Cowboys & Indians Magazine presents Award-winning Western Artist RW Hampton’s Cimarron Sounds, an online blog featuring musings on Western life and music. The second installment — which is also available in audio form —  is currently available at  https://www.cowboysindians.com/2020/03/cimarron-sounds-vol-2/ .

In the second installment of his column about Western music and the Western lifestyle, Hampton asks — and answers — “What is a cowboy anyway?”

“First of all, Mr. Webster says ‘A cowboy is a man or woman who herds and tends cattle on a ranch, especially in the western US, and who traditionally goes about his work on horseback,’ says Hampton. “Well, because I lived the life and I’ve drawn a check by the dictionary definition, I guard this title with pride. Yes, I was a cowboy, a sure enough working cowboy! Why do I stand guard over the title? ’Cause it didn’t come easy. No, I had to earn my spurs!”

Growing up in a small Texas town, RW Hampton has drifted all across the American West, working cowboy jobs punching cattle, riding young colts, shoeing horses and even leading trail rides and guiding hunters in the high country, but perhaps his favorite was singing around the campfire while out with the wagon. Never glamorous, ranch work instilled in him a positive approach to life.   

Hampton’s rich baritone voice brings an honest quality whether he’s performing live or on record.  He writes and sings about what he knows and lives. Hampton’s music has earned numerous honors from such prestigious organizations as The Academy of Western Artists and the Western Music Association, which inducted him into their Hall of Fame in 2011.