For fans of Western music and cowboy poetry, the National Cowboy Poetry Festival in Elko, Nevada, next week is a utopia. It's five days of poets reading work inspired by the “Old West” and music by singers and songwriters keeping alive the tradition of songs from the open range and the lonesome prairie. While western music still has plenty of fans, it enjoyed the height of its popularity in the 1930s and '40s. One of the premier western music bands of radio’s “Golden Age” had its roots in Kansas City. KPR’s Tom Parkinson spoke with Lawrence based author Ryan Ellet who recently co-wrote a book about the extraordinary career of the band known as the Texas Rangers.
The book: The Texas Rangers: Two Decades on Radio, Film, Television and Stage by Ryan Ellett and Kevin Coffey is published by BearManor Media
Photos and more information about the Texas Rangers' music and career is available at the Marr Sound Archives at the University of Missouri-Kansas City in The Arthur B. Church - KMBC Radio Collection.
http://library.umkc.edu/sites/default/files/images/spec-col/col-church-kmbc-folio-gentlemen.pdf
http://library.umkc.edu/sites/default/files/images/spec-col/col-church-kmbc-folio-red-horse.pdf
The website“Music Mountain” also features more details regarding the group and their history.
The National Cowboy Poetry Gathering, featuring cowboy music, poetry and heritage is taking place this week (January 25-30) in Elko, Nevada.
