FEATURING: Pipp Gillette, Marley's Ghost, Sourdough Slim + Robert Armstrong, Denise Withnell + Keri Lynn Zwicker.

How many stringed instruments will you see on this stage? Add a couple without strings for more fun. Texas's Pipp Gillette, the West Coast's Marley's Ghost, California's Sourdough Slim + Robert Armstrong, and Canada's Denise Withnell + Keri Lynn Zwicker pull out all the strings for an evening of musical delight.

From the 38th National Cowboy Poetry Gathering.

PLAYLIST

Denise Withnell + Keri Lynn Zwicker
"Willly Macintosh" (traditional)
"Somewhere Over the Rainbow" (words by Yip Harburg + music by Harold Arlen)
"Magdalena and the Jack of Spades" (words + music by Katy Moffat + David Wilkie)

Pipp Gillette
"Long Summer Day" (traditional)
"Cowboy Annie" (words by Teddy Blue Abbott + music based on "Dance All Night With a Bottle in My Hand")
"38 Cents" (words by Waddie Mitchell + music by Pipp Gillette)
"Little Black Bull" (traditional)
"Sonny + J.C." (music by Sonny Terry)

Sourdough Slim + Robert Armstrong
"Travellin' Blues" (words + music by Jimmie Rodgers)
"Miss the Mississippi and You" (words + music by Bill Heagney)
"The Musket Came Down From the Door" (words + music by Moe Jaffe + Bix Reichner)
"I’m on My Way (The Story of Job)" (traditional)
"Rachel" (words + music by Jim Ringer)
"South for a Change" (words + music by Dan Wheetman)
"One More Shot" (words + music by Paul Kennerly)

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ABOUT THE ARTISTS

Pipp Gillette
Crockett, TX
Pipp Gillette lives and works on the family ranch near Lovelady, Texas, where his grandfather started raising cattle and cotton in 1912. Drawing on a lifelong interest in western history and music, Pipp plays traditional cowboy tunes and songs on guitar, banjo, harmonica, and bones, and tells stories of the American West. Pipp and his late brother, Guy, performing as the Gillette Brothers, received Western Heritage Awards in 2011 and 2013. For his CD with Waddie Mitchell, Singing Songs by Waddie and Pipp, Pipp received the award for Outstanding Western Album in 2016. In addition to raising beef cattle, Pipp is also a master carver–and collector–of wooden duck and shorebird decoys.

Marley's Ghost
The West Coast
Marley's Ghost is an eclectic aggregation comprising singers and multi-instrumentalists Jerry Fletcher, Ed Littlefield Jr., Bob Nichols, Mike Phelan, Dan Wheetman, and Jon Wilcox. The band can sing and play anything with spot-on feel, from roots to rock, blues to bluegrass, and gospel to stone country–which is what they’ve been doing for over 35 years. Their dozen albums contain a broad repertoire of Americana and acoustic music, and the band refuses to be defined by any one particular genre. As No Depression magazine put it, “The real draw is the band itself, showcasing the kind of ensemble performances that come only from a lifetime of playing together, thriving across the decades as virtuosic, unsung heroes of country, folk, and western swing.”

Sourdough Slim + Robert Armstrong
Paradise, CA
Sourdough Slim, aka Rick Crowder, is a hoot to say the least. Sourdough hails from California’s gold country and is the recipient of the Academy of Western Artists’ Yodeler of the Year Award. Since 1988, he has gained national recognition performing at the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering, the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, and Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center in New York. This savvy performer has the rare gift for transporting audiences to a whimsical world where vaudevillian camp incorporates cowboy lore. His fast-paced show combines song, yodeling, humor, accordion, guitar, ukulele, and harmonica, with a keen knowledge of traditional western repertoire. Sourdough is joined by Robert Armstrong, who matches him hoot for hoot.

Denise Withnell + Keri Lynn Zwicker
North Saanichton, BC, Canada
Denise Withnell (guitar, vocals) and Keri Lynn Zwicker (harp, vocals) are best known at the Gathering as members of the band Cowboy Celtic. For this year's Gathering, the Cowboy Celtic gals are here as a duo, stepping out into some western swing and old-time country blues, and sweetening their performances with some favorite Cowboy Celtic songs that showcase their family-like blend of vocal harmonies. For nearly 25 years, their lilting voices have anchored Cowboy Celtic's extensive catalog of traditional songs that celebrate the bond between chaps and tartan. Denise (and Cowboy Celtic founder David Wilkie) live in Victoria, British Columbia, and Keri lives in Edmonton, Alberta.

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Filmed in front of a live audience at the Elko Convention Center’s Laurena Moren Theater in Elko, NV, on Feb. 2, 2023.

Made possible by the multitude of staff, artists, volunteers, and community members working behind the scenes to make this show happen.

Brought to you by the Western Folklife Center, using story and cultural expression to connect the American West to the world.
www.westernfolklife.org

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