FEATURING: Hal Cannon, Ross Knox, Waddie Mitchell, Gail Steiger.

What’s better than friendship? Pardship, of course! And who knows what could happen when these old-school buckaroo bard pards take our stage to reminisce about the past 40 years through story, poetry, and song. (Hint: It’s going to be epic!) From before the dawn of the Gathering to clean up ’til yesterday, Hal Cannon, Ross Knox, Waddie Mitchell and Gail Steiger have seen and heard a few things, got up to all sorts of shenanigans, and shared more than an adventure or two. If you’ve ever wondered about the Gathering’s early days (or would just like to relive them), this is a show you won’t want to miss.

From the 40th National Cowboy Poetry Gathering.

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PLAYLIST

"When They've Finished Shipping Cattle in the Fall" - Waddie Mitchell (poem by Bruce Kiskaddon)
"Bear Hunter's Bold" - Ross Knox (poem by S. Omar Barker)
"You’ll Be in Elko on Your Own" - Gail Steiger
"Dust Devil" - Hal Cannon
"Blood, Sweat, and Steers" - Waddie Mitchell
"Charles Goodnight's Dream" - Ross Knox (poem by Joel Nelson)
"Rio Colorado" - Gail Steiger (words + music by Ian Tyson)
"Hurdy Gurdy Girl" - Hal Cannon
"The Walking Man" - Waddie Mitchell (poem by Henry Herbert Knibbs)
"Getting Put in Double Harness" - Ross Knox
"Old Cowboys Don't Die" - Gail Steiger (words by Gail Gardner + music traditional)
"Crippled-up Blues" - Hal Cannon
"Miniature Horses" - Waddie Mitchell
"The Whole Load" - Waddie Mitchell
"Cowboy at College" - Ross Knox (poem by Curtis Fletcher)

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ABOUT THE ARTISTS

Hal Cannon
Salt Lake City, UT
Hal Cannon is a folklorist, musician, and founding director of the Western Folklife Center and the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering. Now a decade into retirement, he is revisiting his fieldwork to explore the incredible impact of the Lomax family in emphasizing the artistic contributions of ordinary working people. Hal remains active in music and is currently in the process of completing an album of old cowboy songs, primarily focusing on laments that he has reenvisioned. With a lifelong dedication to preserving western cultural traditions, evidenced by an impressive catalog of media productions he has brought to life, Hal continues to share his passion for folk music and storytelling, ensuring that voices and stories of everyday people in the West remain heard.

Ross Knox
Skull Valley, AZ
Ross Knox first aspired to be a cowboy as a little boy, when he watched his father work their ranch in central Oregon. At 16, he quit school and moved to Nevada to buckaroo, where he also began writing poetry to occupy his time alone. He has worked at both the Grand Canyon and Saguaro National Parks in Arizona, packing in supplies and tools for trail and fire crews. Ross has also led pack trips in Yosemite. He is currently living a cowboy’s “retirement,” training horses and working lots of cows. Known for reciting the classics, Ross also writes original poetry from his life experiences and has more than 100 poems committed to memory. He also collaborated on an album with musician Trinity Seely, The Horse in the Middle.

Waddie Mitchell
Jiggs, NV
Waddie Mitchell was immersed in the cowboy way of entertaining on the Nevada ranches where his father worked. By age 10, he too was reciting poetry after long days of pushing cows and living off the land. Waddie recites the older classics as well as his own works, eloquently expressing moments grand and common, humorous and tragic. He helped organize Elko’s first Cowboy Poetry Gathering in 1985. Since then, he has performed near and far, has become highly regarded as a top reciter, and has achieved many accolades for his writing. His album Cohorts & Collaborators featured nine top western artists who have co-written songs with Waddie. A lifetime of artistic production has funded his ranching. He keeps busy writing, publishing, recording, and collaborating.

Gail Steiger
Prescott, AZ
Gail Steiger, foreman of the 50,000-acre Spider Ranch in Yavapai County, Arizona, has been playing guitar and writing songs for over 30 years. He has released two albums, The Romance of Western Life and A Matter of Believin’. A talented filmmaker, Gail produced and directed the acclaimed documentary film Ranch Album. Speaking about his life spent in the saddle and how it influenced his artistic pursuits Gail says, “I think we are very fortunate to get to live the kind of life we live and I try to share that any way I can, through music, poetry, video, stories, etc.” His wife Amy Hale has been helping him on the ranch since 2008.

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Filmed in front of a live audience with help from the E. L. Wiegand Foundation at the Western Folklife Center’s G Three Bar Theater in Elko, NV, on Jan. 30, 2025.

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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