The Cowboy Folklorist
Though he calls himself simply a “songster and storyteller,” Andy Hedges is compiling a rich, unique audio archive of cowboy music and poetry.
“You want the old traditions to be sustained, but you don’t want to be so stuck in a singular way that you lose the magic.”
- Dom Flemons
Dear Friends,
Summer is well underway, along with outdoor concert season. Throughout the month of July, we’ll be bringing you a collection of stories and podcasts about musicians from a variety of genres, all of whom are moving beyond tradition in some way.
Our first featured story profiles Andy Hedges, a humble “songster and storyteller” who made his Grand Ol’ Opry debut just last summer. Though Hedges shies away from grander labels, his ongoing project to compile a permanent audio archive of cowboy and Americana music has earned him widespread respect—and a place in music history.
We hope you’ll enjoy reading “The Cowboy Folklorist,” written and photographed by Meredith Lawrence. We also have an excellent audio version of this story, narrated by Göran Norquist and featuring music by Andy Hedges, Dom Flemons, Ramblin’ Jack Elliott, and more great musicians. It’s available to play or download directly from our website, or wherever you like to stream your podcasts, including Apple and Spotify.
We always welcome your thoughts and suggestions, which you can offer in a comment, by tagging us in Substack Notes, or via email. Thank you for reading and sharing our stories, for supporting our work with a paid subscription if you can, and for being such a loyal part of the Craftsmanship community.
Sincerely,
Todd Oppenheimer
Publisher & Editor-in-Chief, Craftsmanship Magazine
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