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Some Lyrics
Below: Some
Recordings from Wylie & the Wild West
The latest from Wylie & the Wild West
Read more below.
Read more below.
Hear Wylie's 2006 performance on PBS' Prairie Home Companion with Garrison Keillor Watch Wylie & the Wild West's 2003 performance at The Kennedy Center
Find more news and links at Wylie's web site |
Some Lyrics
Where Horses are Heroes
16 Hands
A Good One
Paradise
The Gather
Yodeling Fool
Room to Roam
You can hear samples of each of these songs on Wylie's site.
Where Horses are Heroes
Send me away to the heart of the battle
Where truth can be found in the perch of a saddle
Where fate unfolds on pastures of green
Where horses are heroes and cowboys are kings
Take me away, up and away
Out on a cow camp cuttin' out strays
Where a good cow pony would make a fool of machines
Where horses are heroes and cowboys are kingsWhere a man is content to be alone
With a house of sky to call his own
Where the Jack pine whispers and the Red Tail screams
Where Horses are heroes and cowboys are kingsSing me away to the roll and the rattle
Of a thousand head of wanderin' cattle
Let the ancient song of the prairie ring
Where horses are heroes and cowboys are kings
© 2006, Wylie Gustafson, from Bucking Horse Moon
These lyrics may not be reprinted or reposted without the author's written permission.
16 HandsDevil's on my trail but he can't catch me
Devil's on my trail but he can't catch me
I ride a roan mare, she was built for speed
I'm 16 hands closer to God
I worship in a church not made by man
I worship in a church not made by man
Her walls will never crumble and turn to sand
I'm 16 hands closer to God
I was a prisoner but now I am free
I was a prisoner but now I am free
My savior bled and died for me
Staked to the timber of an old pine tree
I'm 16 hands closer to God© 2006, Wylie Gustafson, from Bucking Horse Moon
These lyrics may not be reprinted or reposted without the author's written permission.
A Good One
There's nuthin like a good one between yer knees
Light to the rein and willin' to please
Together as one the day will be done
On a good one I'll find my way home
The world looks better from up on a throne
Strapped to the topside of muscle and bone
Below me, a friend, on whom I depend
On a good one I'll find my way home
Where luck is fickle and the days are long
Danger is quick and the cattle are strong
Married in movement, purpose and song
On a good one I'll find my way home
When at last the angels call my name
And the trail is ended on this earthly plane
Just send me away on a big honest bay
On a good one I'll find my way home
© 2001, Wylie Gustafson, from Hooves of the Horses
These lyrics may not be reprinted or reposted without the author's written permission.
Paradise
On a summer day
under clear blue skies
my troubles flitter away like a little bird
I’m in paradise
Where the waters fall
and the mountains rise
far away from the rustle of the city
I’m in Paradise
On my big brown bay I drift away
Stirrups dangling down, they’re a-swingin’
to the rhythm of the music that plays
when the meadowlark sings
And the cool wind whispers... rrride!
Where the cattle graze
along the green hillsides
No worries in the world today
I’m in paradise
© 2001, Wylie Gustafson, from Paradise
These lyrics may not be reprinted or reposted without the author's written permission.
The Gather
The sun is peekin' over the ridge
The air is crisp and the sky is big
Leaves are fallin', the cattle are bawlin'
Ridin' out on the gather
A cowdog is creepin' with his head slung low
Hooves are squeekin' on the fresh fallen snow
Morning is breakin' and my soul is awakened
Ridin out on the gatherMy pockets are empty but I don't care
I know that I'm winning when I'm out thereWhere the magpies are talkin' in the cottonwood trees
And the river is tickled by a cool northern breeze
I'm floatin' like a feather when I'm sittin on the leather
Ridin out on the gather
© 1999, Wylie Gustafson, from Ridin' the High Line
These lyrics may not be reprinted or reposted without the author's written permission.
Yodeling FoolSmall town boy from Montana, he wore a red bandana
with a guitar always close at hand
led by his intuition, he had but one ambition
to become the greatest yodeler in the land
you could find him in the streets in the alleys and the bars
correcting and perfecting his tune
the towns folk just laughed, turned their backs
he was the local yodeling fool
he practiced every day he practiced every night
his song seemed to be his only friend
one day he disappeared and the townsfolk cheered,
"hooray, we'll never have to hear him again"
no longer in the streets and the alleys and the bars could you hear his
lonesome tune
for the boy had gone and taken with him his song of the local yodeling fool
one day farmer Bill had his truck parked on the hill
with his radio blaring across the town
who should he hear coming in so loud and clear
it was that local yodeling clown
it was heard in the streets and the alleys and the bars
a voice that rang so true
they heard that shout and they new without a doubt
it was the local yodeling fool
© Wylie Gustafson from Total Yodel
These lyrics may not be reprinted or reposted without the author's written permission.
