Category: Rodeo Lifestyle

Red Steagall’s career has been diverse, from writing western swing and cowboy songs to creating his own radio and TV shows. His music, poetry, and programs have been recognized and loved by everyone from working cowboys to U.S. Presidents, and he has inspired generations of artists. Throughout his work, Steagall has remained committed to the preservation and future of Western culture. Recently, he agreed to donate his extensive archive of creative material to Texas Tech University and to help build the Red Steagall Institute for Traditional Western Arts. The Institute will be located at the University’s Lubbock campus, adjacent to the National Western Heritage Center, and will focus on educating and building up Western artisans through interactive learning.

Always a Cowboy

Steagall was born in Gainesville, Texas, and spent his childhood in the Panhandle. Cowboys and music were a part of his life early on, and he dreamt of working in agriculture. “I always wanted to be a cowboy,” Steagall shared.
He played high school football and also rode bulls at local rodeos. Bull riding was fun, but he knew it wasn’t a good long-term plan. “I never won a dime,” he laughed.
Steagall dreamed of being a veterinarian and working cowboy until he was stricken with Polio at 15. Fortunately, the Salk vaccine was available to halt the virus four months after he became ill, but it had irreversibly damaged the deltoid muscle in his shoulder.

No longer able to meet the physical demands of rodeo and ranching, Steagall turned to his other interest — music. His mother gifted him a second-hand mandolin and music lessons, changing the course of his life.
Playing music helped him regain dexterity and strength, and he soon began writing songs. Following high school, Steagall was still planning to have a career in agriculture, attending college at what is now West Texas A&M to study animal science and agronomy. Following college, he took a job as an agricultural chemist. His role required extensive travel throughout the West, and he took his guitar along, playing at cafes and coffee shops on the weekends. He also formed a band, playing many rodeos and dances.

A call from a friend again changed the direction of Steagall’s career, taking him to California to work in the music business. During his eight years as an executive in Hollywood, Steagall started making his mark as a songwriter and performer. He was in the room for a long list of chart-topping recording sessions and many of his songs became popular on the radio.
Steagall’s life was changed forever when a song he wrote with Don Lanier was released in 1967. Lanier was sharing a simple melody he had stuck in his head with Steagall, saying that he couldn’t figure out the right words to go with it. When Lanier’s phone rang, he said, “Here we go again…”, and both he and Steagall lit up, knowing they had just landed on the hook for the song.

They sat down, and the rest of the song came together in short order. Steagall described himself as being “bulletproof” and wasn’t afraid to pitch his songs to the top musicians of the time. He took it to Buck Owens’ record label, but Owens demanded full publishing on the song, which Steagall couldn’t agree to. After another label executive told Steagall they would need full publishing, he said he would take it to Ray Charles. This likely seemed like an unrealistic, idle threat to the label executive, but Steagall was serious, and after Charles heard the song, he wanted to sing it. They agreed on publishing, and before Steagall and Lanier knew it, they had a number-one hit on the radio.
Here We Go Again has been recorded by a long list of notable singers, from Nancy Sinatra to Glen Campbell. Norah Jones sang the song with Ray Charles on his last album, Genius Loves Company. The album won eight Grammy awards and has currently sold over five and a half million copies.

Getting Back to His Roots

After living in Hollywood and then Nashville, Tennessee, Steagall moved home to the Lone Star State in 1977. He married his wife, Gail, who played a critical role in his career, soon after.

Steagall continued writing and releasing country western music, but after playing dance halls and honky tonks across the country for years, frequently spending over 200 days a year on the road, he felt called to rethink his career.
Fortunately for Steagall, an opportunity to shift came his way. He had been sifting through the songs he wrote, feeling more drawn to stories and ballads than classic honky-tonk songs. Coincidently, the first National Cowboy Poetry Gathering was held in 1985, which he attended with his brother. Steagall returned home with a newfound inspiration to follow the thread of cowboy stories and poetry.

This chapter of Steagall’s career also included an expansion beyond the radio, live performance, and CDs. “I had a friend in the car business, and he asked me if I could come speak to the Rotary Club in Fort Worth,” Steagall shared. “After that, his ad agency called and asked if I would do a cowboy poetry session every morning on WBAP radio in Fort Worth.”

The original idea was to share a minute and a half of poetry, but Steagall shared that 30 minutes of programming would be better. “I went into my studio and I cut a demo of what I thought the show should sound like,” he recalled.

Steagall shared the demo with the ad agency and other friends in the radio business, and the response was overwhelmingly positive. Many listeners of this first demo shared that an hour of content would be even better. This started Cowboy Corner, which is now syndicated on 150 stations in 34 states. The program was born out of Steagall’s passion for western stories and includes music, interviews, and stories of the American cowboy.

