9/21/07

Barbary Coast Dixieland Band

10/26/07

12/14/07

2/8/08

The Bachelors

2/27/08

London Concertante

4/12/08

MacDowell Male Chorus

5/16/08

Riders In The Sky

Riders In The Sky

With 29 years, over 5,000 appearances and counting, Riders In The Sky, the Grammy-winning Western music group whose music is firmly grounded in the rich American music traditions of such legendary cowboys singers as Gene Autry, Roy Rogers, and the Sons of the Pioneers are themselves the stuff of legend. In 1982, Riders In The Sky became the first exclusively Western music artist to join the Grand Ole Opry, recognizing the then trio’s stature not only as the foremost custodians of America’s great Western music heritage, but as among country music’s leading

entertainers.

   The Riders – Guitarist Ranger Doug, “Governor of the Great State of Rhythm,” sings lead and baritone vocals with an ever-present big grin and warm twinkle in his eyes. A yodeler of breathtaking technique, he is also an award-winning Western music songwriter in his own right.

   Upright “bunkhouse” bassist Too Slim, easily the sharpest wit in the West, was, prior to the Riders, a janitor, industrial galvanizer, puppeteer, rumor-monger, hay

stacker, burlesque show emcee, sportswriter, wildlife manager, and electric bassman. Besides his superb bass play and comic genius, he has inspired thousands to whack out tunes on their faces.

   Woody Paul, “King of the Cowboy Fiddlers,” sings lead and tenor vocals, and gained early experience in country-western music by hanging out with the likes of Roy Acuff. When not dazzling Riders fans with his fiddle, he's thrilling them with intricate rope tricks which he swears he'll get right before his career is over.

   Accordionist Joey The CowPolka King, “plays both ends against the middle,” as they say, on his “stomach Steinway.” The master musician, who apprenticed with the late polka king Frank Yankovic and has played with everyone from Roy Rogers to U2, is also the Riders' album producer.

   Foremost on their list of achievements are their Grammy albums: “Woody’s Roundup featuring Riders In The Sky” which was a “companion album” for the soundtrack of the 1999 Walt Disney/Pixar animated classic “Toy Story 2.” It contains their delightful version of “Woody’s Roundup,” and won a Grammy for Best Musical Album for Children  2001—an honor the Riders received again two years later for their Walt Disney Records release “Monster's Inc.-Scream Factory Favorites” —

another animated film classic musical tie-in.