Room to RoamTake me away to my ol prairie home
Give me a range to ride
and room to roam
Where the stars shine bright
that's where I belong
No fences to hold me
Just room to roam
Room to roam, I long to be lonesome
Room to roam, forever and then some
Under endless skies
That's where I belong
With miles and miles
Of room to roam
© Wylie Gustafson, from Get Wild
These lyrics may not be reprinted or reposted without the author's written permission.
About Wylie Gustafson
Five-thirty in the morning is not an hour generally claimed by musicians. While most singers and strummers are dozing on the bus or at the local Motel 6, Wylie Gustafson is rising to face the day. There's a reason for his early waking: his horses and cattle aren't going to feed themselves!
Despite his successful career as one of America's most popular traditional entertainers, Wylie still gets up everyday and tends to the livestock. It grounds him and is the backbone of his art. The secret of Wylie's honest, soulful music isn't in any musical formulas or flashy gimmicks. Its purity lies in his character: earnest and hard-working; beaming with friendly vigor; a smile as warm as first light rising over the prairie.
Wylie's blend of Western swing, classic country, cowboy and folk—served up with a healthy helping of his infectious energy—gets the crowd moving every time. No less authority than Billboard Magazine declared, "When Wylie & the Wild West play, folks get up and dance!" From festivals to state fairs, bars
to barn dances, it rings true.
When asked to define his music, Wylie states, "We are a good-time cowboy band. The young urban crowds in Seattle appreciate us as much as working cowboys. Our music is not limited to one type of listener."
Keeping his home base near Dusty, Washington (population 11), Wylie's dynamic stage presence keeps getting him invited back to venues year after year. He has appeared on the Grand Ole Opry more than 50 times. The band has performed at such prestigious venues as Lincoln Center, The Kennedy Center, the National Folk Festival, Merlefest, A Prairie Home Companion, the Bumbershoot Festival and the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering.
Wylie & the Wild West were recently honored by the Academy of Western Artists and the Western Music Association with awards for the 2004 and 2005 Yodeler of the Year, 2005 Group of the Year and 2006 Best Western Swing Album. Their music is in regular rotation on the world's most listened to satellite radio station, Willie's Place-XM Radio Channel 13, with over 2 million listeners.
With the twelfth release of his career, Bucking Horse Moon, and his ever-increasing media profile (feature spreads in everything from The Seattle Times to Western Horseman), Wylie & the Wild West are bringing their
rollicking sound to new audiences the world over. And, in case you didn't know, that's Wylie's voice echoing in millions of homes as the ever-familiar Ya-hoo-ooo! in the Yahoo.com advertising campaign.
That is not the resume of a mediocre performer.
All of Wylie's music is dashed off with a hardy dose of trail dust. For him, his Western lifestyle and the recording studio are inseparable. Wylie is an accomplished cutting horse enthusiast who was the 2005 NCHA Western National Finals Champion. That shiny belt buckle he wears wasn't bought on e-Bay. He and his wife Kimberley actively operate one of the Northwest's premier cow horse training facilities: www.crossthreequarterhorses.com.
In this era of prepackaged superstars-of pale imitations of country music being pushed onto the public by faceless media giants-the music of Wylie & the Wild West is a beacon of truth and honest beauty. "In our music and our presence," Gustafson explains, "we try to be ourselves." By being himself, Gustafson has become one of the most exciting and endearing acts in contemporary music: country, Western, folk or otherwise.
"Wylie makes phenomenal music," Chris Tahti, director of the Minnesota State Fair, says. "But he's not just a good recording artist, he's a great performing artist. People plan to be here to see him. The best part of his
performance is the reactions of people who don't know who he is. They walk by, and he pulls them into the seats. He's a magnet," Tahti beams. "Not only does he draw a crowd, he keeps them there."
At his site, Wylie's official biography notes:
As his notoriety spreads, Wylie remains humble and mindful of his roots. "I think that folks are tired of being beat over the head with the corporate answers to modern music," he says. "We have never tried to be Garth Brooks--we just live out west, where the people and the environment influences our music. I don't know for sure what makes it all relevant-but I do know that people click into it somehow! That's the icing on the cake."
Some Recordings and the How to Yodel book
Visit the Wylie and the Wild West web site for order information.