In 2010, Steagall expanded his storytelling to TV, airing the first episode of In The Bunkhouse with Red Steagall on RFD-TV. Steagall now hosts Somewhere West of Wallstreet for the network.

Throughout these programs, Steagall has focused on sharing real cowboy stories, often interviewing people the public likely would never know about otherwise. Steagall has traveled throughout the West to historic ranches, like the 6666’s Ranch, King Ranch, and many others.

The extensive archive Steagall has amassed now serves as a look back in time and includes interviews with legendary Western figures like Roy Rogers, Reba McEntire, and Buster Welch.

The common thread throughout these stories is the value of western culture and an agrarian lifestyle. “I’m really attached to the western way of life,” Steagall shared. “The western way of life actually came from an agrarian society, at a time when we depended on each other for survival.”

Steagall believes that sharing the values of western life benefits society as a whole. “We’re respectful of our neighbors, and we have a certain code of ethics, and we live by them. We honor tradition and heritage. We look to the future with an open mind and a wide, open eye. We have a set of values that make us a harmonious society. I treasure that and I want to preserve it,” Steagall explained.

Western culture and the agrarian lifestyle have changed dramatically since Steagall started his career, and he wants to make sure the story lives on for future generations. “I’m afraid that if we don’t preserve it, in the next 50 years, nobody will know who we were, what we said, what we did, or anything about the values that we live by. I’m proud of who we are and I want the rest of the world to know,” he reflected.

Steagall also founded the Red Steagall Cowboy Gathering and Western Swing Festival, held every October in Fort Worth, Texas, for the past 30 years. The event celebrates the music Steagall first fell in love with in West Texas.

The Next Chapter

Steagall’s music, poetry, and storytelling have had an indelible impact on the preservation of western culture. He is now expanding on these efforts through the Red Steagall Institute for Traditional Western Arts. The center will be located at the National Ranching Heritage Center in Lubbock, Texas, and include an amphitheater, bit and spur shop, saddle and boot shop, outdoor sculpture court, archive, recording studio, garden featuring West Texas flora, and more.

While the center will include an archive, the primary focus is on the future, and providing a space for artisans to learn, work, and commune. Steagall wants to connect western artisans throughout the country with masters in their craft, giving them the opportunity to learn and grow. “I know how important it is to work with someone who really is a professional. It can help you find other things about your talent and help you take the next step. There are so many people who are very talented, but give up because they don’t have a platform,” Steagall shared.

The center will also benefit the public, allowing people to explore western culture, watch artisans at work, and learn about the history of the West. “I also want to provide a research library, and over time, it will be the most complete research library in the world about ranching and the ranching industry,” he added.
The National Ranching Heritage Center is an ideal neighbor for the Institute, already including western art, exhibits on oil and ranching, western history archives, a series of homes walking visitors through hundreds of years of life in the West, and much more.

The Institute is currently being fine-tuned and funded, with plans to break ground in the spring of 2025. Steagall is proud to have his name and brand attached to the project and believes it will be important in preserving western culture. “I believe with all my heart that the traditional arts can keep our lifestyle alive,” he concluded.

-Article by Lilly Platts

Sammy Bird created her first painting to be auctioned off at a friend’s benefit. This spirit of giving, positivity, and hope has prevailed as her career as an artist has grown. Today, Palomino Paintings by Sammy Bird can be seen at art shows, rodeos, and in homes across the West.

Discovering Her Talent

Sammy Bird shares her heart and story through colorful, detailed paintings. Most of her subject matter includes horses, and elements of her Native American culture are always represented. She also expresses her style and culture through wearable art, like hats and clothing, which have been featured in western fashion shows. Bird grew up on the Blackfeet Reservation, located in northwest Montana, and comes from a multi-generation rodeo family. Today, she balances her career as an artist with life on the rodeo road.

Bird dabbled in art projects growing up, but didn’t foresee a career as a painter. “I took high school art, but wasn’t the best one in my class,” Bird recalled.

It wasn’t until she wanted to donate something unique to a friend’s medical benefit that she discovered her talent. “In a small town you can only get so many donations, so I thought I would try to paint,” Bird shared.

Her donated painting was a hit, and soon another community member asked if she would donate a painting for another fundraiser. This soon snowballed into requests for commissions, and before Bird knew it she was making money as an artist. “I truly believe God works in mysterious ways,” she said. “It caught on like wildfire, and within a few years I was doing it almost full-time.”

She continues to donate to fundraisers, but painting is much more than a hobby now. Bird participates in western art shows, is hired for commission work, and has a regular clientele she sells paintings to.

