Gary McMahan

Last updated

Gary McMahan (born 1948 in Greeley, Colorado) is an American Western music singer-songwriter, yodeler, humorist and cowboy poet, known for his wide-ranging influence in post-19th century Western music and poetry, and for writing "The Old Double Diamond", which members of the Western Writers of America chose as one of the Top 100 Western songs of all time. [1]

Contents

Early life

McMahan's father owned a cattle trucking business in Greeley. Gary traveled with his father as a child, spending time in and around the ranches, feedlots, and rodeo arenas of Northern Colorado and neighboring states. Beginning in his teenage years he rode bareback broncs and saddle broncs in rodeos, also trying his hand at calf roping and steer roping, even winning the money in a few events. He tried his hand at bull riding, but was "never any good at it". Before entering the world of Western music and poetry, he worked as a cowboy, rodeo performer, and guide, where he learned to wrangle, drive teams, shoe horses, brand, calve, rope, fence, and pack. Later, he often referred to those activities in his poems and songs. After two years studying animal science at Colorado State University and a stint as a Vietnam-era Navy corpsman, he made a conscious decision to become a cowboy songwriter. [2] [3] [4]

Career

In the early seventies he moved to Nashville, where he hung out with aspiring Western artists Fred (Too Slim) LaBour, Chris LeDoux, and Ian Tyson. After five years in Nashville, he moved back to Colorado. While living there, he was signed by New York-based Tomato Records. At the time, that label had only four artists: Dick Gregory, Townes Van Zandt, Philip Glass, and he. [2]

Since then, McMahan has written over 300 songs and poems and recorded six albums. His songs have been recorded by artists such as the now-famous Chris LeDoux, Ian Tyson, and Riders in the Sky (featuring Fred LaBour). The Western Music Association named him National Champion Yodeler in 1991. In 1992 he earned the National Cowboy Hall of Fame Wrangler Award for writing the year's best cowboy song. His performing career got a boost when he was invited to perform at the first National Cowboy Poetry Gathering in 1985. He saw that audiences liked what he was doing, and Baxter Black encouraged him to do more of it. [5] Today he mostly entertains at banquets, concerts, and events such as the National Gathering and the Colorado Cowboy Gathering, which he co-founded in 1988. [4] [6]

In a 2014 interview, McMahan said "I’ve made my living with either a horse or guitar or both for the last 40 years, and it’s been a great life." [7]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rodeo</span> Competitive sport

Rodeo is a competitive equestrian sport that arose out of the working practices of cattle herding in Spain and Mexico, expanding throughout the Americas and to other nations. It was originally based on the skills required of the working vaqueros and later, cowboys, in what today is the western United States, western Canada, and northern Mexico. Today, it is a sporting event that involves horses and other livestock, designed to test the skill and speed of the cowboys and cowgirls. American-style professional rodeos generally comprise the following events: tie-down roping, team roping, steer wrestling, Steer roping, saddle bronc riding, bareback bronc riding, bull riding and barrel racing. The events are divided into two basic categories: the rough stock events and the timed events. Depending on sanctioning organization and region, other events such as breakaway roping, goat tying, and pole bending may also be a part of some rodeos. The "world's first public cowboy contest" was held on July 4, 1883, in Pecos, Texas, between cattle driver Trav Windham and roper Morg Livingston.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chris LeDoux</span> American country singer

Chris LeDoux was an American country music singer-songwriter, bronze sculptor, and hall of fame rodeo champion. During his career, LeDoux recorded 36 albums, which have sold more than six million units in the United States as of January 2007. He was awarded two gold and one platinum album certifications from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), was nominated for a Grammy Award, and was honored with the Academy of Country Music Cliffie Stone Pioneer Award. LeDoux is also the only person to participate and also perform at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association</span> American rodeo organization

The Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) is the largest rodeo organization in the world. It sanctions events in the United States, Canada, and Mexico, with members from said countries, as well as others. Its championship event is the National Finals Rodeo (NFR). The PRCA is headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colorado, United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">ProRodeo Hall of Fame</span> Hall of fame in Colorado Springs, Colorado

The ProRodeo Hall of Fame and Museum of the American Cowboy was opened in August 1979 as a museum designed to "preserve the legacy of the cowboy contests, the heritage and culture of those original competitions, and the champions of the past, present and future." It is located in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and only inducts Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association and Women's Professional Rodeo Association members. It is the "only museum in the world devoted exclusively to the sport of professional rodeo."

Western lifestyle or cowboy culture is the lifestyle, or behaviorisms, of, and resulting from the influence of, the attitudes, ethics and history of the American Western cowboy. In the present day these influences affect this sector of the population's choice of recreation, clothing, and consumption of goods.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ty Murray</span> American rodeo cowboy

Ty Monroe Murray, is an American nine-time World Champion professional rodeo cowboy. He was one of the top rodeo contestants in the world from the late 1980s to early 2000s. He is one of the co-founders and a board adviser of the Professional Bull Riders (PBR). From 2005 to 2020, he was also a regular color commentator for several televised PBR events.