Christmas for Cowboys
Christmas for Cowboys by Wylie Gustafson brims with singular spirit. The thoughtfully chosen traditional songs are delivered with inspired reverence, dazzling style, and, of course, a bit of yodeling. Wylie's masterful interpretations of familiar and lesser known songs shine with the true joy, grace, and meaning of the season. Listen to track samples and read more about Christmas for Cowboys at Wylie's web site.
Includes:
1. Go Tell it on the Mountain
2. Christmas for Cowboys
3. In the Bleak Midwinter
4. Behold that Star
5. I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day
6. Christmas Time’s a Coming
7. Silent Night
8. The Gifts They Gave
9. O Little Town of Bethlehem
10. Beautiful Star of Bethlehem
Dennis Crouch- Acoustic Bass
Hoot Hester- Rhythm guitar, fiddle, mandolin, harmony vocals, whistling
John McTigue III- Drums
Jeff Taylor- Accordion, concertina
Mark Thornton- Electric guitar
Wylie Gustafson- Vocals, acoustic guitar
Recorded at the Sidekick Sound Studios, Madison, TN
Produced by Wylie Galt Gustafson
Engineered by Mark Thornton
Mastered by Larry Marrs at Sidekick Sound Studios
*All songs above are traditional. Arrangements by Wylie Gustafson/ Two Medicine Music, BMI.
*Except Christmas for Cowboys written by Steve Weisberg/ Cherry Lane Music Publishing ASCAP, Christmas Time’s a Coming written by Tex Logan/ Unichappell Music BMI, and Beautiful Star of Bethlehem by A.L. Phipps/ Trio Music Co. Inc, Fort Knox Music/ BMI
Wylie Gustafson's flat-out fun book and CD, How to Yodel; Lessons to Tickle Your Tonsils, may start an international yodel revolution. Described by the publisher, "World-famous Yahooer and yodeling guru Wylie Gustafson teaches fun and easy lessons in the high art of yodeling, with a big dose of hilarity along the way...," it delivers on all fronts.
The fun starts right away, with the book's "Disclaimer," which reads, "I, nor the publishers of this book, will be responsible for the consequences resulting from techniques used in this book..." with a list including stampeding buffalo, avalanches, marital discourse, tectonic shifts, and "the swallows not returning to San Juan Capistrano." The practical lessons are peppered with amusing and entertaining trivia, fascinating history, wry asides (such as "Where Not to Yodel") and Wylie's answer to "Can Anyone Yodel?" A glossary and list of references are included. The accompanying CD offers step-by-step lessons with 21 tracks that lead from warm up and breathing exercises to music for advanced yodels.
Read an official media release below and read more about the book and CD at Wylie's web site.
How to Yodel; Lessons to Tickle Your Tonsils, with Robert Paul Payne's comical illustrations, retails for $9.95 and is available from Wylie's web site; the publisher, Gibbs-Smith, Amazon, and other outlets.
The publisher's official media release:
Learn How to Yodel with World-Famous Yahoo-er Wylie Gustafson
in
How to Yodel: Lessons to Tickle Your Tonsils
“Wylie’s ability to cut loose sets him apart from country’s self-conscious male stars.”
—USA Today
Come one, come all! From musical rebels and melodic daredevils to adventurous amateurs and untamed crooners, How to Yodel: Lessons to Tickle Your Tonsils (Paperback with audio CD) by Wylie Gustafson, with illustrations by Robert Payne, offers everything you need to be the next Pavarotti of the Plains!
How to Yodel offers all the lessons, tips, techniques, and music you need to get that long-awaited degree in the high art of yodeling, while finally being able to bask in the attention of adoring fans and lovesick coyotes. In no time, you’ll be the next Vocal Virtuoso…Epiglottis Goddess…Yodeling Superstar!
Simple instructions, illustrations, and examples combined with the accompanying CD make it easy to learn the fine art of the yodel. Renowned country music artist and original Yahoo® yodeler Wylie Gustafson shares lessons, trivia, quotes, history, and other tidbits about yodeling, complete with hilarious sidebars. Once you understand the fundamentals, there’s nothing to quash the yodel-ay-eee-whooo in you!