Bird’s paintings are colorful, abstract, often large, and intricate. This style came completely from her imagination. “You do what feels right for you, and what makes you feel good,” she reflected. “Whenever I start a new painting I honestly don’t really know what I’m going to paint. I might have a general idea in my mind of what I want it to look like, but I usually start at the horse’s eye and work my way out.”

Art is ultimately the expression of the artist, and Bird wants to spread positivity. “When someone looks at one of my paintings, I want them to feel good, even if it’s just for a moment in their day,” she shared. “For me, it’s a lot of bright, vibrant colors — hopefully it brings positivity to someone.”

Bird’s handprint is one of the hallmarks of her work. Somewhere in each of her paintings you will see where she has pressed her hand into paint and imprinted it on the finished painting. She started doing this both because it represents her Native American culture, and as a unique way to sign her work. “The handprint stands for resilience,” she explained. “It also represents missing and murdered indigenous women. I started putting it on my paintings for awareness, and because it’s my own fun spin on things. Even if you don’t see it, there’s a handprint somewhere in each of my paintings.”

Beyond her handprint, Bird also includes other elements of her Native American culture in each painting. “I am very proud of where I come from, and where I’m going. I have always respected and loved where I come from, and I hope to inspire kids on the reservation who feel stuck. I want to show that if I can do it, they can too,” Bird shared.

She also shares her art through fashion. “I really got into western fashion right after college. I started creating my own pieces, and collaborating with other Native American artists. I think it’s so cool when you bring two creative minds together,” Bird said.

Rodeos have long been events where people express their style — from contestants to viewers — and fashion shows have become increasingly popular. Bird has participated in many of these, both as a model and creator. At last year’s Indian National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas, Nevada, she participated in a Native American fashion show that included creators from across the country. “It was really cool to see everyone’s backgrounds come out in their fashion,” she recalled.

Bird’s business page on Facebook, Palomino Paintings by Sammy Bird, has gained a large following, and she does most of her business through this platform. While there is a lot of demand for her art, Bird has been careful to only create when she feels called to.

Photos of Bird’s paintings on social media are often accompanied by a motivational saying or short story. “I put my heart and what’s important to me into every painting I do,” she said.

Raised in Rodeo

Bird comes from a rodeo family, and has had many successes in the arena. She grew up going to rodeos, and was competing as soon as she was able. “I’ve been horseback since I was probably three years old,” she shared.

Her mother and father both competed during her youth, and Bird spent many hours in the stands before she could even walk. Early on, she started competing in the Native American Rodeo Association, and at local and regional rodeos. These rodeos are very family-oriented, including youth, adult, and senior events. “A lot of times you’ll have families that get to travel with their kids, parents, and grandparents,” Bird explained.

She also competed in high school rodeo, and went on to rope and run barrels at the college level while attending the University of Montana-Western.

Recently, Bird has been taking advantage of the addition of breakaway roping to the professional rodeo circuit. “As soon as they started including breakaway roping at pro rodeos I started competing there as well,” Bird said.

The addition of the event has been celebrated by the rodeo community, and Bird has been enjoying competing at a higher level. “It brings in contestants, brings in fans, and it’s a fast, exciting event,” she said. “It’s giving us as contestants equal money, which means everything because we travel hard, and we put just as much work in. Being included means the world. We put a lot of blood, sweat, and tears into it, so being on a stage where we can showcase that means so much.”

Rodeo has opened up Bird’s world. The Blackfeet Reservation is isolated, and opportunity can be sparse for young people. Horses, ranching, and rodeo have always been there for Bird. “Living on the reservation can be very oppressive for kids,” Bird shared. “Rodeo really played a huge role in keeping me out of trouble, giving me responsibility, goals to shoot for, ambition, and motivation. I always give a lot of credit to the rodeo way of life, and horses in general, for inspiring me to want to be better, and to want more.”

The Big Picture

Bird represents her home and western culture, both through art and rodeo. She was recently featured in a Boot Barn campaign about Native American rodeo and ranching. She also has a strong online presence, sharing her style, rodeo lifestyle, and art through Instagram and Facebook.

Artists and rodeo competitors often lead similarly unconventional lives, and these two endeavors go hand-in-hand for Bird. Finding the time to paint during the busy rodeo season can be difficult, but also motivating. “It inspires me, because I know that if I’m not winning I can go home and paint,” Bird shared. In turn, her art business allows her to have a flexible career. Winter in northwest Montana puts a damper on roping, so she and her family travel south to Arizona each winter.

