The cowboy is a part of legend. Its historic roots can be traced back to the hacienda system of medieval Spain, as well as the earliest European settlers of the Americas.
Blending frontier survival tactics and Victorian values, cowboys developed a culture of their own. It exemplified self-dependence and individualism – both traits needed while working in hazardous conditions in remote regions.
The traditions of cowboys were etched into the general public’s psyche with the development of the Wild West shows in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, through rodeos, and then Western movies. Television brought the ideals of the cowboy lifestyle into the homes of North America, and created a generation of children in the ’50s that longed for the freedom of the open range.
Country music has a long tradition of tipping its hat to the men and women who trod the open plains. Here, 20 of the greatest songs about cowboys:
Dale Evans & Roy Rogers, “Happy Trails;”
Tim McGraw, “The Cowboy In Me;”
Willie Nelson, “My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys;”
Eddy Arnold, “Cattle Call;”
Gene Autry, “Back in the Saddle Again;”
George Strait, “Amarillo by Morning;”
Toby Keith, “Should've Been a Cowboy;”
Marty Robbins, “El Paso;”
Ian Tyson, “Cowboys Don't Cry;”
Johnny Cash, “Don't Take Your Guns to Town;”
Glen Campbell, “Rhinestone Cowboy;”
Gene Autry, “Home on the Range;”
Johnny Cash, “Ghost Riders in the Sky;”
Dixie Chicks, “Cowboy Take me Away;”
Marty Robbins, “Cool Water;”
Chris LeDoux & Garth Brooks, “What'cha Gonna do With a Cowboy?”
Marty Robbins, “The Streets of Laredo;”
George Strait, “I Can Still Make Cheyenne;”
Waylon Jennings & Willie Nelson, “Mamas Don't Let Your Babies Grow up to be Cowboys;”
Randy Travis, “Heroes and Friends.”
posted by
Cathy Irving
on Feb 15, 2012