissel says.
“No matter what, Chris and
“If I’m to be known for anything, I’d
“So at the end of the show I put down
hope it was for being a good husband
my guitar and went up to them and said remembering him will always be a part
of our shows.”
and father,” LeDoux would say.
‘do you feel better now?’ And they said
Telling
stories
about
LeDoux,
can
yes, we do, and we’re glad we came.”
sometimes by hard for Sissel and the
That was nice to see, because the
14
14
Wyoming Library Roundup • Spring 2010
Wyoming
music festivals
turn heads
Beartrap Summer Festival, Aug. 7-8, 2010
The Beartrap Summer Festival, held on Casper Mountain,
is a premiere Central Wyoming event for families, music
lovers, and anyone who enjoys a good party in the Wyoming
sunshine. The festival started 16 years ago as a showcase
for bluegrass music, and live musical performances are still
the heart of the event. Over the years, they’ve diversified
the music to include elements like western swing and
contemporary folk, and added well known headliners like
Asleep at Wheel, the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, and Ricky
Skaggs – but the emphasis remains acoustic, accessible, and
fun.
In addition to music, the festival serves as an outdoor
marketplace for many regional vendors. They have up to 80
vendors selling their arts and other commodities as well as a
tempting array of foods from finger snacks to hot meals.
Beartrap has always been a family-friendly event, with
Wyoming Library Roundup • Spring 2010
15
special activities for children throughout both days and a
no-alcohol policy. There’s also a Pickin’ Tent where local
musicians can play together, as well as seminars put on
by the visiting bands. Many families use the festival as an
anchor event for reunions and family camping trips, and
it has become a favorite with locals and folks who come
from around the state and the region to attend.
The festival began as a co-operative project between
GapWest Broadcasting (then under the banner of Clear
Channel Radio) and Natrona County, and they are still
the primary organizers. But they couldn’t do it without
the numerous other supporters and sponsors – many of
whom have been with there since the beginning. The
number of sponsors and attendees who come back year
after year is the best evidence that the Beartrap Summer
Festival is one terrific party
Big Horn Mountain Festival, July 9-12, 2010
The Big Horn Mountain Festival is
a premier, family-friendly, three-day
music festival dedicated to promoting
acoustic American roots music through
performances and workshops. Various
musical genres are presented at the festival
including bluegrass, old-time cowboy,
blues, old time Appalachian, and folk.
The Big Horn Mountain Festival
continues to showcase performers from
around the country and the world,
many of whom have Grammy and other
prestigious awards under their belts. The
2010 sixth annual festival features The
Grascals, The Steep Canyon Rangers,
The Wiyos, Anne & Pete Sibley, The
Jalan Crossland Band, Troxel & Krieger,
Too Wet To Plow, D. Michael Thomas,
Anastasia's Fault, and Ralph Reed Jr.
Wyoming's Mandolin and Banjo
State Championships are hosted at the
festival, and there are contests for fiddle
and guitar players as well. Professional
musicians lead a variety of workshops
for the amateurs, and jam sessions last
well into the night at the campgrounds.
Food and craft vendors, instrument
raffles, and a band scramble round-out
16 Wyoming Library Roundup • Spring 2010
the fun and enjoyment for everyone.
The festival will begin early Friday
afternoon, July 9, and run until late
Sunday afternoon, July 11, with a
traditional gospel show on Sunday
morning.
Both RV and tent camping are available
at the Johnson County Fairgrounds in
Buffalo where the event takes place.
More information about the Big Horn
Mountain Festival can be found at www.
bighornmountainfestival.com or by calling
the Buffalo Chamber of Commerce at
307-684-5544.
Wyoming Old Time Fiddle Association, May 29-30, 2010
The Wyoming Old Time Fiddle
Association (WOTFA), is a group of
old time fiddlers from all over Wyoming
who enjoy playing and listening to fiddle
music. The organization has been in
existence since the 1970s, and began
holding the State Contest in Shoshoni.
The contest continued in Shoshoni
for more than 30 years, but moved to
Thermopolis a few years ago.
Old time fiddle music is tuneful,
rhythmic and danceable.
In the typical fiddle contest a fiddler
will play three kinds of tunes: a hoedown
(such as Arkansas Traveler), a waltz (such
as Peek-a-boo), and a tune of choice
(such as Dill Pickle Rag). A contest is an opportunity for
a fiddler to compare his or her playing to others, but more
importantly it is a chance to see old friends. The best music
is usually in the jam sessions that go on all day and night at a
fiddle contest.