Bird spreads hope and positivity through her paintings, and also remains focused on the opportunity in her rodeo career. Skill is only one element of competing in rodeo, and keeping perspective on what really matters helps Bird navigate the pressure to win. “I have learned that you can’t define your happiness based on that one run. Your breakaway run does not define you, and it doesn’t show your value as a person,” she shared. “Any time I’m having a tough time I check and see where my heart posture is, and thank God for everything I do have.”

Gratitude for life guides Bird every day in and out of the rodeo arena. “It’s just so easy to have a closed mindset, but we live in such an abundant time,” she concluded. “If you want something, go after it. The worst thing that can happen is you will end up back where you were. Don’t be afraid to go out and try to do whatever you want. We live in an abundant time, and you should match your mindset to that. Be inspired, and just do what you want. Do be afraid of rejection, because rejection is just redirection.”

Article by Lilly Platts

 

Jessie Veeder is a songwriter, musician, journalist, North Dakotan, community builder, mother, and advocate for Western life. She explores rural living through her music, popular blog, and podcast, Meanwhile, back at the ranch, and is the director of the Long X Arts Foundation. Veeder’s latest album, Yellow Roses, was released in January 2024.

Jessie Veeder’s music evokes a feeling that can only be replicated by driving through her home state of North Dakota, off the beaten path of the interstate. Its range and farmland, as far as the eye can see, only interrupted by grazing cows, oil flares, or a sign for the next small town’s annual summer rodeo. Western North Dakota hides a lot of its beauty below the line of sight, with much of its topography going down instead of up. This might be lost on someone who doesn’t take the time to look more closely, and Veeder has been learning how to see beyond the surface for her entire life. Her songwriting and journalism explore the moments, stories, people, and experiences that make life in the rural West unique.

Veeder has always been surrounded by the Western lifestyle and grew up singing alongside her father, Gene, a musician and rancher. From an early age, she related to songs with a story to tell, identifying elements of her own life. “I thought it was so magical to be a kid out in the middle of nowhere,” she recalled.

Her father performed throughout the community, and Veeder started getting on stage to sing with him at a young age. She entered and won a community talent contest, and the grand prize of $50 in “chamber bucks” was enough to buy a double tape deck. Now armed with the technology to record herself, Veeder kept practicing and writing songs.
Knowing that her story was unique, Veeder continued pulling on the thread of rural life in her songwriting. This led to recording her first album of original material, This Road, at 16. “It was just a unique thing for a kid my age to be doing something like that,” she shared. “I think about how brave that was.”

Veeder found a lot of support in her community, but the idea of becoming a professional musician seemed out of reach. “That was a pipe dream,” she shared. “Saying I wanted to play music professionally was a hard thing for me to say out loud as a teenager. I didn’t utter it out loud, but I did to myself.”

This changed when she left home at 17 to attend the University of North Dakota. She studied communications and was also encouraged to pursue music further. A Nashville booking agent discovered her music, and beginning her freshman year, Veeder toured up and down the Midwest. She played coffee shops and colleges, traveling alone. “I was pretty independent and totally fine getting in the car and driving hours to play,” she shared.

This experience was formative and taught Veeder how to use her unique qualities — like her thick North Dakota accent and childhood on a ranch — to connect with people. “Not being ashamed of it, but being proud and talking about it was interesting to these college kids,” she remarked. “Once I realized that people are curious about my upbringing and my songs about rural living, I gained confidence.”

At 23, Veeder was engaged to her now-husband and high school sweetheart, Chad. The couple moved home to Watford City, where Chad worked in the oil field, and Veeder did various jobs while continuing to write and play music. Looking for change, the couple moved to Missoula, Montana, where she worked for a nonprofit. Chad was offered a job back in North Dakota, so they returned to the family ranch, living in the house where Veeder’s dad was raised.

Once again, her roots and history in western North Dakota were pulling Veeder toward storytelling, and she committed herself to following this thread. “I stayed home for around a year and a half and just explored my creativity. I wasn’t going to work in a bank, in the oil field, or as a teacher. I was going to tell this story,” she shared.

She recorded Nothing’s Forever, which features her popular song, Boomtown. The oil industry had completely transformed her hometown, and the once quiet rural area was suddenly filled with people from all over the country and the world. “You almost forgot you were in your hometown because it was so wild,” Veeder shared. This sudden growth, and the negative and positive effects, made national news. Veeder had started her blog, Meanwhile, back at the ranch, and her writing had also been picked up by local and regional publications. Soon, the media was calling her to comment on Watford City’s sudden stroke of luck — or misfortune — depending on who was asked.

