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 crave. Cowboy singer Jimmy Cantwell, storyteller and poet Dakota Holdaway, and string-plucking polymath Brigid Reedy come
together to kick off our big week. From the feedstore to the grocery store—and all the places in between—we’re celebrating the individuals and places that keep ranch country convened.

From the 41st National Cowboy Poetry Gathering.

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PLAYLIST

“Maybe Someday” - Jimmy Cantwell
"A Cowboy's Gathering" - Dakota Holdaway
"A Little Log Shack I Can Always Call My Home" - Brigid + Johnny (words + music by Montana Slim)
“Worlds Collide” - Jimmy Cantwell
"Morning" - Dakota Holdaway
"He Who Pours the Glass" - Brigid Reedy
"High Desert Darling" - Brigid + Johnny (words + music by Brigid and Johnny Reedy)
“Fiddlers Lament” - Jimmy Cantwell
"Bad Dream" - Dakota Holdaway
"Whittlin' on a Piece of Wood" - Brigid + Johnny (words + music by Eddie Hill)
“Sleepless, Thoughtful, Nights” - Jimmy Cantwell
"I'm Gonna Miss This" - Dakota Holdaway
"Waiting for the Rodeo" - Brigid + Johnny (words + music by Brigid and Johnny Reedy)
“Cowboy Till I Die” - Jimmy Cantwell
"Tough Love" - Dakota Holdaway
"[For George]" - Brigid Reedy
"All the Love Songs" - Brigid + Johnny (words + music by Brigid and Johnny Reedy)
"Cicada Song" - Jimmy Cantwell
"Evening Chat" - Dakota Holdaway (poem by Waddie Mitchell)
"Cherokee Shuffle" - Brigid + Johnny (traditional)

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ABOUT THE ARTISTS

Brigid + Johnny
Dillon, MT
Brigid and Johnny Reedy are a nationally acclaimed Montana-based duo who captivate audiences from coast to coast with their charisma, enthusiasm, and
authenticity. Though only 24 and 19 years old respectively, they have decades of performing experience between them and have appeared at such prestigious venues as the International Storytelling Center, Carnegie Hall, and the Grand Ole Opry. Brigid and Johnny are excited to share their love of Montana and western culture, and their voracious appetite for good music as
they create a unique blend of western Americana, singer-songwriter folk, swing, blues, cowboy music, poetry, storytelling, and more.

Jimmy Cantwell
Cañon City, CO
Jimmy Cantwell is a second-generation horseman who’s turned a life full of experience into song. From his time as a soldier to riding colts and training horses for both the public and the U.S. Army—topped off with a little day work here and there—he’s got plenty of stories to tell. Jimmy’s sound is pure country, western, and everything in between. At the end of the day, he’s just a “good ol’ cowboy singer.”

Dakota Holdaway
Nephi, UT
Storyteller and poet Dakota Holdaway began his introduction to the cowboy
lifestyle on the back of a horse (or mule) with his father and friends in the mountains and deserts surrounding his home. He learned many of life’s lessons and values navigating diverse terrain, hunting, packing, breaking horses and mules, and herding livestock. At 24, he founded the Juab Cowboy Poetry Gathering while working, writing, reciting, starting horses, and coaching 4-H with his wife. Dakota draws on the rich legacy of cowboy poetry and storytelling to share and create community with all who might enjoy or relate to his experiences.

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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. 26, 2026.

Made possible by Smokeye Hill Whiskey 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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