Acclaimed Western artists Dom Flemons, Hal Cannon, Pipp Gillette and Joel Nelson will join cowboy songster Andy Hedges for a special day of Western storytelling, song and poetry at the 3rd annual Ranch Verse. Ranch Verse will be held Saturday, Aug. 2, in Lubbock, Texas. Daytime programs at the National Ranching Heritage Center and an evening concert at the Cactus Theater will artfully illustrate the heritage of cowboy country.
"Ranch Verse is a rich tapestry of Western culture, offering a diverse program including working cowboy stories, cowboy poetry, Western music, and discussions of the ranching way of life,” shared host Andy Hedges, who produces Ranch Verse alongside the National Ranching Heritage Center. “We are honored to return for year three with this outstanding talent lineup.”
Each performer brings a unique voice and heritage to the stage. Dom Flemons, known as “The American Songster®,” is a Grammy-winning musician and historian who explores over a century of American roots music.
Pipp Gillette is an award-winning singer and instrumentalist steeped in cowboy tradition.
Hal Cannon, co-founder of the original Cowboy Poetry Gathering, is both a folklorist and a singer-songwriter with decades of experience in Western storytelling.
Ranch Verse will also host a special live audience recording for the popular Cowboy Crossroads podcast. Andy Hedges will interview Joel Nelson, who is a working cowboy, Grammy-nominated cowboy poet, and the 2020 recipient of the Ranching Heritage Association Working Cowboy Award.
Leading this exceptional round-up of Western talent is Andy Hedges, an acclaimed Western songster, poet and storyteller who performed at Carnegie Hall last year. His album, Roll On, Cowboys, has become an instant classic and includes performances from Ranch Verse artists Pipp Gillette and Dom Flemons. All three artists will come together for the evening concert.
"The mission of the National Ranching Heritage Center is to preserve and interpret the history of ranching,” said Hedges. “Cowboy poetry and music offer a unique avenue for ranching folks to tell their own story in their own words, so it is exciting to share this artform at the National Ranching Heritage Center with these artists."
Daytime festivities full of song, poetry and storytelling are free and open to the public from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the National Ranching Heritage Center in Lubbock. The evening concert will be held at Lubbock’s historic Cactus Theater from 7:30-10 p.m. Tickets for the evening performance are available through the Cactus Theater website. The complete event schedule, along with artist bios and ticketing link, can be found at on the National Ranching Heritage Center’s website, ranchingheritage.org/ranchverse.
Making it possible to bring this talented lineup to Ranch Verse are the Ranching Heritage Association and the Helen DeVitt Jones Adult & Secondary Education endowment at the National Ranching Heritage Center.
About the National Ranching Heritage Center
Supported by Texas Tech University and the Ranching Heritage Association, the NRHC is a 27-acre museum and historical park that offers educational programs and exhibits about ranching history and contemporary ranching issues. The center is located at 3121 Fourth St. in Lubbock, Texas, and is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday. Admission is free, and the historical park is wheelchair- and stroller accessible. For more information, visit ranchingheritage.org or call (806) 742-0498.
