 Photo by Ross Hecox, Western
Horseman |
|
|
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
Yahoo!® 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.
Add to that an appearance by Wylie on Late Night with
Conan O'Brien,
with Wylie teaching Conan to yodel.
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!"
|
|
|
|
