"Troubadours on Horseback: The History of Singing Cowboys"

The simple melodies, harmonies, and instrumentation of cowboy songs is told through music, slides and movie clips.

Cowboy songs were written to glorify the life of the cowboy and the “Wild West.”

Gene Autrey, Roy Rogers, and Tex Ritter are but a few of the familiar names from the 1930’s whose music was part of the era of singing cowboys in Western movies.

That era came to a close with the advent of television.  Television shows which starred “singing cowboys” ended by the close of the 1950’s. But the tradition of the singing cowboy took root decades earlier.

Based on amateur poetry published in stockmen’s journals in the late 19th century, the words were set to music by cowhands with time on their hands, similar to the origin of sea chanteys and lumberjack tunes.

Donna Guthrie, the presenter, is a Colorado Springs-based author of more than 20 children’s books and producer of online educational videos.

Her ideas have benefited the community, brought people together, and advanced causes.  She is a former member of the Pikes Peak Library District board.