The 2010 State Contest will be held in Thermopolis at the
Hot Springs County High School May 29-30, 2010. For
more information, contact Contest Director Ed Capen (307921-8120) at [email protected] or WOTFA President
Dick Enders at [email protected].
For more information about the Wyoming Old Time
Fiddlers, the state contest, and other fiddle everts, please visit
www.wyomingfiddle.org.
Happy Jack Music Festival, July 30-Aug. 1, 2010
If you love music and love the outdoors, this festival is for
you. The Happy Jack Music Festival will be held July 30–Aug.
1 at the amphitheater at Curt Gowdy State Park, on the north
side of the highway. This beautiful state park is located 24 mi.
west of Cheyenne and 23 mi. east of Laramie on Highway
210 (Happy Jack Road).
In these times of economic hardship, free entertainment
helps the pocketbook and the music lifts the spirit.
Although the music is free, this festival is a fundraiser for the
Friends of Curt Gowdy State Park, a group whose mission is
to raise awareness about the park through activities such as
this music festival. All day fees and camping fees will go to
the Friends group to help them continue. Fees are as follows:
Daily Park use: $4 resident, $6 non-resident. Overnight
use camping fee, includes daily fee: $10 resident, $17 nonresident.
Bands from Wyoming, Colorado and Tennessee are
donating their time and talent to this effort and will provide
all types of acoustic music – Bluegrass, Country, Folk,
Celtic, Gospel, Old Time, Original Songs – something for
everyone.
There will be a fiddle contest, jamming, workshops, and
a worship service Sunday morning. Great concessions will
be available on site all weekend. On Saturday there will be
activities for children in the Kid’s Tent.
In addition to the music, enjoy other activities in the park
and nearby – fishing, hiking, mountain biking on world class
trails, rock climbing or just relaxing in the sunshine.
The amphitheater is also handicapped accessible. So, as John
Prine sings – “Blow up the TV, throw away the paper, Go to
the country”.
For more information, call Dave or Julee, 307-433-9463, or
go to www.hjmusicfestival.com.
Wyoming Library Roundup • Spring 2010
17
Grand Teton Music Festival, June 30-Aug. 14, 2010
Gail Williams is one of the finest
French horn players in the world.
Retired from the Chicago Symphony
Orchestra after 20 years, she still
performs at the highest level with the
Chicago Chamber Musicians. It sounds
glamorous, but it’s hard work.
“Even though it might be one of the
best gigs in the world,” says Williams,
“it’s still a job.”
So what does Gail Williams do in the
summer, between regular seasons in
Chicago? For the past 18 years, she has
played with the Grand Teton Music
Festival in Walk Festival Hall in Teton
Village, spending up to seven weeks
performing with 200 like-minded artists
from the best ensembles throughout the
country.
“It rejuvenates my batteries,” she says.
“I don’t know if anyone really calls
it your job – you’ve chosen to do it,
you don’t need to do it. There’s no
tenure, everyone is playing at their
best. It’s a very special music making
opportunity.”
Williams isn’t alone holding that
attitude, which is why so many come
back year after year, for 20, 30 even 40
years or more. Jennifer Ross, a violinist
with the Pittsburgh Symphony, has been
coming for 28 years.
“It takes a certain kind of person to
play in an orchestra all year long and
then, during their vacation time, come
to Wyoming to play in an orchestra
some more, at a fraction of our salary,”
Ross says. “Many of my colleagues in
the Pittsburgh Symphony think I’m
crazy ... but only the ones who’ve never
played here and never felt the magic.”
In 2011, the Grand Teton Music
Festival marks its 50th season. Over
that half century, the basic structure of
the festival has been well established:
Tuesdays through Thursdays are
dedicated to chamber music, works for
smaller ensembles or soloists, often a
grab-bag of musical treats. Fridays and
Saturdays feature the Festival Orchestra,
with up to
100-plus
instruments
as well
as guest
soloists
and guest
conductors
– brilliant
stars in the
classical
music
firmament.
Overseeing
the
proceedings
is Donald
Runnicles.
