Howdy! This page is part of my guide to "western" music, the legacy of the so-called "singing cowboys." You gotta love this stuff, with its sweet, old-fashioned sentimental themes, its love of nature and the great outdoors. Here's a look at the legacy of western music, old and new, with reviews and recommendations to make your next cattle drive the best one yet. This page covers artists under the letter "E" - please feel free to make recommendations or comments if I've missed someone.
(PS - Don't forget the cowgals, as well!)
Don Edwards "Songs Of The Trail" (Warner Nashville, 1992)
Don Edwards "Goin' Back To Texas" (Warner Nashville, 1993)
Don Edwards & Waddie Mitchell "The Bard And The Balladeer: Live From Cowtown" (Warner Nashville, 1994)
Don Edwards "West Of Yesterday" (Warner Nashville, 1996)
Don Edwards "Saddle Songs" (Shanachie/Western Jubilee Records, 1997)
A little on the smooth side, sure, but Edwards has a simplicity and sincerity that makes his records very compelling. This 2-CD set is one of his best records. If you want to give a contemporary cowpoke a listen, try this out.
Don Edwards "My Hero, Gene Autry: A Tribute" (Western Jubilee Records, 1998)
Don Edwards "The Best Of Don Edwards" (Warner Nashville, 1998)
Don Edwards & Waddie Mitchell "A Prairie Portrait" (Shanachie/Western Jubilee, 2000)
With the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra...
Don Edwards/Various Artists "ON THE TRAIL: SONGS OF THE AMERICAN WEST" (Western Jubilee, 2001)
With Waddie Mitchell, The Sons Of The San Joaquin, Rich O'Brien, Tom Morrell and others...
Don Edwards "Kin To The Wind: Memories Of Martin Robbins" (Western Jubilee, 2001)
Don Edwards "Last Of The Troubadours: Saddle Songs, v.2" (Western Jubilee, 2004)
A 2-CD set...
Don Edwards & Peter Rowan "High Lonesome Cowboy" (Western Jubilee, 2004)
With guitarists Norman Blake and Tony Rice...
Don Edwards "Moonlight And Skies" (Western Jubilee/Sevenshoux Records, 2006)
Don Edwards "Heaven On Horseback" (Western Jubilee/Sevenshoux Records, 2009)
An all-gospel album...
Don Edwards "American" (Western Jubilee/Sevenshoux Records, 2010)
Don Edwards "Just Me And My Guitar" (Sevenshoux Records, 2013)
Wayne Erbsen "Cowboy Songs Of The Wild Frontier" (Native Ground Records, 2004)
Rod Erickson "She Taught Me To Yodel" (GNP-Crescendo Records, 1976) (LP)
(Produced by Gary McDonall)
Yodeler Rod Erickson (1938-2015) grew up in Alberta, Canada but moved to Idaho in his teens, learning how to sing and pick guitar in his twenties. He had a surprise hit in the early 'Seventies with his revival of "She Taught Me To Yodel," following it up with covers of other cowboyish oldies such as "Cattle Call," "Riders In The Sky," and "Yodel Your Troubles Away," which are all included on this album. Erickson made it to Nashville and toured nationally with stars such as Grandpa Jones and Johnny Paycheck, but he found life on the road precarious and unrewarding and returned to Idaho to perform locally and hold down his day job as an electrician. He and his wife Nancy bought a restaurant in Spirit Lake called the Fireside Lodge -- he had played there for many years, and became the owner in 1989, running it for over two decades before selling it to the city to develop as a park. This was his only mainstream country album -- Erickson later self-released several gospel records, including several CDs.
Dale Evans "The Rage Of The Sage" (BACM, 2005)
Ezra & His Beverly Hillbillies "Ezra & His Beverly Hillbillies" (BACM, 2005)
