Historical fact, the Cowboy Christmas Ball began in Anson, Texas before 1900. Working Cowboys from the Ranches in the "Big Country" between Abilene and Wichita Falls attended. Swenson Ranch, Waggoner Ranch, Pitchfork Land and Cattle Co., Lambshed Ranch, and 6666 Ranch. Sadly these Ranches that were ran by the same families for over a hundred years have been sold off. This song began as a poem by a New York newspaper reporter who attended one of the early CC Balls.
Thanks for posting! What a great song! Michael Martin Murphey and Suzy Bogguss...what a great pair of underrated country vocalists.Looks like they had a great time filming this way back 23 years ago.
Hard to believe the same man that wrote, sang and performed Wildfire is the same man that’s performing this song. It really surprises me. I mean you’re talking not just a different style of music but an entirely different orchestration and instruments hell everything all together. Suzy Bogguss has a very nice voice, feminine and beautiful.
The KIllers version is awesome, but it's not really a cover. This an old cowboy-era poem (albeit written by a New York City journalist) that's been set to different music in its time. This is MMM's musical interpretation, and The Killers' is theirs. Both are awesome, and both videos would have been a ton of fun to be a part of the shooting!
Coolest concert I have ever done was the Cowboy Christmas ball with MMM. (And I played at Carnegie hall twice lol) I was just hoping to find a full video of the show. I played upright bass in the orchestra that backed up his band, and they had a video that played most of the show of cowboys running cattle during a blizzard. I was just hoping really bad that I could find a full video of it to share with my sister who was overseas with the army and missed the 2 tours I played with them. If anyone knows where I can buy or find a video of the full show to show her, I'd be super happy
Hello! I know this comment is old but wanted to go ahead and answer! That man is my grandfather who passed away last year. He was a former ranch hand at Swenson's ranch, and they had him lip sing the line. They said they wanted someone who actually worked at the ranch to participate, and honestly I was surprised he did it. Lol We called him Cowboy, and he was a true one through and through. As far as I know he wasn't in any other media. :)
I've watched this vid several times over the years and there's one thing I don't understand. Why couldn't Riders in the Sly appear physically in this vid? Was there some kind of legal issue?