As Music
Director of
the Deutche
Opera
Berlin,
Chief
Conductor
of the BBC
Scottish
Symphony
Orchestra,
Principal
Guest
Conductor of
the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, and
former Music Director and Principal
Conductor of the San Francisco Opera,
he’s a pretty bright star himself. His
interest in GTMF, and appointment
as its Music Director in 2006, speak
volumes about the allure of the festival.
For this 49th season – June 30Aug. 14 – Runnicles has secured
another world-class roster of guests,
including violinist Sarah Chang,
pianist Stephen Hough and conductor
Mark Wigglesworth. Programs feature
universal favorites (Beethoven’s
Symphony No. 5, Mozart’s “Jupiter”
Symphony), 20th-century masterpieces
(Berg’s Violin Concerto, Debussy’s
La Mer), and neglected gems (such as
18 Wyoming Library Roundup • Spring 2010
works by J.S. Bach’s sons).
Other events include a free Fourth of
July concert, the family-friendly “6:15
Music Machine,” pre-concert talks,
free Tuesday night “Inside the Music”
programs, and the “Music in Nature”
program – in which a string quartet
plays free programs in the national
park. Such gatherings give audiences the
chance to explore the music and musicmaking process, and deepen the ties
between the Jackson Hole community
and long-thriving artistic community
created anew each summer in Walk
Festival Hall.
For additional information or to
purchase tickets, contact the Festival
Box Office at 733-1128 or go online to
www.GTMF.org.
Oyster Ridge Music Festival, July 30-Aug. 1, 2010
The Oyster Ridge Music Festival
(ORMF) committee believes that music
should be enjoyed by all. Because of this
they host a three-day music festival that
is free to the public.
Oyster Ridge is the largest free
festival in Wyoming and won the 24th
Annual Governor’s Art Award in 2005.
Organizers pride themselves in having
an intimate venue on the Famous
Historic Triangle Park in Kemmerer.
For the three days, attendees hear
music that varies from traditional
bluegrass to exciting, innovative and
edgy original compositions. Strings
and percussion instruments combine
with vocal talent to offer an auditory
feast that satisfies the hunger for live
performance. The event is supported
entirely by sponsorships and donations
making it even more remarkable.
The Oyster Ridge Music Festival has
allowed this small town to experience
world-class music of various genres
and appreciates the variety of styles
and techniques. The community
has come together to support this
musical experience, which has now
taken on a life of its own, one that
presents participants with a unique
opportunity to interact with the arts
in Wyoming.
The mission of the Oyster Ridge
Music Festival is to create a premier,
quality music event to attract a large
community audience while also
appealing to those from surrounding
areas. Every year the festival hires
around ten to eleven bands to perform.
The festival also organizes different
workshops each year that students
from around the region can attend.
Generally guitar, banjo, mandolin,
vocal, songwriting and fiddle workshops
are available and taught by different
professional band members.
ORMF is also the home of the state
Fingerpick and Flatpick contests.
The Wyoming State contests are held
during the last day of the festival. The
winners become the state champions
and as part of the prize, admission and
entry into the National Flatpick and
Fingerpick contests are provided.
Another activity at the festival is the
Infamous Band Scramble. In the Band
Scramble, musicians are randomly
grouped into a band. Winners are
chosen by the crowd on the basis of
stage presence and overall impression.
This event has always been one of the
most popular at the Oyster Ridge Music
Festival because it is open to all levels of
musicians. The Band Scramble usually
consists of about 75 contestants.
The Oyster Ridge Music Festival has
become the highlight of the year for
many residents of Kemmerer and the
surrounding communities as evidence
by the increase in numbers of attendees.
Kemmerer is known for the festival, but
the state is recognized for the best free
entertainment in the West. It is through
combined efforts that this festival is
in existence today. The festival is an
exceptional event and the more support
it receives the better it will continue to
be.
Wyoming Library Roundup • Spring 2010
19
Romance
with the
Range
The Prickly Pair
“If it’s in you, it’s going
to come out of you,”
that’s what musician Les
Hamilton says about people
born with artistic abilities.
“When you’re unabashed
about what you let flow out
of you it becomes very real
for your listeners. That’s
very readable and people
pick up on that.”
Locke says their newest member, Norman Winter, is the future of their music genre.
He and his wife Locke are part of the
ensemble, the Prickly Pair. They’re also
joined by Norman Winter.
Both had musical up-bringing but
took a long break from the music scene.
