Another Potpourri

This month we'll explore another potpourri of sites. Imagine yourself, sitting around a camp fire after a long day and a hearty meal. And imagine soft guitar music about the romance of the West and the trail. I've got some more Western music sites that I think you might find of interest. But I don't want to overdo it, so we'll get back to more mainstreet topics next month. We'll also look at a site that should answer the most frequently asked question I receive from a wide variety of readers. So jump in the saddle buckaroos, let's head 'em out.

Sons of the San Juaquin

Most of the Western music you hear these days is heavily weighted towards Western Swing. Some of the best known artists are Riders In The Sky, Wylie and the Wild West, and newcomer Joni Harms. The Sons of the San Juaquin is a trio who sing classical cowboy music. In fact, their voices have a classic sound, bringing an additional traditional element to the mix.

The home page for the web site presents the contents of the site in a long table of contents. With each contents entry, there is a short description of each subpage. The descriptions are important since the subpage titles, while illustrative of the contents, is slightly cryptic with Western lingo. The one exception is the performance schedule page that is current from late July through April 2001.

The Meet the Sons section provides links to pages providing a history of the cowboy in California and provides the background to the song "Whence the Cowbow and the Saddle;" several cowboy poems; a couple of pages of "Did You Know," where interesting tidbits about the Old West are presented with references to the sources for additional information; a cowboy bibliography; lyrics to several songs; and lead sheet music, in PDF format (you'll need the free Adobe Acrobat reader; a link is provided to obtain it), for "Ride Along And Dream." The Central Store provides an online store for ordering a wide variety of Sons merchandise, including music, belt buckles (not priced for the faint of heart), T-shirts, books, hats and a video. The store provides secure ordering online. The Round-Up section is a fan club members only section. There are links on the opening subpage that allows you to securely join the fan club online. There is also a link for new members to obtain, via e-mail, a login id and password to access the remainder of the section, which contains full length, live recordings, high resolution color pictures of the group, letters to the editor, and an archive of past newsletters. The Telegraph Office section provides chat sessions and a provision to send e-mail to the group. The Prairie Gallery contains photos of the group but also allows you to submit your own photos or original cowboy poetry, stories and songs and win prizes. The Pony Express section allows you to register for a mailing list to receive updates to the performance schedule, announcements of new releases, and invitations to live chat sessions. The Hitching Post section provides links to other cowboy and Western oriented sites. These include a wide range of links to the group's booking & management agency, other Western music groups, and the group's recording company, Western Jubilee Records. Lastly, the Recording Studio section contains full-length RealAudio songs from various albums.

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