Yodeler, songwriter, rancher, horseman, and world-famous “Yahooer,” Wylie Gustafson leads the musical outfit known as Wylie and the Wild West. The group has performed for the last fifteen years on stages including the Kennedy Center, the Grand Ole Opry, the National Folk Festival and the Lincoln Center. He has earned an international reputation not only through his recordings, but also from his appearances at Japan’s Country Gold Festival, three Australian tours, and a seven-week residency at Euro Disney. Gustafson’s famous voice has echoed in millions of homes as the prominent yodel in the Yahoo.com advertising campaign. Wylie still gets up everyday and tends to the livestock on his ranch near Dusty, Washington.
The official media release:
Yodeling cowboy troubadour Wylie Gustafson is busting the wraps off a brand-new CD. Bucking Horse Moon, the twelfth release for Wylie & the Wild West, gives a nod to the Western way of life and rodeo’s place in cowboydom.
Riding high on the Nashville scene, John Carter Cash (www.johncartercash.com) orchestrated the project which was recorded at Cash Cabin Studios, Hendersonville, Tenn. A Grammy-award winning singer, songwriter and producer, Cash is the son of Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash.
"There was a lot of cowboy karma goin’ on there in the Cash cabin," Gustafson confided. "Working with John Carter Cash was a great experience. I found him to be a man with a talent as big as Johnny’s. He came to the project with fresh eyes and brought new instrumentation to the party. He added a bit of the old-time Carter Family sound to our uniquely Western cowboy band."
The Wild West’s audience encompasses demographics as broad as Montana’s Big Sky Country where Gustafson was raised. "We highlight the romance of the West," he said. "We connect with the hearty, National Finals Rodeo fans as well as the trendy, National Public Radio crowd. Cowboys live what I sing. Big-city listeners appreciate the lifestyle."
Gustafson warbles his way through three Paul Zarzyski (www.paulzarzyski.com) compositions on Bucking Horse Moon. Montana’s Polish-hobo-rodeo poet, Zarzyski co-wrote the title track with Tom Russell and teamed up with Ian Tyson on "Whispering Hope." Gustafson and the barnstorming Zarzyski, a former Montana circuit bronc rider, conspired to write "Rodeo to the Bone"—recounting a "stapled-up and sewn, bronc-stompin’, honky-tonkin’ Indiana Jones."
The pencil-thin Gustafson said of Bucking Horse Moon: "Paul’s reputation as a poet and songwriter cannot be overlooked. We wanted a lot of depth on this project—it’s meant to grow on the listener. I like to take chances, to stretch the boundaries of Country music. It’s my goal to make great old-style music available to a contemporary audience. It’s for the listener who wants something different in their Americana."
The Wild West’s sound stretches into the land of bluegrass and folk and has made its way to satellite radio. Eddie Kilroy, host of Willie’s Place (XM Channel 13), penned the album’s introduction. XM Radio’s traditional country programming is satellite radio’s #1-rated music channel with more than two million listeners.
The CD is sung in tribute of the late Western artist and horsewoman, Joelle Smith. Her depiction of Gustafson and his champion cutting horse, Whiskey, was featured on the band’s previous CD, Hooves of the Horses. Marc Burckhardt (www.marcart.com) produced the cover artwork for Bucking Horse Moon. His work has been commissioned by Rolling Stone, TIME, Sony Records, The New York Times and Major League Baseball. The album is dedicated to Paul Zarzyski.
To order Bucking Horse Moon or any other Wylie & the Wild West title, go to www.wyliewebsite.com.
Whip Out a Yodel, Wylie
Gustafson
Out West, Wylie
Gustafson
16 Hands, Wylie Gustafson
Bucking Horse Moon, Tom Russell and Paul
Zarzyski
Rodeo to the Bone, Paul Zarzyski and Wylie Gustafson
True Love Travels on a Gravel Road, Dallas
Frazier and A. L. Owens
Don’t Take Your Guns to Town, Johnny
Cash
Eltopia Yodel, Wylie Gustafson
Where
Horses are Heroes, Wylie Gustafson
Jodell, Wylie Gustafson
Old Bull, Wylie Gustafson
The Carhartt Song, DW
Groethe
Uber Yodel, Wylie Gustafson
Whispering Hope, Ian Tyson and Paul Zarzyski
Rob Patterson's review Bucking Horse Moon CD in the April, 2007 issue of Cowboys & Indians, comments that Wylie Gustafson "has established himself as the first giant of the new pantheon that will inherit, preserve, and enhance the Western music tradition..."
Where Wylie’s previous release Live At The Tractor (award winner though it was) was a one-pass recording admittedly issued with warts intact, Bucking Horse Moon is tightly controlled and produced by John Carter Cash. The CD opens with the novel kind of piece his fans would expect of him “Whip Out A Yodel,” but it goes on to present some of Wylie’s best work yet and more variety in style than ever.