“We turned pro when most everyone
else in our industry starts to give up. We
turned pro in our 40s and it’s been quite
a ride,” Les says.
Les grew up in rural Wyoming and
played music from a very early age. He
played music with his family and also
joined the string program at school and
learned to play the violin.
“Back then you didn’t know any nice
standup musicians. The idea of being a
musician was kind of taboo.”
But at the same time, Les says if he
showed up at a family function, he was
expected to join in.
“That was part of the deal. Playing was
a family thing or a real ‘churchy’ thing
when you did play, it was important.”
Locke knew how to play the guitar
when she was young, but says she isn’t
an overly great singer—Les argues this
opinion. Regardless, she still focused a
lot on her singing. Then she left singing
20 Wyoming Library Roundup • Spring 2010
for nearly 25 years and had a career as a
horse trainer.
“I’ve read that if you have a musical
gift and you’re not doing something
with it, you will be miserable. That led
me back to my desire to sing,” she says.
Then the universe set it up, she says,
so she could meet Les so the two could
create music together and also wed.
“Everything was sort of meant to be,”
Locke says.
The two met in 1993 at a cowboy
music show in Riverton. They soon
started doing gigs at different resorts
and guest ranches before officially
becoming the Prickly Pair in 1995.
“We’ve both played music for as long as
we can remember. A love of the West and
the lifestyle brought us to our roots and
the kind of music we do today,” she says.
They describe their sound as a unique
and refreshing blend of old time fiddle,
cowboy tunes, vintage Western and folk
tunes that trace cowboy music to its
Celtic roots.
Their type of music doesn’t really fit in
any particular genre, although the group
can be heard on Americana folk music
radio from time to time. Six out of their
seven albums have charted on American
folk music radio.
The two started out doing covers of
more famous traditional songs and
started to add their own songs and
rework songs of the past with new lyrics
and melodies.
“When people hear we play country
music they think it will be like what
they hear on the radio, and the music
we play has some roots there but it’s
nothing like what we do. We have a very
niche market,” Les says.
And they’ve been very successful in this
niche market. The two aren’t ones to toot
their own horns but were nominated
for Best Group or Duo of the Year in
1998 by the Western Music Association.
They were also nominated for the Rising
Star Award in 1998 by the Academy of
Western Arts. After taking a break from
the Western Music Association, they
rejoined recently and were nominated in
six categories and walked off with Best
of the Best Harmony Singing Group in
Western Music.
The two love the music part of their
life but admit they have a harder time
touring because they don’t want to leave
their home.
“We live in such a beautiful place,
that it gets harder and harder to take
ourselves away,” Les says.
Locke says, “I think we’ll eventually
retire and probably take gigs as they
come instead of shopping around for
them—which we’ve really started to do
more of now.”
Locke thinks their third and newest
member, Winter, will carry on their music.
“I can definitely see him going out
and joining and forming another band
at some point and taking that sound
to venues. He’s really excited about the
music. Younger people are drawn to him
and want to find out more about him.
That’s how it will all live on.”
Les says he thinks at some point they
may start putting on workshops or
offering some kind of help to aspiring
musicians in their genre.
“You can spend a lot of time in school,
but sometimes spending 10 or 30 minutes
with a pro can teach you more than a
whole semester of class work,” he says.
For more information on the Prickly
Pair or to see when they’re coming
to a venue near you, visit www.
pricklypair.com.
Les and Locke Hamilton along with Norman Winter make up the group. The Prickly Pair.
Wyoming Library Roundup • Spring 2010
21
Paul Taylor is
an acclaimed
Australian
performing artist
who delights
in sharing the
culture of his
homeland.
Takin’ Care of Business
Being selected to the Wyoming Arts Council (WAC) Artist Roster
can help a struggling artist.
“Sometimes this is the push they need,” says WAC Literature,
Visual and Performing Arts Specialist Mike Shay.
“I’ve had plenty of artists say, ‘This was the last time I was
going to give it a go. I was so close to just giving up.’”
Not only does the roster help artists, it also gives places like
schools and libraries a place to go when they’re looking to
bring in some entertainment.
“If a library is looking for more activities when students are
on break, they can come to our site and check out what we
have that might help,” he says.
To get these artists, whether that be in performing arts,
folk arts, or literary arts, libraries can apply for grants
through the arts council to offset the cost. Usually these are
matching grants.
