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In this era of prepackaged superstars, of pale imitations of country music
being pushed onto the public by faceless media giants, the music of Wylie &
The Wild West is a beacon of truth and honest beauty.
As one critic says, “Wylie Gustafson is the coolest cowpoke around. Forget everything you hate about modern country, this guy is old-school cool without being a tired period piece.”
Singer, songwriter, rancher, horseman, and
the original, world-famous YahooŽ yodeler, Wylie Gustafson leads the musical outfit
known as The Wild West. The first incarnation of the group
formed in 1989, getting its start on Ronnie Mack's Barn Dance
at the Palomino Club in North Hollywood. Since then, Wylie & The
Wild West have played thousands of gigs, delighting audiences
around the world with their unique brand of good-time cowboy music. They've performed
at the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering, The National Folk Festival,
Kennedy Center,
Lincoln Center, on
A Prairie Home Companion,
and have appeared more than 50 times on the Grand Ole Opry.
Whether playing for a crowd of
50 or 5,000, Wylie's goal is always the same: "To win a crowd
with good music and make 'em feel like they got their money’s
worth." Looking back over two decades with The Wild West, he
says, "My idea about playing live music has pretty much been the
same since I started playing in high school dance bands in the
mid-70s: be an
entertainer. It all started
as I watched Chuck Berry on T.V. one night as he duck-walked,
strutted, kicked, and grooved across the stage while never
missing a beat. Now that was entertainment!"
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Wylie & Conan O'Brien
(Photo Courtesy NBC Universal)
No kidding! On April Fools Day 2008, Wylie
appeared on Late Night with Conan O'Brien promoting his
book, How to Yodel: Lessons to Tickle Your Tonsils. Conan
joined Wylie in a rockin' rendition of the band's top-selling
iTunes title "Yodel Boogie." The show's official blog described
the 6-minute chapter as "the highlight of the day."
Wylie gave Conan high marks for bravery in
accepting the challenge of learning to yodel in front of 2.5
million viewers, and for his abilities in carrying it off
successfully. "We only had about five minutes to rehearse
earlier in the day. "Conan was a superb host, especially off
camera," Wylie said. "His crew was first class through and
through."
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World-famous Yahooer and yodeling guru Wylie Gustafson teaches fun and easy lessons in the high art of yodeling, with a big dose of hilarity along the way!
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"Wylie Gustafson is today's most widely heard cowboy singer, and whether you know his name or not, you've heard him: He yodels the "Ya-Hoo-Ooo" for Yahoo.com
(and had to sue to get just recompense. He's also the real deal: a rider,
a rancher, and a genuine comer as a
musical artist. |
With his
latest release, Bucking Horse Moon, he has
established himself as the first giant of the
new pantheon that will inherit, preserve, and enhance the Western music tradition from such current reigning luminaries as Don Edwards, Waddie Mitchell, Red Steagall, Ian Tyson, and Michael Martin Murphey (to name a few).
Gustafson wins such stature with an utterly charming album ably produced by John Carter Cash, son of Johnny and June Carter that hits all the bases with home-run style. Be it genuine Country & Western, cowboy music, yodeling, or his own burgeoning contemporary Western Country-folk style, Gustafson rides the musical range with the assurance of an old saddle hand. He proves himself a distinctive and affecting singer as well as a highly adept songwriter, with one boot firmly in the stirrup of tradition and the other in the stirrup of respectful innovation, gently spurring cowboy & Western music toward its future. And with Wylie Gustafson's sure hands on the reins, the sounds of the ranch and the range have a fine new trail boss to blaze the way for decades to come."
~ Rob Patterson
Cowboys & Indians Magazine
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Wylie visits with
Ken Overcast of
The Cowboy Show about Wylie's
Cattle Call album on
Ken's latest
Audio Postcard
2008 National Cowboy Poetry Gathering
Cybercast
KSPS Spokane
March 2007
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Wylie & the band in a
concert-length DVD, plus bonus footage:
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"Saddle up for
Wylie's West-Fest"
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The Parsonage
Bed & Breakfast Dusty, Washington |
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