R.W.'S 'WHERE THE WEST REMAINS' CD
NAMED WESTERN HERITAGE
ALBUM OF THE YEAR
R.W. Hampton accepting his Wrangler Award. Photo: www.ownbeyphotography.com
R.W.'s current CD, Oklahoma...Where The West Remains, has been named this year's Outstanding Traditional Western Album by the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum. R.W. received his award, an impressive bronze sculpture of a cowboy on horseback (known officially and affectionately as the Wrangler) and performed the CD's title track, Where The West Remains, before a star-studded SRO audience at the 47th Annual Western Heritage Awards black tie gala held this past Saturday evening, April 12, 2008, at the Museum in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
Also honored for their participation in the project were executive producer Edna Mae Holden, the visionary who created and developed the project, and award winning producer/arranger Rich O'Brien.
R.W. Hampton, Edna Mae Holden and Rich O'Brien with their Wrangler Awards. Photo: www.ownbeyphotography.com
A four-year project from conception to realization, Oklahoma...Where The West Remains is a monumental 33 track, one hour and eight minute journey in story and song recorded with the Enid, Oklahoma Symphony Orchestra to commemorate the 2007 Centennial of Oklahoma's statehood. Hampton and friends take the listener on a hundred-year musical and factual journey, visiting the Native Americans, Buffalo Soldiers, Cattle Drovers, Ranch Hands, Settlers and Seekers, Industrialists and Artisans, Cowboys and Characters that formed the fabric of the Sooner State. Accepting his Wrangler award, R.W. commented, "The relevance of this album reaches far beyond the celebration of Oklahoma's Centennial because the story of Oklahoma is the story of the West, and in a broader sense, it is the American story. To be the teller of that story in such a unique way is an honor that will last a lifetime."
Chuck Schroeder, Executive Director of the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, R.W., event emcee movie star Brad Johnson, and Red Steagall, whose song Dawson Le Gate was named Outstanding Original Composition, celebrate a gala evening. Photo: Pat Sullivan
First presented in 1961, the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum Western Heritage Awards were established to honor and encourage the legacy of those whose works in literature, music, film, and television reflect the significant stories of the American West. Among others, this year's Wrangler Award honorees include the film 3:10 to Yuma, starring Russell Crowe and Christian Bale, which was named Outstanding Theatrical Motion Picture, and the HBO television special Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee, named Outstanding Television Feature Film.
This is R.W.'s second Wrangler Award. In 2000 he received the Director's Award for Excellence in Dramatic Presentation and Original Music Composition for his album The Last Cowboy - His Journey.
To order Oklahoma...Where The West Remains call Cimarron Sounds at (800) 392-0822, or purchase the CD on-line at R.W.'s Store.
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