“This gives a lot of the smaller libraries an opportunity to
22 Wyoming Library Roundup • Spring 2010
bring some really neat stuff to their area,” Shay says.
Artists are selected once a year by an arts council
committee. These selected artists are assigned to the current
roster.
“We meet for about a day and let our committee go
through all the applicants. The arts council doesn’t decide
who gets added to the roster, instead we’re just there to help
the committee.”
Every five years everyone on the roster is required to
reapply. This helps the council determine who has become
inactive on the roster and others who may have moved and
not notified the council.
“Many arts councils use rosters from other states to
locate people to bring in their state, just like people from
outside the state use ours.”
Shay says the work artists do in libraries helps artists a
great deal.
“We have great libraries in the state and with Wyoming
being such a word-of-mouth state, if people like what
you’re doing the word will get around.”
This means more opportunities for Wyoming’s artists.
“The majority of the artists on our roster are performing
artists, but there’s such a variety in the ones listed,” Shay
says.
When
they started
the roster
there were
only about
20 people
featured. Now
the roster
has grown to
feature more
~Mike Shay, Wyoming Arts Council
than 65.
“The roster
has a potential to be as large as it wants to be,” he says.
There is no set number of artists accepted each year.
The council starts taking applications in September and
The Fat City Mardi Gras Band is a unique band that blends the
announces the roster during the fall season.
best of Fat Tuesday’s celebration music.
“The roster really does two things for artists: it gives
them credibility, a real stamp of approval; and it serves as
project with the artist. A contract is signed and the WAC
a resource to the communities.”
funding is paid directly to the grantee.
After choosing an artist, organizers must finalize the
Sometimes artists apply for one of the individual grants
themselves.
This can help
them finish
a book or
record a CD.
For more
information
on how to
apply for a
performing
arts grant or
an individual
grant, visit
the WAC
Web site
at http://
wyoarts.state.
wy.us.
“The roster really does two
things for artists. It gives them
credibility, a real stamp of
approval. And it serves as a
resource to the communities.”
David L. Shaul, a Wyoming native,
is a virtuoso performer on both folk
and pedal harp.
Wyoming Library Roundup • Spring 2010
23
historic
composers
of Wyoming
Wyoming has been home to more than 100 composers in its past. Most of their names and the
music they composed have been lost to history. Names like Flora Heathman, Mabel Cuthbert,
Mary Morris and John Morgan. Compositions with titles like “Take Me Back to Frontier Days”,
“Western Plains” and “Fall Flowers in Wyoming.”
Most had careers unrelated to their
music. Dr. Irvin Blake was a beloved
pioneer physician of Buffalo in the
early 1900’s. He was also a composer
of waltzes. David G. Thomas moved to
Wyoming in 1878 and was employed in
the coal mines. He held public offices
in Sweetwater and Uinta counties and
served as the State Coal Mine Inspector.
He wrote poetry and words for “My
Sweet Wyoming Rose.” J. Emilus
Blivin of Rock Springs wrote the music.
(The Wyoming Press, April 28, 1906)
Some worked as teachers in the
public schools of Wyoming. John J.
Brueggemann of Rock Springs was
responsible for the development of
the music education programs for the
Sweetwater County schools. He also
organized a school of music in Rock
Springs and lead the orchestra at the
Rialto Theater. More information about
him can be found at the American
Heritage Center in Laramie. “Wyoming
Moods” and “Wyoming Youth” are
two of his better known orchestral
compositions.
Many played important roles in
Wyoming’s early music history. Mary
Lee Merritt and Mary Read Rogers
both wrote music and served as
president of the Wyoming Federation
of Music Clubs. Alice Ross, composer
of “Wyoming Sketches,” a set of tone
24
Wyoming Library Roundup • Spring 2010
poems for organ, helped found the Cheyenne
Little Symphony, the predecessor of the
Cheyenne Symphony. Cady Kenney had
many songs published while he taught music
and established the Rawlins Conservatory of
Music.
Sometimes, compositions are more well
known than their composers. Marie Montabe
Horton authored the pageant play “Gift of
the Waters” while Corrine Barrow Williams
wrote some of its music. The “Gift of the
Waters” Pageant, first held in 1925, still
occurs every August at the Big Spring in
Hot Springs State Park, Thermopolis. Jack
Bryant was commissioned by the Wyoming
Department of Commerce and Industry to
write “That’s Wyoming” the state’s golden
anniversary theme song. And Lorene M.
