Cowboy Troy

Last updated
Cowboy Troy
Cowboy Troy-blueshirt-whitehat.jpg
Background information
Birth nameTroy Lee Coleman III [1]
Born (1970-12-18) December 18, 1970 (age 53)
Origin Victoria, Texas, U.S.
Genres
Occupation(s)
  • Rapper
  • singer
  • songwriter
Years active1999–present
Labels
Website CowboyTroy.com

Troy Lee Coleman III (born December 18, 1970), better known by his stage name Cowboy Troy, is an American rapper and singer. He is best known as a representative of the country rap genre for the song "I Play Chicken With The Train". He has released seven studio albums and one EP, including three releases on Warner Bros. Records, and has charted twice on the Billboard country singles charts.

Contents

Early life

Coleman was born in Victoria, Texas, on December 18, 1970. [2] He graduated from Skyline High School in the Dallas Independent School District. Coleman then attended the University of Texas at Austin where he earned a bachelor's degree. [3] Prior to beginning his career as a singer, he worked as the assistant manager of a Dallas area Foot Locker. [3]

He got the name Cowboy Troy in college, after a friend used the name to distinguish the cowboy-hat-wearing Coleman from his other friends named Troy. [4]

Career

On May 17, 2005, Troy released his first major-label solo album, Loco Motive, through the RAYBAW records production label and the Warner Music Group distribution label. [2] The album debuted at No. 2 on Billboard's Top Country Albums chart. The first single, "I Play Chicken with the Train," peaked at No. 48 on Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart on April 9, 2005 and was the No. 1 country download at the iTunes Music Store on April 15, 2005.

As a Chevrolet promotion, Troy, Gretchen Wilson, and Big & Rich released "Our America" as a free, time-limited download on July 1, 2005. They also performed the song live at the Boston Pops concert on July 4, 2005. "Our America" combines "The Star-Spangled Banner" with spoken word of parts of the U.S. Constitution, Declaration of independence, Pledge of Allegiance and Martin Luther King Jr.'s 1963 "I Have a Dream" speech. The song peaked at No. 44 on Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart, and appears as a bonus track on both Big & Rich's Comin' to Your City and Wilson's All Jacked Up albums.

Cowboy Troy released the single "If You Don't Wanna Love Me", a duet with Sarah Buxton. The single failed to chart, as did the follow-up, "My Last Yee Haw." A promotional single, titled "Hook 'Em Horns", was released on February 14, 2006 after his alma mater (the Texas Longhorns) won the national championship in football.

2006-present

Cowboy Troy co-hosted, with Jewel, the fifth season of Nashville Star on the USA Network and CMT Canada. [5]

Troy made a special appearance at the March 13, 2006 episode of WWE's RAW in Beaumont, Texas. He came to the announcer's table and helped announce for the match between superstars Edge and Goldust. His entrance music was "My Last Yee Haw." The April 30 episode of WWE's Raw, broadcast from Nashville, showed Troy in the crowd. The announcers mentioned him, and his duties hosting Nashville Star. In 2007, he released Black in the Saddle.

Troy parted ways with Warner Bros. Nashville in 2008. [6] He released Demolition Mission: Studio Blue Sessions in 2009. Troy returned to Warner Music Nashville to release "King of Clubs" in March 2014.

Cowboy Troy was cited as a featured guest artist on two tracks from the 2011 Vanilla Ice release titled WTF , which is available on iTunes.

In 2012, Troy appeared on the May 21 and 22 finale of Season 14 of the television show Dancing with the Stars , performing "I Play Chicken With the Train."

His 2017 single "Pork Chop" was used as the theme for "Porktober", the National Pork Board's October 2017 promotion. [7]

Troy starred in the 2022 Western film Desperate Riders .

