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. Hampton, old-school-meets-new-school stylist Sam Platts, and hit-making harmonists Sons of the Pioneers bring you an evening of stellar playlist rotations, better curated than
your favorite mixtape. So, put your twang down, flip it, and reverse it. It’s time for the western rewind.

Hosted by Will Jordan.

From the 41st National Cowboy Poetry Gathering.

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PLAYLIST

Sons of the Pioneers
"There’s a Blue Sky Way Out Yonder" (words + music by Arthur Fields, Fred Hall, and Bert Van Cleve)
"Land Beyond the Sun" (words + music by Cal DeVoll)
"The Night Guard" (traditional)
"Song of the Bandit" (words + music by Bob Nolan)
"Teardrops in My Heart" (words + music by Vaughn Horton)
"Happy Cowboy" (words + music by Bob Nolan)
"Cool Water" (words + music by Bob Nolan)
"Happy Trails" (words + music by Dale Evans)

R.W. Hampton
"Don't Tell Me" (words + music by Mike Beck)
"Living Free" (words + music by Colter Hampton + R.W. Hampton)
"Who" (words + music by R.W. Hampton)
"My Country's Not for Sale" (words + music by R.W. Hampton + Lisa Hampton)
"The Master's Call" (words + music by Marty Robbins)

Pipp Gillette with Lloyd Wright
"The Gal I Left Behind Me" (tradional)
"Diamond Joe" (traditional)
"Stayed in the Wagon Yard" (original by Pegleg Morlan, cowboy version by Dallas Turner aka Nevada Slim)
"Bucking Bronco" (words + music by Belle Starr)
"Sam Bass" (tradtitional)
"Little Black Bull" (trditional)

Sam Platts
"Right Where I Belong" (words + music by Sam Platts)
"Elk Mountain" (words + music by Sam Platts)
"Missing Wyoming" (words + music by Sam Platts)
"Buster" (words + music by Sam Platts)
"Ida Red" (traditional)

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

Pipp Gillette + Lloyd Wright
Lovelady + Crockett, TX
Distinguished singer and musician Pipp Gillette (guitar, banjo, harmonica, bones) lives and works on the family ranch near Lovelady, Texas, where his grandfather raised cattle and cotton. His lifelong interest in western history and music was fostered through stories told to him by his grandfather and his parents’ records with songs by the likes of Cisco Houston, Hermes Nye, Carl Sandburg, Woody Guthrie, and Lead Belly. Fourth-generation Texan and multiinstrumentalist (and champion dulcimer player) Lloyd Wright joined forces with Pipp after long admiring the Gillette Brothers. Lloyd and his family perform old-time and country gospel, and run two music festivals in East Texas.

R.W. Hampton
Amarillo, TX / Miami, NM
R.W. Hampton was born to be a cowboy. Growing up in Texas, he worked on ranches across the American West. From New Mexico to Nevada, Oregon, Wyoming, and Texas, he started colts, shod horses, and drove cows all while writing songs inspired by the life he was living. What started as bunkhouse entertainment grew into a full-time music and film career, performing at places like the Grand Ole Opry and starring in films such as "Wild Horses" and "The Tracker." He and his wife Lisa split their time between their Texas and New Mexico ranches when they are not on tour.

Sam Platts
Seguin, TX
Sam Platts got his start in music on the windy plains of southern Wyoming,
and today he and his wife Lilly call south Texas home. Sam’s songwriting
is in the vein of traditional country music, and much of his inspiration comes
from rural, agricultural life and his roots in the West. Early in his career, Sam played lead guitar for Wylie and the Wild West before striking out on his own. Sam fronts the band on vocals and guitar, with Lilly on fiddle. They keep a busy schedule, playing everywhere from dance halls and festivals to classic
Texas honky tonks.

Sons of the Pioneers
Oakland, CA; Birch Tree, Branson & Ebeneer, MO; Beaumont + Marshall, TX
The legendary Sons of the Pioneers are famous the world over for their unique cowboy harmonies and musicianship which earned them the designation “National Treasure” by the Smithsonian. Their timeless classics “Cool Water,” “Tumbling Tumbleweed,” and “Ghost Riders in the Sky” are entwined into the very fabric of the American West. Sons of the Pioneers are currently celebrating over 90 years of continuous existence. Their decades of popularity and numerous prestigious awards prove that they are still the gold standard of western music. The group’s current configuration is Trustin Baker, Chuck Ervin, John Fullerton, Ken Lattimore, and Trent Prewitt.

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Filmed in front of a live audience at the Elko Convention Center’s Laurena Moren Theater on Jan. 30, 2026.

Made possible by Home2 Suites by Hilton Elko and 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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