Wisdom from a Singing Cowboy…

My cousin Matthew and I went to the Buckhorn Exchange on Saturday night, and while waiting for our table were browsing the memorabilia and waiting around in the lounge.  While we were meandering, I made note of several interesting characters, a few of which were dressed in full-on Westernwear including hats, leather vests, and boots.  Matthew and I got separated for awhile, and when we met back up he was laughing.  I asked him why, and he told me that he had a conversation during which he was dispensed some cowboy wisdom.

He told me it went something like this.  He was looking at the taxidermy and spied what he thought was an axis deer.  He mused to himself “Wow, it really is an axis deer.  I’ll be damned.”  After which he heard a gravelly voice reply “Naw you won’t.”  It was the cowboy, dressed in his hat and leather vest… complete with big Western mustache.  My cousin replied back “well, we’ll see” and the cowboy replied “only time will tell” in his deep baritone, then walked off toward the bar.

Imagine our surprise, when shortly thereafter the very same cowboy took the stage at the end of the lounge area and began to serenade the crowd with authentic Western songs and Cowboy Sing-A-Longs.  That man is Bill Barwick and he was 2005’s Western Music Male Vocalist of the Year, and after hearing him perform I understand why.  His sound was very authentic, his demeanor is approachable and fun, and his voice is just cool.  You can hear some samples of his music here, and he does voiceover work as well.

Getting to listen to him and another entertainer Roz Brown was a real treat, and it really made the night feel more like an authentic Wild West excursion for my cousin.