Blog → My heroes have always been cowboys

Today is the National Day of the American Cowboy, so The 9513 posed the question: What's your favorite cowboy song? Since I haven't done one of these lists in a while, I figured I'd put together my favorite songs about an American icon. Turns out that's not an easy task. The others receiving votes would make a pretty good list in their own right.

It should come as no surprise to anyone who knows me that my list is dominated by Chris LeDoux. LeDoux was probably Wyoming's most famous resident not named Dick Cheney, a world champion bareback rider, a major influence on Garth Brooks and was the first concert I ever attended. He died in Casper in March 2005 due to complications from liver cancer, but his legacy lives on.

25. Happy Trails - Roy Rogers
1952

I'm going old school to start with the king of the cowboys. "Happy Trails" was written by Roy Rogers' costar and later wife, Dale Evans as the theme song for his radio show in the '40s and '50s and was always sung over the end credits of his TV show in the '50s.

24. Tumbling Tumbleweeds - Sons of the Pioneers
1934

This song was originally titled "Tumbling Tumble Leaves" but the band changed it to fit with their cowboy theme. It was made famous by a Gene Autry movie with the same name as the song, and was later used in an episode of The Odd Couple and the start of The Big Lebowski.

23. Cattle Call - Eddy Arnold
1955

Wikipedia refers to the arrangement on this song as "pop oriented." Really? Maybe that was considered pop in those days, but good luck finding yodeling like this from any current artist.

22. My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys - Willie Nelson
Electric Horseman, 1980

One of five songs Willie contributed to the soundtrack to a movie starring Robert Redford and Jane Fonda, this song has had a heck of a lot more staying power than the film.

21. The Fever - Garth Brooks
Fresh Horses, 1995

This is an old Aerosmith song, but Garth's version changed the words to make it about bull riding. Chris LeDoux also recorded it with the word change, but Garth's is more well known and a favorite during his live shows.

20. Hooked On An 8 Second Ride - Chris LeDoux
RADIO & RODEO HITS, 1990

Never released as a single, one of LeDoux's most popular album cuts depicts bull riding as a bit of a drug, describing a rider who is "addicted to danger" and who's "lust needs to be satisfied".

19. (Ghost) Riders in the Sky - Johnny Cash
Silver, 1979

This classic cowboy legend was written in 1948 and has been recorded by more than 50 different artists, including Cash, Elvis, Gene Autry, Bing Crosby, Dick Dale and even the Blues Brothers. It tells of a cowboy who has a vision of a herd of cattle being chased across the sky by the ghosts of damned cowboys. One warns him that unless he changes his ways, he will be cursed to join them in chasing the devil's heard. The story bears a strong resemblance to an old European legend.

18. The Cowboy Rides Away - George Strait
Does Fort Worth Ever Cross Your Mind, 1984

One of King George's lesser hits (only for him would a #5 hit be considered "lesser"), the song frames the end of a relationship in terms of the end of an old western as the credits begin to roll and the cowboy rides off into the sunset.

17. Someday Soon - Chris LeDoux
Rodeo Songs "Old And New", 1973

Suzy Bogguss' version of this song is probably the best known, going to #12 in 1991, but LeDoux's is my favorite. It tells of the love between a cowboy and a girl who's parents don't approve of their daughter dating a rodeo man. Despite those objections, they will be together someday soon.

16. Wild Horses - Garth Brooks
No Fences, 1990

This was originally an album cut, but was released as a single ten years later in the runup to the release of Scarecrow, making it to #7 on the country charts. The song is based on a Rolling Stones song of the same name and is adjusted to refer to the wild horses involved in rodeos.

15. Desperado - The Eagles
Desperado, 1973

Despite being a signature song for the Eagles and making Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time, this was never released as a single. Despite being a classic rock song, the western imagery has led to it being co-opted by country singers, with covers by Lynn Anderson, Chris LeDoux, Johnny Cash, Kenny Rogers and Clint Black, among others.

14. I'll Ride Again - Rodney Hayden
Down the Road, 2007

This is probably the most obscure song on the list, simply because Rodney Hayden is the least well-known artist. The story tells of an outlaw who has been arrested and sentenced to hang. As he's being led to the gallows, he takes a knife from his boot, stabs the sheriff and escapes.

13. Caballo Diablo - Chris LeDoux and Charlie Daniels
One Road Man, 1998

In this demonstration of Chris' talent for storytelling, we find our hero chasing after a legendary mustang that is said to be half horse and half devil. The cowboy boldly proclaims to the horse that he is also half devil and jumps on the horse to ride him bareback.

