Tonight We Ride is a song by American singer-songwriter Thomas “Tom” George Russell. Although most well recognized in the Americana music tradition, his music also includes elements of folk, rock, and the cowboy music of the American West. Members of the Western Writers of America voted Tonight We ride together with another Russell song titled Navajo […]

“Bonanza” is the musical theme for the NBC western television series also called Bonanza, starring Lorne Greene. Jay Livingston and Raymond Evans wrote the song for the series. It was orchestrated by David Rose and arranged by Billy May for the television series. Members of the Western Writers of America included it in the Top […]

The Ballad of Ira Hayes is a song written by folksinger and songwriter Peter La Farge. Its words tell the story of Ira Hayes, one of six sailors who became famous for raising the United States flag on Mount Suribachi during the Battle of Iwo Jima in World War II. Members of the Western Writers […]

The Rebel (Johnny Yuma) is the theme song of The Rebel — a 76-episode American western television series, composed by Richard Markowitz and lyrics by Andrew J. Fenady. The song is included in the Western Writers of America‘s list of Top 100 Western songs of all time. Johnny Cash recorded the song and was released […]

Amarillo by Morning is a country music song chosen as one of the top 100 Western Songs of all time by The Western Writers of America. Terry Stafford teamed up with Paul Fraser to create the song and recorded it in 1973. A delivery service commercial inspired the song with its “get your package to […]

“The Hanging Tree” became the theme song for the 1959 Western film The Hanging Tree, starring Gary Cooper, Maria Schell, Karl Malden, and George C. Scott. Max Steiner scored the Western ballad, while Mack David and Jerry Livingston wrote the song for the film. They received nominations for the 1960 Academy Awards (Best Music, Original Song) […]

Call You Cowboy is an American Western song and the title track of Brenn Hill’s 2002 album of the same name. The Western Writers of America included it as one of the Top 100 Western songs of all time. The song was one of Brenn Hill’s earliest compositions, “the song that launched him into his […]

Lorena became one of the most famous love songs prior to and during the Civil War and soon a staple of the Old West. Members of the Western Writers of America even listed the antebellum song as one of the Top 100 Western songs of all time. The Rev. Henry D. L. Webster wrote Lorena […]

I’d Like to Be in Texas for the Roundup in the Spring, also seen as I’d Like to Be in Texas When They Roundup in the Spring, is a traditional American cowboy song. The Western Writers of America voted the song as one of the Top 100 Western songs of all time. However, like most classic cowboy songs, there wasn’t […]