Larry Mahan was an American professional rodeo cowboy. He won six all-around world championships and two bull riding world championships in the Rodeo Cowboys Association circuit at the National Finals Rodeo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wylie Gustafson</span> American singer-songwriter (born 1961)

Wylie Galt Gustafson is an American singer-songwriter who has toured nationally and internationally with his band, "Wylie & The Wild West". The band is known for its blend of cowboy, traditional country, folk and yodeling. Wylie is renowned for his creation of the ubiquitous Yahoo! yodel used in the tech company's worldwide advertising campaign. Gustafson is a fourth generation Montana cowboy and is a 2019 inductee into the Montana Cowboy Hall of Fame. He is the younger brother of Lieutenant Governor of Montana Kristen Juras.

Lewis Feild was an American professional rodeo cowboy. He specialized in bareback bronc riding and saddle bronc riding and competed on the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) circuit. He was the World All-Around Cowboy Champion from 1985 to 1987 at the National Finals Rodeo (NFR). He was also the World Bareback Riding Champion from 1985 to 1986. The ProRodeo Hall of Fame inducted him in 1992 in the all-around category.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Red Steagall</span> American singer-songwriter

Russell "Red" Steagall is an American actor, musician, poet, and stage performer, who focuses on American Western and country music genres.

Casey Duane Tibbs was a rodeo cowboy, and actor. In 1979, he was inducted into the ProRodeo Hall of Fame.

History of rodeo tracks the lineage of modern Western rodeo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tex Austin</span>

John Van "Tex" Austin was an American rodeo promoter, known as the "King of the Rodeo" or "Daddy of the Rodeo" because of his efforts to popularize the rodeo outside of its core American West demographic.

The Greeley Stampede, also known as the Greeley Independence Stampede, is an annual celebration held in Greeley, Colorado. It spans two weekends in July and features Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA)-sanctioned rodeo, bull riding and kids' rodeos, country and classic rock concerts, demolition derby, a televised 4th of July parade, Carnival Midway, Western Art Show, free stage entertainment, and loads of festival grounds activities, mixed with food and fun. The ProRodeo Hall of Fame inducted the Greeley Stampede in 2014.

Paul Zarzyski is a cowboy poet and educator. He is a former bareback bronc rider.

Warren Granger "Freckles" Brown was a hall of fame American rodeo cowboy from Wheatland, Wyoming. His career spanned from 1937 to 1974, competing in bull riding, saddle bronc riding, bareback bronc riding, team roping, and steer wrestling. He was the World Bull Riding Champion in 1962. Brown was inducted into the ProRodeo Hall of Fame in Colorado Springs, Colorado, for bull riding in 1979. He was also inducted into the inaugural class of the Bull Riding Hall of Fame in Fort Worth, Texas, in 2015. Brown was most famous for riding Tornado, who had an undefeated record of 220 riders. Brown was also a close friend and mentor of Lane Frost.

"The Old Double Diamond" is a Western song written by Gary McMahan. It has been recorded by Chris LeDoux, Ian Tyson, and dozens of other artists.

Phil Lyne is an American former professional rodeo cowboy who competed in the Rodeo Cowboys Association (RCA)/Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA). Lyne was the RCA Rookie of the Year in 1969. Two seasons later at the National Finals Rodeo (NFR), in 1971, he won the all-around cowboy world championship and the tie-down roping world championship. At the NFR in 1972, he repeated as the all-around world champion cowboy and added a second tie-down roping world championship. Lyne won his first and only steer roping world championship at the National Finals Steer Roping (NFSR) in 1990. He was inducted into the ProRodeo Hall of Fame in 1979.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Little Britches Rodeo Association</span>

The National Little Britches Rodeo (NLBRA) is one of the oldest youth based rodeo organizations. It was founded in 1952, and sanctions rodeos in over 33 states. NLBRA allows children ages 5 to 18 to compete in a variety of different rodeo events. It’s championship event is the National Little Britches Finals Rodeo. The NLBRA headquarters is based in Colorado Springs, Colorado, United States. The NLBRA was founded in Littleton, Colorado. The Finals were held in Pueblo, Colorado, but moved to the Lazy E in Oklahoma in 2016.

Descent was a bucking horse who was specialized in saddle bronc riding and competed in the Rodeo Cowboys Association. He is a six-time Bucking Horse of the Year awardee. He won the award in 1966, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1971, and 1972. He is also a 1979 ProRodeo Hall of Fame inaugural inductee.

References

  1. ↑ Western Writers of America (2010). "The Top 100 Western Songs". American Cowboy. Archived from the original on October 19, 2010.
  2. 1 2 "In the Crosshairs: Gary McMahan, Working Cowboy Turned Entertainer (Part 1 of 2)" (PDF). The Western Way . 23 (4): 20–21. 2013. Retrieved January 14, 2015.
  3. ↑ "Gary McMahan; Cowboy Poetry at the Bar-D Ranch". CowboyPoetry.com. Center for Western and Cowboy Poetry, Inc. Retrieved January 14, 2015.
  4. 1 2 Towler, Sureva (February 2, 2007). "Cowboy singer does it his way". The Denver Post . Retrieved January 14, 2015.
  5. ↑ Coon, Chuck (2003). "Tumbleweed Soul". American Cowboy. March/April 2003: 20. Retrieved January 15, 2015.
  6. ↑ "Past-Gatherings". ColoradoCowboyGathering.com. Colorado Cowboy Gathering, Inc. Retrieved January 14, 2015.
  7. ↑ "In the Crosshairs: Gary McMahan, Working Cowboy Turned Entertainer (Part 2 of 2)" (PDF). The Western Way . 24 (1): 20–21. 2014. Retrieved January 14, 2015.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.