The nostalgic sound of the old cowboy westerns of the movies continues on to this day in the work of the "Comedy and Western" quartet Riders In The Sky.
The Grammy-winning group will be bringing its brand of comedy and Western music to the Gold Eagle Casino on Oct. 16. Doors open at 7 p.m. and the performance begins at 8 p.m.
While they performed in Saskatchewan before, they say it will be the first time they performed in North Battleford.
"I love it - a new pin on the map," was the reaction of Ranger Doug, who spoke to the Regional Optimist last week by phone from Nashville.
The week before, the group had been performing in the upper Midwest and also on a riverboat on the Mississippi "which was really fun," he said.
They were also slated to perform in Arizona and in Visalia, California before heading up to North Battleford - "that's our territory, where we probably play the most," Ranger Doug comments.
"From Colorado westward, they just get it there, although the upper Midwest is good for us, too," he said. The group has also played in the deep Â鶹ÊÓƵ, but not so much in New England and never in the Maritimes. "I really would love to go up there sometime, but I'm sure looking forward to seeing your country, too."
The focus of Riders In The Sky is exclusively on "Western" music - a distinct focus as they pay tribute to the Western artists of the Thirties, Forties and Fifties.
Back then was the phenomenon of the "singing cowboy" including Gene Autry, Roy Rogers and the like. In fact, Ranger Doug had said the group was recording Roy Rogers tribute songs for a new album they were doing, in conjunction with an upcoming tour devoted to celebrating Roy Rogers' career and music.
"They kind of wedded music to the action western, and for about 20 years they were the very popular film and musical genre," said Ranger Doug. "We sort of capture that era - the magic of it, the romanticism."
Their songs reflect that tradition and style along with the comedy element, which is an important element of what Riders in The Sky is about.
When asked how the group came together, Ranger Doug replied "Match.com." With that joke out of the way, he explained they began as a trio in 1977 that included himself and the bassist Too Slim. Woody Paul, "King of the Cowboy Fiddlers" joined soon after and they performed as a trio for about 12 years before their fourth member, Joey the Cowpolka King, joined.
"We were all musicians down here in Nashville," Ranger Doug said.
"We're looking for one way or another to express our creativity and make a living in this crazy business. We all realized we loved the old style and nobody was doing it, and so we started doing it for fun. And I guess because of the humour largely and because it was kind of forgotten and so it sounded fresh, a whole new generation responded to it."
Folks in the Battlefords can expect some classic songs like Riders In the Sky, Tumbling Tumbleweeds and Cool Water.
They also plan songs such as their recording for the soundtrack of Toy Story 2, "Woody's Round Up," as well as some original songs and plenty of doses of humour.
There's some physical humour as well as rope tricks involved in a Riders in The Sky performance.
"It's hard to describe it without seeing it, it's sort of sketches and some of it's ad lib," said Ranger Doug. "It's sort of Smothers Brothers meets Sons of the Pioneers." An old character named Side Meat comes out and does some routines as well.
The group has racked up honors including two Grammys - both for their movie work.
The album "Woody's Round Up" from Toy Story 2 earned them their first Grammy Award in 2001 for "Best Musical Album for Children." They won in the same category two years later for "Monsters Inc. - Scream Factory Favorites," which was the companion CD to the movie.
They are members of the Grand Ole Opry and were inducted to the Western Music Association Hall of Fame. Ranger Doug also hosts a Friday-night show called Classic Cowboy Corral on SiriusXM satellite radio.
As for why the group is still going strong, "I still have a daughter in college, that kind of keeps me going," Ranger Doug said.
Beyond that, "We still love it, we still love performing," and making people "aware of a historical piece of North American culture," he said.
"If I was retired this is what I'd do, so why not?"
For more information about Riders In the Sky you can find them at http://www.ridersinthesky.com/. For ticket information, contact the Gold Eagle Casino box office.