Personal life

Cowboy Troy performed at the 2008 Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minnesota. [8] He is a self-described black conservative and a member of the Republican Party who supported Senator John McCain in the 2008 U.S. presidential election. [4]

Discography

Studio albums

TitleAlbum detailsPeak chart positions
US Country US US
Rap
Beginner's Luck
Loco Motive 21513
Black in the Saddle
  • Release date: June 5, 2007
  • Label: Raybaw/Warner Bros. Nashville
28153
Demolition Mission:
Studio Blue Sessions
  • Release date: September 15, 2009
  • Label: CTMC/Winding Road
King of Clubs [9]
  • Release date: March 11, 2014
  • Label: Warner Music Nashville
25
Saloons on Neptune
  • Release date: December 18, 2015
  • Label: Hick Hop Federation
Laugh With Me
  • Release date: May 18, 2018
  • Label: Shakin' Bacon Productions/SRG-ILS/Universal
"—" denotes releases that did not chart

Extended plays

TitleAlbum details
Hick-Hop Hysteria
  • Release date: 2001
  • Label: Self-released
Before You Knew My Name
  • Release date: June 2010
  • Label: CTMC

Singles

YearSinglePeak chart positionsAlbum
US Country US Bubbling US
Pop
2005"I Play Chicken with the Train" (with Big & Rich)481881Loco Motive
"If You Don't Wanna Love Me" (with Sarah Buxton) [10]
2006"Hook 'Em Horns"
2007"Hick Chick" (with Angela Hacker)Black in the Saddle
2009"Cash in the Cookie Jar"Demolition Mission
2010"New Sheriff"
"Ballad of Cherokee Bill"
2016"Countdown to Vacation"Saloons on Neptune
"—" denotes releases that did not chart

Other charted songs

YearSingleArtistPeak positionsAlbum
US Country
2005"Our America"Big & Rich (with Gretchen Wilson)44 Comin' to Your City

Music videos

YearVideoDirector
2005"I Play Chicken with the Train" Deaton-Flanigen
"If You Don't Wanna Love Me" Shaun Silva
"My Last Yee Haw"Kristin Barlowe
2007"Hick Chick"Shaun Silva

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christian Kane</span> American actor, musician (active 1997– )

Christian Kane is an American actor and singer-songwriter. His television roles include Lindsey McDonald in Angel, Elliot Spencer in Leverage and its spin-off Leverage: Redemption, Jacob Stone in The Librarians, and Abe "High Wolf" Wheeler in Into the West. His cinematic filmography includes Just Married, Taxi, and Secondhand Lions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Buddy Jewell</span> American country music singer (born 1961)

Buddy Jewell Jr. is an American country music singer who was the first winner on the USA Network talent show Nashville Star. Signed to Columbia Records in 2003, Jewell made his debut on the American country music scene with the release of his self-titled album, which produced the singles "Help Pour Out the Rain" and "Sweet Southern Comfort". Another album, Times Like These, followed in 2005.

<i>Nashville Star</i> American reality television singing competition program

Nashville Star is an American reality television singing competition program that aired for six seasons, from 2003 to 2008. Its first five seasons aired on USA Network, while the last season aired on NBC. Its five seasons on USA made it the longest-running competition series on cable television at the time. In Canada, the show aired on CMT through season 5, but moved to E! beginning with season 6. CMT in the United States reaired each episode in season 6.

Lila Elaine McCann is an American country music singer who made her debut at age 16 with the single "Down Came a Blackbird." Reaching a peak of No. 28 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks charts, the song was the first release from her 1997 album Lila, which became the highest-selling album for a debut country music act in 1997 and was certified platinum in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ronnie Dunn</span> American singer-songwriter

Ronald Gene Dunn is an American country music singer-songwriter and record executive. Starting in 2011, Dunn has worked as a solo artist following the temporary dissolution of Brooks & Dunn. He released his self-titled debut album for Arista Nashville on June 7, 2011, reaching the Top 10 with its lead-off single "Bleed Red". In 2013, after leaving Arista Nashville in 2012, Dunn founded Little Will-E Records. On April 8, 2014, Ronnie Dunn released his second solo album, Peace, Love, and Country Music through his Little Will-E Records. On November 11, 2016, he released his third album Tattooed Heart on NASH Icon label. His fourth album Re-Dunn was released on January 10, 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kenny Chesney</span> American country musician (born 1968)

