41st Gathering

41st Gathering

Enjoy this collection of performances from the 41st National Cowboy Poetry Gathering, January 26 - 31, 2026.

Artwork - Headin' Out (2025), acrylic by Clara Smith.

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41st Gathering
  • For Story's Sake

    FEATURING: Sterling Drake, Lone Piñon, Jake Riley.

    Some say the world is shaped by reality. By inches of rain, by prices of hay, by the generosity of neighbors. But what shapes that reality? What builds our communities, records our histories, preserves generational knowledge, perpetuates age-old...

  • The One That I Never Could Ride

    R.W. sings about resilience, pushing forward even when things aren’t going your way. R.W. Hampton performs "The One That I Never Could Ride" during the "Leppies + Other Mavericks" show at the 41st National Cowboy Poetry Gathering.

    ABOUT THE ARTIST

    R.W. Hampton
    Amarillo, TX / Miami, NM
    R.W. Hamp...

  • Creeks + Communities

    FEATURING: Steve Boies, Kathryn Dyer, Agee Smith, Sherman Swanson.

    How do creeks function for us? For the things we care about? By focusing on water, plants, soils, and landforms, we've learned that some plants grow tremendous root systems that withstand floods, slow water to build floodplains, ...

  • Man's Best Friend

    Ross tries to answer the question, "is a dog really man's best friend?" Ross Knox recites "Man's Best Friend" during the "Leppies + Other Mavericks" show at the 41st National Cowboy Poetry Gathering.

    ABOUT THE ARTIST

    Ross Knox
    Skull Valley, AZ
    Ross Knox first aspired to be a cowboy as a little ...

  • The Western Rewind

    FEATURING: Pipp Gillette + Lloyd Wright, R.W. Hampton, Sam Platts, Sons of the Pioneers.

    An all-consuming love for classic cowboy songs brings together these four musical acts, each classics themselves. Reverent tradition-shapers Pipp Gillette + Lloyd Wright, songbook standard-writer R.W. Hampto...

  • Hitchin' a Ride

    FEATURING: Brigid and Johnny, Kristyn Harris Trio, Jake Riley.

    Poet Jake Riley tosses his saddle (and perhaps his water skis) in the back as he hitches a ride with Brigid & Johnny and the Kristyn Harris Trio, owners of two of the sweetest pickups in cowboy poetry land. The Reedy’s ’57 Chevy come...

  • Beyond the Fence Line

    FEATURING: Richard Elloyan, Darrell Holden, Dana Wirth.

    When it comes to poetry, there are lines that confine, and there are lines that run free. Join us for a night of verse and song that resonates with the freedom of the wild range. Ride out onto a vast poetic expanse with unrestrained troubad...

  • Bad Dream

    Dakota shares the tale of the night he nearly covered an outlaw roan. Dakota Holdaway recites "Bad Dream" during the "Get in the Pickup, We're Going to Town" show during the 41st National Cowboy Poetry Gathering.

    ABOUT THE ARTIST

    Dakota Holdaway
    Nephi, UT
    Storyteller and poet Dakota Holdaway be...

  • William Matthews: The Cowboys of Elko County

    FEATURING: William Matthews

    Western artist William Matthews has spent many years exploring the buckaroo community of Elko County. He has driven, ridden, and camped with many of the cowboys in this area, and his watercolors have documented their world. Join Willy, well known for his lucid and acc...

  • Get in the Pickup, We're Going to Town

    FEATURING: Brigid + Johnny, Jimmy Cantwell, Dakota Holdaway.

    Slide across that bench seat because the 41st Gathering is cleaned up and headed to town. The solitude of the sticks can produce some beautiful poems and songs, but when the loneliness creeps in, it’s the company of other humans we cra...

  • Coyotes Love My Cats

    Richard sings about the relationship between coyotes and cats. Richard Elloyand sings "Coyotes Love My Cats" during the "Beyond the Fenceline" show at the 41st National Cowboy Poetry Gathering.

    ABOUT THE ARTIST

    Richard Elloyan
    Virginia City, NV
    Singer, songwriter, and poet Richard Elloyan grew ...

  • Susan Avila-Dixey and Kaycee Dixey

    Susan and Kaycee share a horse song taught to them by their grandfather. Susan Avila-Dixey + Kaycee Dixey perform during the "Chief Philllip Whiteman Jr." show at the 41st National Cowboy Poetry Gathering.

    ABOUT THE ARTISTS

    Kaycee Dixey &
    Susan Avila-Dixey
    Fort Hall, ID
    Kaycee Dixey and Susan A...

  • High Desert Darling

    Take a desert ride with Brigid and Johnny. Brigid and Johnny Reedy sing "High Desert Darling" during the "Get in the Pickup, We're Going to Town" show at the 41st National Cowboy Poetry Gathering.

    ABOUT THE ARTISTS

    Brigid & Johnny
    Dillon, MT
    Brigid and
    Johnny Reedy are a nationally acclaimed Mo...

  • Cicada Song

    Jimmy pleads for rain. Jimmy Cantwell sings "Cicada Song" during the "Get in the Pickup, We're Going to Town" show at the 41st National Cowboy Poetry Gathering.

    ABOUT THE ARTIST

    Jimmy Cantwell
    Cañon City, CO
    Jimmy Cantwell is a second-generation horseman who’s turned
    a life full of experience i...