That yodel you will hear Sunday is coming from the Edmonds Center for the Arts.
The quartet of music-making cowboys, Riders in the Sky, the famed and acclaimed Western band, will return for another night of fun and fancy.
“For the uninitiated, it’s Sons of the Pioneers meet Monty Python,” said guitarist and band founder Doug Green, who goes by Ranger Doug.
He’s 65 and is quick to point out that’s the same age as Dolly Parton.
Like the Queen of Nashville, Ranger Doug and his crew dress for each show in bedazzled outfits, complete with furry chaps and 10-gallon hats.
The show is a blend of comedy and music.
“It’s hard to describe,” Ranger Doug said.
They ad lib, interact with the audience and “do silly things that kids like.”
The band started on Nov. 11, 1977, with Ranger Doug and Two Slim, bassist Fred LaBour. They wanted to resurrect and preserve the cowboy music of the ’40s. It’s a formula that’s worked.
When producers at Pixar were looking for a group to give voice to Toy Story’s cowboy character, Woody, they selected Riders in the Sky. Their famous song is “Woody’s Roundup” from “Toy Story 2.” They also performed the music for Pixar’s “For the Birds.”
“It’s really gratifying to keep introducing new generations to this wonderful style of Americana,” Ranger Doug said.
Cowboy music was performed by Roy Rogers, Gene Autry and the Sons of the Pioneers. The tunes were radio hits in the ’40s.
Riders in the Sky blends songs from that era with new compositions written in the old style, Ranger Doug said.
Their shows are a multi-generational delight. The band bridges the gap between grandfathers and grandsons.
“You’re the favorite band of both of them,” the women say, Ranger Doug jokes.
Earlier this fall, the band released, “Land Beyond the Sun,” an album of inspirational songs.
It’s not washed-in-the blood-Gospel, it’s “The cowboys look at the bigger picture,” Ranger Doug said.
They tour by bus, not horse.
“The herd gets so lean when you have to run it at 55 (mph),” he said.
Riders in the Sky perform at 7 p.m. Sunday at the Edmonds Center for the Arts, 410 Fourth Ave. N, Edmonds.
Tickets are $35 to $40, $15 for youth, at www.ec4arts.org or 425-275-9595.
Jackson Holtz: 425-339-3447; jholtz@heraldnet.com.
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