Three of the songs are Paul Zarzyski collaborations (including the title track). Riding with Wylie means staying in the saddle over changing terrain. There’s plenty for traditionalists in songs like “Out West” and the terrific “Where Horses Are Heroes.” A bit of the funk manifested years back in Wylie’s take on “Buffalo Gals” shows up again in “Rodeo To The Bone” and fuzz guitar boogie in “Jodell.” He salutes some classics, “Don’t Take Your Guns To Town” for one, and his haunting instrumental “Eltopia Yodel” hit me in much the same way that my first hearing of “Ashokan Farewell” did! Juni Fisher and Hoot Hester are just two of the top talents along for the ride on this CD. To paraphrase Mr. Zarzyski…it’s a BEAUT’ !” ($15 plus s&h) Available from Western Jubilee Recording, P.O. Box 9187, Colorado Springs, CO 80932 onthetrail@westernjubilee.com
LIVE! at the Tractor CD is an evening of live music recorded from the band's October 8, 2004 performance at the Tractor Tavern in Seattle. The 16-song album contains many Wylie & the Wild West standards along with 4 previously unreleased songs including 40 Miles of Bad Road, The Little Red Hen, Miles and Miles of Texas, and more.
Released in tandem with the LIVE! at the Tractor DVD, which includes the 16-song set from the Tractor Tavern, band interviews, Wylie at the ranch, 10 music videos from the past... and more (2 hours, 15 minutes running time). Wylie says, "Our new DVD is guaranteed to be among the highlights of your Wylie & the Wild West collection!" (2005)
Cowboy Ballads and Dance Songs
Wylie & the Wild West at their best, performing traditional favorites such as "Good-Bye Old Paint" (a duet with Cheryl White of The Whites), "The Strawberry Roan," "Streets of Laredo," "My Home's in Montana," and more. Produced by Joe Wilson of the National Council for the Traditional Arts in Washington, DC. Visit the Wylie and the Wild West web site, where you can see the liner notes for the 13 classics, accompanied by much interesting commentary. Includes: Old Chisolm Trail, Ten Thousand Cattle, Sierry Peaksm, Cattle Call, Desert Blues, My Home's In Montana, Cannonball Yodel, The Strawberry Roan, Good-Bye Old Paint, The High Toned Dance, The Streets of Laredo, The Musket Came Down from the Door, and Goodnight, Irene (2005)
Hooves
of the Horses
New March 2004: All of the lyrics from the 16 tracks of Hooves of the Horses are on line at the Wylie and the Wild West web site, and the songs include master Cowboy Poet Joel Nelson's "Equus Caballus"; two by Bob Nolan, founding member of the Sons of the Pioneers; Johnny Cash; Paul Zarzyski; Buddy Holly and Norm Petty; and of course, plenty by Wylie himself, who holds his own among songwriters and then some. Whew...that list is just like listening to Wylie and the Wild West...wild and great. Stop by Wylie's site where you can also listen to some tracks.
Paradise
Includes: Saddle Burn, Swinging On A Star, Whoop-Up Trail, To Her (by Badger Clark), When I'm Ridin' I'm Right, Without You, Hooked On Honky Tonk, Paradise, Lonely Yukon Stars, The Gal Who Invented Kissin', The Girl From The North Country, and Yodel Boogie
Ridin'
the High Line
Includes: Yodeling Cowhand, Ridin' the Hi-Line, Doggone Cowboy, Montana Moon, Yodeling My Blues Away, Down the Trail, Jitterbug Boogie, Ridin' Rockin' Rollin', He's a Cowboy, The Gather, The Dusty Cafe, Sage and Sand, Buffalo Gals, Odessa Yodel, and Ol' Coyote
Total
Yodel
Including: Ol' Montan, Rose Marie, When the Cactus Is in Bloom, Big Sky Lullaby, Lovesick Blues, Teardrops in My Heart, Blue Yodel, No. 1/T for Texas, Chime Bells, Waiting for a Train, Cowpoke, and Yodeling Fool
Way
Out West
Includes: Hello Heartache; Jingle, Jangle, Jingle; Heaven; Rain, Rain; Sidewalks of L.A.; Girl on the Billboard; Give Me a Pinto Pal; I Remember You; I'm Your Man; Heartaches; Tears & Misery; Fill It Up; and I Still Get a Thrill
Visit the Wylie and the Wild West web site for tracks, to order, and more.
Contact Information
The Wylie and the Wild West web site is full of information, reviews, sound clips, and fun.
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