RIDERS
IN THE SKY ON OCTOBER 11
The Princess Theatre Center
for the Performing Arts continues
its
30th Anniversary Season for 2013-2014 with the Riders in the Sky
on Friday, October 11, 2013 at 7:30 p.m.
The Grammy-winning artists will be the centerpiece of the 30th
Birthday Block Party for the Princess with a variety of activities planned including
a Round Up at the Kids Corral event
for children and families at 4:30 p.m. and a western theme Block Party on 2nd Avenue
in front of the Princess Theatre from 4:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. Everyone is invited to wear western
attire! The Decatur Daily is the event
sponsor with additional support from the Decatur Morgan County Convention &
Visitors Bureau and AlphaPet Indorama.
Riders
In The Sky are truly exceptional. By definition, empirical data, and critical
acclaim, they stand “hats & shoulders” above the rest of the purveyors of C
& W – “Comedy & Western!” For
thirty years Riders In The Sky have
been keepers of the flame passed on by the Sons of the Pioneers, Gene Autry and
Roy Rogers, reviving and revitalizing the genre. And while remaining true to the integrity of
Western music, they have themselves become modern-day icons by branding the
genre with their own legendary wacky humor and way-out Western wit, and all
along encouraging buckaroos and buckarettes to live life “The Cowboy Way!”
Riders
In The Sky are exceptional not just in the sense that their
music is of superlative standards (they are the ONLY exclusively Western artist
to have won a Grammy, and Riders have won two), but by the fact that their
accomplishments are an exception to the rule as well.
That
Riders In The Sky was even formed is a feat of improbable
likelihood. What are the odds that a
theoretical plasma physicist, a wildlife manager - galvanizer - Life Scout, an
English major – shot putter – Bluegrass Boy, and a Polka Hall of Fame member
would collectively become “America’s
Favorite Cowboys?” And even more
unlikely is that 30 years later, the original members are still “bringing good
beef to hungry people” while putting up Ripken-like numbers! The Rolling Stones only made it a few years
before replacing Brian Jones; the Sons of the Pioneers constantly changed
personnel; even the Ringo-era Beatles only lasted 8 years. (Perhaps Too Slim, as a sophomore writer for
the University of
Michigan Daily, had an
ulterior motive in 1969 by propagating the rumor that Paul McCartney was
dead! It’s true… go ahead and Google
“Paul is dead rumor”…) But the key to
keeping the same founding members intact for three decades on the road is more
easily explained: “Separate hotel rooms,” cracks Ranger Doug!
Riders
In The Sky’s first official public performance was Nov. 11,
1977, at the erstwhile Nashville
nightspot “Phranks & Steins.” Taking
the stage that night for a crowd of eight or nine (counting Herr Harry behind
the bar) were Ranger Doug (Idol of American Youth) on arch-top guitar and
baritone vocals, and Too Slim (A Man Aging Like Fine Cheese) on bunkhouse bass,
face, and tenor vocals. A chain saw may
have been in the mix somewhere that night, but was soon retired. Replacing the chain saw was Woody Paul (King
of the Cowboy Fiddlers) on fiddle, tenor vocals and rope tricks, and the launch
was successful! They subsequently added the “Stomach Steinway” stylings of Joey
the Cowpolka King on accordion and baritone vocals, much to the delight of
‘Polkaholics’ everywhere.
As a classic cowboy quartet, the trail has led them
to heights they could have never predicted.
Riders have chalked up over 5400 concert appearances in all 50 states
and 10 countries, appearing in venues everywhere from the Nashville National
Guard Armory to Carnegie Hall, and from county fairs to the Hollywood
Bowl. Their cowboy charisma and comedic
flair made them naturals for TV, and landed them their own weekly show on TNN,
as well as a Saturday morning series on CBS.
They have been guests on countless TV specials, documentaries and
variety shows, appearing with everyone from Barney to Penn & Teller. And their animated likenesses have shared the
screen with Daffy Duck on the Cartoon Network, and the Disney Channel’s
Stanley. If you consider their
compositional credits, one might call them “Writers In The Sky!” In addition to penning award winning songs
for their own albums, they wrote the score for Pixar Animation’s 2002 Academy
Award-winning short “For the Birds.”