Decker wrote “Yankie Sammies” in 1918, a
copy of which is housed in the British Library
Reference Collection.
According to “Wyoming A Guide to its
history, highways, and people” compiled by
workers of the Work Projects Administration
in Wyoming in 1941, John L. Hunton of
Laramie “is the only Wyoming composer
whose work is known to any extent outside
the State. In his piano and violin studies,
which describe the roundups, cattle
stampedes, blizzards, the beauty of hazy
prairies, and similar Western scenes, he has
woven original versions of some of the oldest
cowboy songs. For the piano Hunton wrote
‘Sagebrush,’ ‘Prairie Dogs,’ ‘Indian Paintbrush’ ‘Jackrabbits,’
‘Autumn Aspen,’ and ‘Blizzards’…” Copies of Hunton’s
Sketches of the West: suite for piano solo can be found at the
University of Wyoming Libraries.
Finally, there are many composers who were affiliated with
the University of Wyoming. George Edwin Knapp became
director of music at the University of Wyoming shortly after
World War I. He is most well known as the composer of
the music of the Wyoming March Song, our state song, for
which Charles E. Winter wrote the words (see story elsewhere
in this issue). June Etta Downey was a noted professor of
philosophy and psychology at the University but she also
wrote the words and music to the UW Alma Mater. Allan
Arthur Willman, who was chairman of the music department
at the university from 1942-1974, was a classical composer
and the recipient of the Paderewski Prize for his symphonic
poem, Solitude. He was also the founder of the Wyoming
Music Teachers Association. Willman’s papers are held by the
American Heritage Center in Laramie.
This is just a sampling of the composers who have lived
in Wyoming. It does not recognize any of the composers of
the past 30 years. Sources used include Wyoming Composers
compiled by The Wyoming Federation of Music Clubs,
1941 and Wyoming Composers A Bicentennial Review by
Curtis Snook and David Tomatz, 1976. The Wyoming State
Library also has a set of index cards, circa 1940-1960, that list
Wyoming composers and their music. The American Heritage
Center in Laramie holds the papers of a number of Wyoming
composers. Also, the Hebard Collection at the University of
Wyoming Libraries has a large collection of original music by
Wyoming’s composers.
~by Venice Beske,
Special Projects Librarian
at the Wyoming State Library.
Images courtesy of University of Wyoming Libraries
Wyoming Library Roundup • Spring 2010
25
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Music festival in Ten Sleep
features Wyoming musicians
NOWOODSTOCK is an annual music festival held the
second full weekend of August in Vista Park, Ten Sleep,
Wyoming. Vista Park, true to its name,
provides an engaging panorama of
the eastern flank of the Big Horn
Mountains, red rock cliffs, and Ten
Sleep Creek. Ten Sleep, population
304, is the perfect setting for an
enjoyable and entertaining weekend of
music, friends and fun. The festival is dedicated to bringing
excellent talent to the Big Horn
Basin. Over the past nine years
approximately 70 percent of the acts
have been from Wyoming or have
strong connections to the state. Folk,
singer/songwriter, jazz, blues, bluegrass,
western, country, Hispanic, Celtic,
and just about any combination of
musical styles have graced the stage
at NOWOODSTOCK. Many of the
attendees cite the variety of musical
styles as their favorite part of the event. NOWOODSTOCK X is scheduled
for August 13-15, 2010. Tickets are available at the main
Wyoming Library Roundup • Spring 2010
entrance to the park and are priced at $15 Friday and Sunday,
$20 Saturday, or $30 for the weekend. NOWOODSTOCK
offers a family friendly environment and
children under 12 are admitted free. Local and regional artists provide an
array of jewelry, art, turned bowls, blown
glass, and much more for sale. Ten Sleep’s own Jalan Crossland
is the most popular act at
NOWOODSTOCK. He is the only
artist to appear every year since the
festival started in 2001. Regardless of
who is on the bill, Jalan is the biggest
audience draw. “Jalan will play every year until he tells
me he doesn’t want to play anymore,”
Festival director Pat O’Brien says.
The beauty of the setting, the quality
of the music, and the demeanor of the
crowd offer a truly relaxing and totally
unique experience. There are no hassles,
no huge crowds, and no problems
encountered by festival-goers. For more information on Wyoming’s
music festivals, see page 15 in the magazine.