Andy Hedges, with special guests Andy Wilkinson and Charlie Stout, celebrating the release of Andy’s new album ‘The Westerner.’ Enjoy an evening of cowboy songs, poetry, storytelling and West Texas songwriting. Presented by the National Ranching Heritage Center.
Andy Hedges is a songster, reciter, storyteller, guitarist, and collector of cowboy songs and poems. The son of a schoolteacher and a rodeo cowboy turned preacher, Andy was born in Lubbock, Texas. He grew up in the small community of Tokio, Texas, where his family paid rent on an old farmhouse by looking after a few head of cattle. It was there that Andy fell in love with traditional music by listening to his father’s cassettes of cowboy songs.
A poet, songwriter, singer and playwright whose particular interest is the history and peoples of the Great Plains, Andy Wilkinson has recorded a dozen albums of original music and has written seven plays - among them “Charlie Goodnight’s Last Night,” a one-man show performed by Barry Corbin, and the musical drama “My Cowboy’s Gift.” He has written four books: “A Family of the Land: Texas Photography of Guy Gillette”; “Storyline”; “Surprise, Texas”; “Mystery Mechanics: The Creative Process”; and “Llanero: A Boyhood on the 360-of-180.” Honors include Kerrville Folk Festival’s New Folk Contest (1985), Texas Historical Foundation’s John Ben Shepperd Jr. Craftsmanship Award, and seven National Western Heritage “Wrangler” Awards in five different categories. Since 2001, Andy has been affiliated with Texas Tech University, having served as Artist-in-Residence at the Southwest Collection and as a songwriting instructor in the School of Music. He teaches creative process in the Honors College and directs special projects for the Office of Outreach and Engagement.
West Virginia native Charlie Stout draws from experience as a photographer, filmmaker and composer to animate cinematic lyrics through carefully crafted storytelling.
From the mythical dark hollows of the Appalachian Mountains to the magnificent deserts of West Texas and beyond, Charlie Stout’s words, music, and images evoke contemplation of life and death on the New American Frontier.
Join us for this very special evening as these three creative forces gather to celebrate the album release of Andy Hedges’ new project ‘The Westerner’ in this magical night of epic storytelling, shared experiences and love of all things Western in nature. It’ll be an evening you’ll treasure at the historic Cactus Theater!