Performers in Washington

Hank Cramer is a national-touring cowboy singer from Winthrop, Washington. His wide repertoire includes songs of the people who opened the American and Canadian frontiers: cowboys, soldiers, miners, sailors, and just plain drifters. Those songs match Hank's life experience: at one time or another, he has been an underground miner, a professional soldier, wrangler for a high-country outfitter, and shanty-man on a square-rigged sailing ship. When not on the road performing, Hank lives on a ranch in Washington's Methow Valley.

Clark Crouch, Cowboy Poet, delivers the reality of the West through his western and cowboy poetry. His performances are drawn from more than 400 original poems which capture the humor and the pathos of the west of yesterday and today. A member of the Washington Poets Association and the Columbia River Cowboy Heritage Society, and author of several prize-winning poems, he has performed throughout the Northwest and has five books of poetry in print, three of which contain western poetry.

Somewhere in the great West about 10 years ago three women – all musicians, poets and songwriters – sat around a cracklin’ fire in a snowstorm where they shared their Western tunes and they haven’t stopped singing since! And because they all loved horses they decided they would be “HORSE CRAZY”. Toe Tappin’ Tommy Tucker DJ of the year with KRLC Radio, Lewiston, Idaho says, “ When Horse Crazy performs “live” they absolutely light up the stage!”

Mark Iler is a talented singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist from the Pacific Northwest.  He is also a professional sound engineer whose projects range from concert recording to live TV sports programs.  Mark performs as a solo, with several bands, and as recording studio “sideman” on vocals, lead guitar, tenor guitar, and harmonica.  He is also a popular festival M.C. and host of many jam sessions and open mikes.

Nevada Slim and Cimarron Sue, “Minstrels of the Old West,” deliver a spirited interpretation of traditional western music, honoring working cowboys and cowgirls, as well as those who rode their ranges in the movies.  They draw from a large repertoire of songs and cowboy poetry to provide glimpses of the people who built the American west, blending music with storytelling to lend historic perspective.  The popular duo performs an average of 200 shows per year.

"Rockin HW combines the talents of Michael Whitaker, Alan Halvorson & Morry Walter in their performance of traditional and original Cowboy Poetry and Western Song. Striving to preserve the Cowboy tradition and Western life, these Cowboys amble down the trail of the Old West and gallop across the open range of the Modern Day Cowboy. Rockin HW performs extensively across the West from Washington to Arizona.

Rob Thran lives the life of a vanishing symbol: a working cowboy in the American West. Son of a rodeo bronc-rider, Rob grew up with horses and guitars, and has wrangled throughout Colorado, California, and Washington. He sings traditional ballads from the frontier days, as well as original songs that tell his own stories of life in the saddle. Rob builds acoustic guitars, and also plays an 80-string hammered dulcimer.

Forget everything you hate about modern country music, Wylie & The Wild West are old-school cool without being a tired period piece. Singer, songwriter, rancher, horseman, and world-famous Yahoo® yodeler, Wylie Gustafson leads the outfit. Tending livestock daily is the backbone of his art. Whether playing for a crowd of 50 or 5,000, Wylie's goal is the same: "To win a crowd with good music and make 'em feel like they got their money’s worth"