Kenneth Arnold Chesney is an American country singer. He has recorded more than 20 albums that include more than 40 Top 10 singles on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs and Country Airplay charts, 32 of which have reached number one. Many of these also have charted within the Top 40 of the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, making him one of the most successful crossover country artists. He has sold over 30 million albums worldwide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clay Walker</span> American country musician

Ernest Clayton Walker Jr. is an American country music artist. He made his debut in 1993 with the single "What's It to You", which reached Number One on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart, as did its follow-up, 1994's "Live Until I Die". Both singles were included on his self-titled debut album, released in 1993 via Giant Records. He stayed with the label until its 2001 closure, later recording for Warner Bros. Records, RCA Records Nashville, and Curb Records.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Michael Montgomery</span> American country singer

John Michael Montgomery is an American country music singer. Montgomery began singing with his brother Eddie, who would later become known as one half of the duo Montgomery Gentry, before beginning his major-label solo career in 1992. He has had more than 30 singles on the Billboard country charts, of which seven have reached number one: "I Love the Way You Love Me", "I Swear", "Be My Baby Tonight", "If You've Got Love", "I Can Love You Like That", "Sold ", and "The Little Girl". 13 more have reached the top 10. "I Swear" and "Sold " were named by Billboard as the top country songs of 1994 and 1995, respectively. Montgomery's recordings of "I Swear" and "I Can Love You Like That" were both released concurrently with cover versions by the R&B group All-4-One. Several of Montgomery's singles crossed over to the Billboard Hot 100, his highest peak there having been achieved by "Letters from Home" in 2004.

Country rap is a fusion genre of popular music, blending country music with hip hop–style singing or rapping.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jack Ingram</span> American country music singer (born 1970)

Jack Owen Ingram is an American country music artist formerly signed to Big Machine Records, an independent record label. He has released eleven studio albums, one extended play, six live albums, and 19 singles. Although active since 1992, Ingram did not reach the U.S. Country Top 40 until the release of his single "Wherever You Are" late-2005. A number one hit on the Billboard country charts, that song was also his first release for Big Machine and that label's first Number One hit. Ingram has sent six other songs into the country Top 40 with "Love You", "Lips of an Angel", "Measure of a Man", "Maybe She'll Get Lonely", "That's a Man", and "Barefoot and Crazy".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jake Owen</span> American country singer

Joshua Ryan Owen, known professionally as Jake Owen, is an American country music singer. Signed to RCA Nashville in 2006, he released his debut studio album, Startin' with Me, that year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Otto</span> American country music artist (born 1973)

James Allen Otto is an American country music singer and songwriter. Otto began his career on Mercury Nashville Records in 2002, charting three minor singles on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts and recording his debut album Days of Our Lives for the label before being dropped in 2004.

<i>Loco Motive</i> 2005 album by Cowboy Troy

Loco Motive is an album by American country rapper Cowboy Troy. Released in 2005 as his first album for Warner Bros. Records, it features the single "I Play Chicken with the Train", which rose to 48 on the Hot Country Songs chart in 2005. The other singles "If You Don't Wanna Love Me" and "My Last Yee Haw" were also released, although neither charted.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shannon Lawson</span> American singer-songwriter

Shannon Lee Lawson is an American country music artist and songwriter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LoCash</span> American country music duo

LoCash, formerly known as LoCash Cowboys, is an American country music duo consisting of Chris Lucas and Preston Brust, both of whom are vocalists, songwriters, and guitarists. They have released 3 studio albums, one each for Average Joes Entertainment, Reviver Records, and Wheelhouse Records. The duo has charted 3 songs on the Billboard Hot Country Songs and 13 songs on the Country Airplay chart. Their highest-charting single is "I Know Somebody", which topped the Billboard Country Airplay chart in 2016. In addition to their own material, the members of LoCash co-wrote Keith Urban's number-one single "You Gonna Fly" and Tim McGraw's "Truck Yeah".

