There are some great classic cowboy songs and ballads on this album, including
the duet with the legendary Marty Robbins on "Big Iron."
"The Colonies became the United States of America because of renegades
who opposed monarchy. Since that time, Americans have thought of themselves
as rebels fighting for the underdogs, for the rights of the individual. Perhaps
the most controversial right established in our nation is the constitutional
guarantee of the 'Right To Bear Awmas.'
The cowboy image is an indelible stamp on the American mind and the world
view of Americans. In imagination and myth, a cowboy always wears a gun or
brandishes a rifle.
The real cowboy of history and today derives from the livestock industry. In
that line of work, there is seldom a need for gunplay, therefore, the
presence of the gun is optional and prowess with a gun is not a required
skill of the working cowboy.
Though few cowboys have been gunfighters, most outlaws of the old west were
cowboys, ranchers, and farmers. The rhymes written about cowboys 'gone wrong'
were sung over and over again by cowboys in the late 19th century, and
working cowboys still sing them.
Renegades, robbers, rustlers, ruffians are not and were not typical. Therein
lies the fascination. There are lessons to be learned from their often
colorful yet tragic lives. That they did not practice agricultural arts
and animal husbandry with sufficient dedication to avoid the chafe of
the hangman’s noose or the sting of hot lead is unfortunate. But we cannot
ignore their lives, legends and far-reaching effects of their deeds."
Michael Martin Murphey
Rocking 3M Ranching Co.
Riversong Ranch
Taos, New Mexico 1993
Cowboy Songs III ~
Western Music: by Michael Martin Murphey
Click on underlined song titles to hear samples on Windows Media Player.
To download Windows Media Player -
click here.
The following sample songs
have been encoded for loading speed. The actual CD will be of superior
sound quality.
Songs include:
Big Iron Rhymes Of The Renegades Riders In The Sky El Paso
Sonora's Death Row Ballad Of Billy The Kid
Billy Gray
Roses And Thorns
Strawberry Roan
The Wild West Is Gonna Get Wilder
The Ballad Of Jesse James
Frank James' Farewell
Cole Younger
Belle Star
Queen Of Heartaches
Sam Bass
Biwmaingham Jail