They composed the theme song for the internet cartoon show “Thomas
Timberwolf” by renowned Bugs Bunny creator Chuck Jones. But the animated character that history will
most certainly link to Riders In The Sky
is the loveable cowboy Woody, as Riders performed “Woody’s Round Up” in “Toy
Story 2,” with the album of the same name garnering Riders their first Grammy
Award in 2001 for “Best Musical Album for Children.” Two years later, Riders roped their second
Grammy in the same category, for “Monsters Inc. – Scream Factory Favorites,”
the companion CD to Pixar’s award-winning movie.
Equally as exceptional, but of greater
significance, is that in 1982, Riders
In The Sky became the first, and to
date only, exclusively Western music artist to join the Grand Ole Opry, the
longest running radio show in history, and thus began a love affair with radio
as well. In 1988, they recorded comedy
skits for the album “Riders Radio Theatre” and launched the long-running
international weekly radio show of the same name on public radio. And keeping pace with the ever-changing
technological landscape, in 2006 “Ranger Doug’s Classic Cowboy Corral” debuted
on XM Satellite Radio, heard weekly on Channel 10.
Exceptional artists also appeal to a diverse and
broad-based cross section of their adoring public. Riders
In The Sky’s music and comedy delights cowboys and cowgirls of all ages,
and from all walks of life. Riders are
equally at ease amusing a theatre full of children as they are enthralling a
symphony audience accompanied by 50 or 60 classically trained instrumentalists,
or even an NCO club full of servicemen during a USO Tour. Riders have performed at the White House for
both Democratic and Republican administrations, and at Major League Baseball’s
winter meetings for both American and National Leagues (although with an
admitted bias for the Detroit Tigers).
With their ability to persuade cowpokes on both sides of the fence to
set aside their differences for a brief escape from day-to-day tribulations, is
it any wonder that Riders have a virtual home called “Harmony Ranch?”
Ultimately, exceptional careers do not go
unnoticed, and throughout theirs, Riders
In The Sky have been honored regularly.
In addition to being inducted into the Grand Ole Opry, Riders are in the
Western Music Association’s Hall of Fame, the Country Music Foundation’s
Walkway of Stars, and the Walk of Western Stars (in Newhall,
CA near Melody Ranch Studios) along with Gene,
Roy, John Wayne
and other cowboy legends. No less
important than their two Grammies, Riders have been the Western Music
Association’s “Entertainers Of the Year” six times, and won “Traditional Group
of the Year” and “Traditional Album of the Year” multiple times. The Academy
of Western Artists has named them
“Western Music Group of the Year” twice in 5 years, and the National Cowboy &
Western Heritage Museum has bestowed Riders with their
Wrangler Award statuette three times. It
comes as no surprise then that Billboard magazine’s Jim Bessman counts them as
one of “the most historically significant acts in the history of American
music.”
Yes, it would be “The Easy Way” to call it a career
after 30 years, but it wouldn’t be…“The Cowboy Way!” And so, the never-ending trail drive
continues. The ponies are rested and watered, and America’s Favorite Cowboys are
ready to saddle up and ride, bringing good beef to hungry people wherever they
may be. Yes, Riders In The Sky are truly an exception to the rule.
A
week-long celebration of events has been planned during October 7-11 to
celebrate 30 years at the Princess Theatre.
For a full schedule, visit: www.PrincessAnniversary.com. The Princess Theatre 2013-2014 Season is
made possible by grants from the Alabama State Council on the Arts and the
National Endowment for the Arts.
Single tickets are available at the Princess Theatre box
office for the “Round Up at the Kids Corral” event ($10.00 general admission all
tickets) at 4:30 p.m. Reserved tickets
range from $30-$20 for the evening show on Friday at 7:30 p.m. For more
information, call 256-340-1778 or visit the Princess Web site at:
