The Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame and Museum will host award-winning group Riders in the Sky on May 4 at the Woodward Theatre.
Composed of “Ranger” Doug Green, Fred “Too Slim” LaBour, Woody Paul “The King of Cowboy Fiddlers” Chrisman, and Joey “The Cow-Polka King” Miskulin, the beloved American Western music and comedy ensemble has won the hearts of crowds the world over.
“We have somewhat of a double mission,” Green said. “We hope to preserve western music, and have as much fun as possible while entertaining our friends!”
Since the group’s origins in 1977, Riders in the Sky has strived to promote a traditional western sound that mimics that of cowboy crooners from yesteryear. One of their most recent accomplishments pays homage to this trademark of the group. The album “Woody’s Roundup: A Rootin’ Tootin’ Collection of Woody’s Favorite Songs”, was featured in the Disney film “Toy Story 2.” The album earned the group a Grammy award for best musical album for children.
“We all grew up in the era of cowboy singers like Gene Autry,” Green said. “Essentially the romance of all of that time period just sort of stuck with us. I think it’s easy to embrace the idea of singing songs about the open prairie, there’s something poetic about it.”
Adorned in traditional western attire for performances, Riders in the Sky is both authentic and unique playing all acoustic instruments.
“That rich sound is important to us,” Green said. “This complements the traditional aspect of what we bring to each show. Our attire is reminiscent of the era when cowboys ruled the silver screen and radio.”
Having performed over 7,000 live shows Riders in the Sky are excited to perform in Owensboro and have a deep admiration for Bluegrass music.
“We can’t wait to see the facility, we’re all huge bluegrass fans,” Green said in regard to the new Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame and Museum. “I actually served as a Bluegrass Boy briefly with Bill Monroe, so I know a thing or two about the genre.”
Saturday’s performance scheduled for 7 p.m. is one families and fans of traditional Western music will not want to miss.
“Spend some time with us and dream about the old West,” Green said. “Our hope is our show will provide two hours of escape from the stress of day to day responsibilities. We want folks to laugh and sing along and reminiscence about the days of the open range.”
For ticket information visit http://www.bluegrasshall.org/live-music-events/