Veeder chose to look at the situation positively. Her father’s work in economic development offered perspective on the generational benefits that could come from this sudden influx of money, and Veeder used her writing skills to tell their story. “I was really curious about the stories that were coming in and wanted to help create a story for our community,” she said.

National publications grabbed onto shocking stories of violence and oil field workers living in campers during below-zero weather. Veeder saw humanity in these people’s stories, understanding that everyone was making a sacrifice of some kind to be there. “There were people coming here who just wanted a better life for their family, and we wanted to figure out a way to keep them here or get them to bring their families here,” she recalled.

Her high school classmates started returning home, and family ranchers who once feared not being able to pass their operations on to the next generation were able to bring their kids back home. “The next generation could make a living here and do it really well,” Veeder said.

She honed her writing skills during this time. “I became really practiced at it and worked on seeing the magical everyday moments, or the story that could come from the turn of phrase that someone said,” she recalled. “I have always been fascinated by the stories in rural America.”

Her latest album, Yellow Roses, further explores Veeder’s life in the rural West and her family’s deep history in North Dakota. She and Chad are the parents of two girls, Rosie and Edie, and motherhood has also become a strong theme in her writing. Released in January of 2024, Yellow Roses came on the heels of several trying years for Veeder. In 2020, right before the Covid-19 lockdown, she was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer. She had been fighting breathing issues, and having been told that she had asthma, kept trucking through life, singing and performing regularly.

After flying to Elko, Nevada, for the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering, Veeder knew that something was very wrong. An ER doctor in Elko expressed extreme concern, and after performing for the festival and returning home, she sought out a larger hospital in Bismarck. As she drove away from the hospital toward home, the doctor called her and said she needed to return immediately. A large tumor was discovered in her airway — Veeder’s lungs were over 90% blocked. Thanks to a strong diaphragm and good posture, Veeder had miraculously been able to sing but was dangerously close to an emergency. After several surgeries, a lot of treatment, and downtime, Veeder recovered. Luckily, her voice was not affected despite the extremely invasive surgery to remove the cancer. Today, she is learning to slow down and does regular preventative scans, but Veeder is back to living life full-on.

In addition to sharing her own music, she works as the director for the Long X Arts Foundation, which brings art into the Watford City community. The organization helps plan events ranging from rodeo dances to art classes and classical piano concerts. When the oil boom brought money into the community, Veeder quickly advocated for the arts. “I knew that was something we lacked in our community because growing up here, I didn’t have as many opportunities to perform or explore the art world,” Veeder said.

Other community members also advocated for supporting the arts, and in 2016 the Long X Arts Foundation was officially formed. “We have a permanent space in our visitor center with an art gallery and a full-time art teacher. We run a big concert series and go into the schools. We have facilitated public art projects and now are opening a retail space where we can really lift up local artists by giving them a place to sell their work,” Veeder shared.

Art is front and center in the community, and Veeder is committed to bringing new and interesting performers into the community. Concerts have featured a Carnegie Hall trumpet player and a classical pianist.

Veeder is an advocate for the Western lifestyle, and through her social media platforms, blog, and podcast, she shares her life on the ranch with people from across the country. Recently, she has been considering the popularity of Western culture and how that can be harnessed to benefit agriculture and Western culture. “I think we’re coming into an era where our story is our power,” Veeder shared. “I see that happening on social media in the world of agriculture, and we’re on those platforms showing people what it really looks like to be on a family ranch. This is what cowboy looks like, what being a farmer looks like, and what raising kids looks like. We’re able to grab a hold of that narrative on our own, and that’s what I think is so empowering and wonderful.”

The newfound popularity of Western culture presents challenges, and Veeder recognizes the gap that needs to be bridged between popular culture and real life. “Let’s celebrate the culture and give people the opportunity to learn about what we do. If someone watches Yellowstone and then wants to come out to my ranch and let us show them what we do, all the better,” Veeder said.

Rodeo is another thread connecting the general public with rural America. “I’ve been a participant in rodeo and, of course, an advocate for it. Those contestants are the ones representing our lifestyle. What we’re putting out front — and what cowboy means to us — matters to people,” she shared.

Veeder is also the author of Prairie Princess, a children’s book written in collaboration with North Dakota artist Daphne Johnson Clark. The book celebrates rural living through the eyes of a young girl on a ranch.

Veeder performs regularly at festivals and events throughout the country. She is a regular performer at the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering and has shared the stage with a long list of Western artists. Her efforts in music, community building, and advocacy have been recognized by several entities. Veeder is a recent recipient of the Governor’s Award for the Arts in Individual Achievement, she was named North Dakota’s favorite Folk Artist in 2016 and 2017, and she is the recipient of the North Dakota Ambassador Award.

-Article by Lilly Platts