12. Don't Take Your Guns to Town - Johnny Cash
The Fabulous Johnny Cash, 1959

In his first single for Columbia Records, Cash tells of a young cowboy who thinks he's a better shooter than he is and heads to town despite the pleas of his mother, only to get in a fight and get himself shot. The song was featured in one of Johnny's many appearances on Sesame Street with altered lyrics to make it suitable for children. You can see his performance with Big Bird here.

11. Back In The Saddle Again - Gene Autry
1939

Gene Autry was the original singing cowboy and beloved for his work on film and television. This was his signature song about riding across the prairie.


10. Mamas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Cowboys - Waylon Jennings & Willie Nelson
Waylon And Willie, 1978

In one of the greatest duets in the history of country music, Waylon and Willie advise mothers everywhere to raise their sons to be doctors and lawyers rather than cowboys. The song reached #1 in March 1978 and stayed there for four weeks. It was 12 years until another song spent that long at #1 when Randy Travis did it with "Hard Rock Bottom of Your Heart" in April 1990.

9. Much Too Young (To Feel This Damn Old) - Garth Brooks
Garth Brooks, 1989

Garth's debut single told of the stressful life of a rodeo cowboy, but is best remembered for its mention of "a worn out tape of Chris LeDoux". Chris was largely unknown outside of rodeo circles at that time, but Garth's mentioned gained him notoriety and Garth soon convinced Capitol Records to sign Chris to a recording contract.

8. Bareback Jack - Chris LeDoux
Songs Of Rodeo Life, 1971

Chris wrote this song about his own aspirations when he was a young bareback rider at Casper College in Wyoming. It tells of a young boy who wants to be a bareback rider and eventually becomes one of the best only to have his career ended by a severe injury suffered while riding. It was rerecorded and released as a single after Chris' first bout with cancer and failed to chart, but was always a fan favorite during concerts.

7. Big Iron - Marty Robbins
Gunfighter Ballads and Trail Songs, 1959

Marty Robbins' concept album of classic cowboy songs remains one of the most influential in the history of country music. It was filled with western standards, but two of the brand new songs stole the spotlight. "Big Iron" is a tale that has been told on film a thousand times as a lawman tracks down a wanted outlaw and faces him in a showdown, but Robbins makes it feel as though you're hearing the story for the first time.

6. The Borderline - Chris LeDoux
One Road Man, 1998

One Road Man is a damn good album. In another classic piece of storytelling, a cowboy and a lawman find themselves chasing after a group of Mexican banditos looking for justice and revenge. Once they cross the Mexican border, the law no longer applies and the two take justice into their own hands. When they find the outlaw camp, a shootout reminiscent of Robert Duvall riding into the Indian camp in Lonesome Dove ensues.

5. Should've Been A Cowboy - Toby Keith
Toby Keith, 1993

Prior to How Do You Like Me Now?, Toby Keith was just another unassuming artist with a mullet trying to make it big in Nashville. The unknown Keith found immediate success as his debut single went to #1 and became the most played country song of the 1990s.

4. El Paso - Marty Robbins
Gunfighter Ballads and Trail Songs, 1959

Everyone and their dog knows at least the first couple lines of "El Paso". What many of them probably don't know is how risky the song was as a single. At the time it was released, most country songs were about two minutes long. This song is nearly five minutes long and doesn't have a chorus. The fact that it succeeded anyway is a testament to its quality.

3. Night Rider's Lament - Garth Brooks
The Chase, 1992

This was definitely one of Garth's best album cuts. The story finds a cowboy out watching his herd at night and reading a letter from a friend in the city whose family doesn't understand why anyone would want to chase cows for a living. It's an ode not only to cowboys but to anyone who has had a passion in life that their friends and family doesn't understand. It also features Garth yodeling, which is awesome.

2. Silence On The Line - Chris LeDoux
Cowboy, 2000

Chris really was one of the all-time great storytellers and this is both my favorite of his stories and one of his saddest. It tells of a cowboy who has been crippled in a rodeo accident and calls home to his wife. He doesn't know how to break it to her what happened and ultimately decides not to return to Colorado and instead gets on a bus headed for Mexico.

1. Amarillo By Morning - George Strait
Strait From The Heart, 1982

We interrupt this Brooks/LeDoux lovefest to pay homage to the king. Strait's rodeo ballad is an absolute masterpiece and the fiddle gets me every time. Long live the king.