<i>Cowboys Back in Town</i> 2010 studio album by Trace Adkins

Cowboy's Back in Town is the ninth studio album by American country music artist Trace Adkins. It was released on August 17, 2010 by Show Dog-Universal Music. The first single "This Ain't No Love Song" was released to radio in May 2010 and debuted at number 54 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs chart for the week of May 22, 2010. Also included on the album is "Ala-Freakin-Bama," a song that charted in late 2009 and was promoted by Adkins's former label from by Capitol Records Nashville.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Big & Rich</span> American country music duo

Big & Rich is an American country music duo composed of Big Kenny and John Rich, both of whom are songwriters, vocalists, and guitarists. Before the duo's foundation, Rich was bass guitarist in the country band Lonestar, while Kenny was a solo artist for Hollywood Records.

Rob Baird is an Americana and country music singer-songwriter, producer, and musician from Memphis, Tennessee. He released his debut album, Blue Eyed Angels, in 2010 and his sophomore effort, I Swear It's the Truth, in May 2012. His third record, Wrong Side of The River, was released on May 13, 2016. His fourth album, After All, was released on January 11, 2019. His fifth record, Anthems, was released on May 19, 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kane Brown</span> American singer (born 1993)

Kane Allen Brown is an American country singer. First garnering a mass following on social media, he released his debut extended play (EP) Closer in June 2015, and followed it up with the single, "Used to Love You Sober" in October of that year. After Brown signed with RCA Nashville in early 2016, the song was included on his second EP and major label debut, Chapter 1 in March 2016. He released his eponymous debut studio album later that year in December. The album spawned the single "What Ifs", and in October 2017, Brown became the first artist to have simultaneous number ones on all five main Billboard country charts. Brown released his second album, Experiment, in November 2018, which became his first number one album on the Billboard 200.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Drake Milligan</span> American singer

Drake Milligan is an American singer, best known for portraying Elvis Presley on the CMT series Sun Records and starring in the film Nobody where he portrayed a young teen Elvis. He has also appeared on American Idol and America's Got Talent. Milligan has charted with the singles "Sounds Like Something I'd Do" and "Honky Tonkin' About", the latter of which became his first number one when it topped the Canadian country chart.

References

  1. Full name per ASCAP database
  2. 1 2 3 Jeffries, David. "Cowboy Troy biography". AllMusic . Retrieved 2008-01-03.
  3. 1 2 Cowboy Troy Bucks Country Rolling Stone Magazine "When the song took off last year, Troy had to leave his job at a Dallas Foot Locker store to tour with the duo, which was opening for Tim McGraw." May 05, 2005
  4. 1 2 "Q. & A. with Cowboy Troy". The Washington Times .
  5. Jewel Takes a Shine to 'Nashville Star', Singer joins Cowboy Troy as co-host Archived 2012-09-27 at the Wayback Machine Zap2it.com September 27, 2006
  6. Morris, Edward. "Country Rosters Remain Stable Despite Sales Downturn". CMT News.
  7. "Pork Board teams with Cowboy Troy to celebrate pork chops". www.nationalhogfarmer.com. Retrieved 25 March 2024.
  8. Wayne, Leslie (August 11, 2008). "Checking Out the Parties' Parties". Thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com.
  9. Wyland, Sarah (December 12, 2013). "Cowboy Troy to Release King of Clubs on March 11". Great American Country . Retrieved December 13, 2013.
  10. "New Music Weekly for the week of June 6" (PDF). Billboard Radio Monitor. June 3, 2005.