Friday, September 26, 2008

Congratulations to the Diamond W Wranglers

My friend, Martha, who you've met on the blog before, (the wedding, the bridal shower, the sisterhood, the pie) is married to a very talented musician, Jim Farrell. Jim is part of a group called The Diamond W Wranglers. They play at Cowtown Museum in Wichita and are quite amazing.

People far beyond the borders of Kansas have noted this - they've been invited to play in China, have been praised for their music by many "in the know," and as of Tuesday night have won a national award.

The Academy of Western Artists presented the quartet with the Will Rogers “Western Music Album of the Year” award on Tuesday night September 23rd, for their “Deep in the Saddle” CD release.  The awards ceremony was held in Garland, Texas.


Left to right: Stu Stuart, Steve Crawford, Orin Friesen, and Jim Farrell with their award

The title song of “Deep in the Saddle” is a Diamond W original, penned by the group’s tenor, Jim Farrell, in the spirit of Western songs from the 1930’s.  “I was inspired by old cowboys I’d met that had ridden the trail for a long time,” says Farrell.  “When people hear this song, we hope they’ll stop a moment and celebrate our Western heritage.”

An enthusiastic crowd heard the Diamond W Wranglers perform two songs from the album on Tuesday.  In addition to “Deep in the Saddle”, they shared “Rainbow Sister”, a traditional Chinese song that they had arranged as a Cowboy song to help introduce America’s Cowboy Music to audiences in the People’s Republic of China during their 2006 tour.

The Diamond W Wranglers make their home at the Old Cowtown Museum, 1865 W. Museum Blvd. in Wichita, where they perform every week. They serve their audience a chuckwagon supper, followed by an evening of western music and comedy.  The Wranglers also take their concert on the road to theaters and festivals around the Midwest.  They will be performing at the Augusta Theatre this Sunday September 28th, and at Hutchinson’s Fox Theatre on Sunday October 26th.

Members of the group are Stu Stuart, Jim Farrell, Orin Friesen, and Steve Crawford.  The performers are so popular among their fans that many fans have come to dozens of shows, and followed the Wranglers around the world.  “Western music is beautiful music,” says lead singer Stu Stuart.  “We’ve taken a page out of the book and are writing our own page.”

The latest CD from the Diamond W Wranglers is also receiving national recognition.  “Cowtown”, with a title song in tribute to their new home, is ranked #1 this month in Rope Burns magazine, and the song “Trail Dust”, also penned by Jim Farrell, has been in the top 10 songs for the last two months. 

 Both “Deep in the Saddle” and “Cowtown” were produced at Jim Farrell Studios, now in Towanda, KS.  They are on sale at the Old Cowtown Museum and at www.diamondWchuckwagon.com. For more information, call 316-729-4825 (Wichita) or toll free 866-830-8283.


I haven't yet been to see them in their new home, but I can tell you the music is wonderful and the experience of seeing them live great. If you're in the area be sure and check them out. And if you're not in the area, make a visit. We'd love for you to come to Hutchinson - have lunch at Roy's, visit the Underground Salt Museum, and top it off with a visit to Wichita to see the Diamond W Wranglers.
O
r, shoot, just come the weekend of October 25/26, and you can do it all in Hutchinson.

Come on... You know you wanna... Email me... we'll have a blog get together at Roy's!

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