Cowboys and Country Music

It's a bit ironic that I live in Nashville and am not a big fan of country music. I like a song here and there, and mainly ones that either are more pop-ish or ones with more bluegrass in them by artists like Alison Krauss or Lady Antebellum, but as a general rule I'm more of a hard rock kind of gal. But in my mind, cowboys have always been linked to country music. After a rodeo or a day of riding the range, they might put on their best boots, cowboy hat and pressed Wrangler jeans and head out to a country western bar for a few drinks and some two-stepping.

Imagine my surprise when I attended a PRCA rodeo in Corpus Christi, Texas last year to do research for next month's installment in the Codys continuity, Elly: Cowgirl Bride. In between riders and events, they played...rock music! I don't know if this is common, but it surprised me.

But back to country music. I think cowboy songs and country music are forever entwined. CMT even did a special called The 20 Greatest Cowboy Songs. Here's their list. See if you agree.

Happy Trails (Roy Rogers)
The Cowboy in Me (Tim McGraw)
My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys (Willie Nelson)
Cattle Call (Eddy Arnold)
Back in the Saddle Again (Gene Autry)
Amarillo By Morning (George Strait)
Shoulda Been a Cowboy (Toby Keith)
El Paso (Marty Robbins)
Much Too Young (To Feel This Damn Old) (Garth Brooks)
Don't Take Your Guns to Town (Johnny Cash)
Even Cowgirls Get the Blues (EmmyLou Harris)
Rhinestone Cowboy (Glen Campbell)
Home on the Range (Gene Autry)
Ghost Riders in the Sky (several artists)
Cowboy Take Me Away (Dixie Chicks)
Cool Water (Sons of the Pioneers)
What'cha Gonna Do with a Cowboy? (Chris LeDoux)
The Streets of Laredo (Buck Owens)
I Can Still Make Cheyenne (George Straight)
Mamas, Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys (Willie Nelson)

Here's a little tune to get you in a cowboy song kind of mood, Toby Keith's "I Shoulda Been a Cowboy."