Ballads were just the beginning of Andy Hedges’s admiration for the industry.
By Hannah Hudgens
His dad was nothing short of a bull rider and a Primitive Baptist pastor—and living beyond the bounds of city life, Andy Hedges essentially grew up in the 1950s instead of the 1980s.
Rather than indulging in pop culture, Hedges gravitated to Western films alongside his movie-buff parents. Between gunfighter ballads and trail songs, his upbringing was what many would describe as the “simpler times.”
Cowboy songster Andy Hedges. Photo by Gabrielle Watson
The critically acclaimed storyteller and songster said his interest in cowboy culture took root when he was 13 years old, listening to renowned American cowboy poet Waddie Mitchell.
“I got hooked on that as a kid,” Hedges said. “I started teaching myself to play the guitar and recite cowboy poems and discovered this renaissance of cowboy poetry, music and culture that was flowing out of the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering in Elko, Nevada, and in smaller gatherings all around the country.”
Since then, Hedges has been in pursuit of documenting and chronicling working ranch culture.
Having traveled for the last 25-plus years performing, Hedges has since hosted the podcast series “Cowboy Crossroads.”
“I began to interview old-timers, poets, musicians, ranchers, working cowboys, folk singers and historians,” Hedges said, “asking those folks to really tell stories and go deep on their experiences in the West.”
Apart from documenting these oral history interviews for Western lifestyle preservation, Hedges said he hopes the series provides the public with a window into ranching and cowboy culture.
Much like a farmer or rancher is a steward of the land, keeping it healthy for future generations, Hedges said he aspires to be a steward of these old songs, stories and traditions—a bridge between working ranch culture and the public.
“I really believe that a good part of our country, if they could really see and understand agriculture, ranching and farming—the way of life and the traditions that go with it…I think that it would help them to have a deeper appreciation for where their food comes from,” Hedges said.
It is the work that goes into it—the care they have for the land and their stock, as well as the pride they take in their work, horsemanship and handmade gear—Hedges said can inspire change.
Moreover, Hedges said there might even be a desire for these people to join with those out West, continuing the ranching legacy. Yet it is only by listening to the raw accounts of people and places that Hedges said he can be a genuine storyteller and an advocate of sorts.
“It’s always a real honor when someone agrees to let me come into their home, or maybe on their ranch, or even if we meet up somewhere,” Hedges said, “and they are willing to sit down with me, share their stories, and let me record it and then share that with my audience.”
Hedges said there is much wisdom to be gleaned from the “old timers” of the agricultural industry, having lived more life, connecting further back into an older part of America.
“It’s a real honor that they will entrust that to me and that I get to have that personal one-on-one time with these folks,” Hedges said. “I don’t ever take it lightly.”
Within the realm of cowboy poetry, Hedges said the most rewarding aspect of the work he does rests in the community surrounding him.
“It’s hard to put it into words,” Hedges said. “You kind of have to experience it, but it’s almost a spiritual connection that you have with these people who share this love for the culture and love for the spoken word.”
The people Hedges meets at cowboy poetry gatherings and various other events, he said, are not merely friends but family—the National Ranching Heritage Center of Lubbock, being one.
“I love working with them,” Hedges said, “and I’m proud to be associated with them because I just admire the work they do so much—telling the story of ranching and history in America and presenting that to modern and urban audiences. That’s a real honor.”
Hedges plays a significant role in the organization by sponsoring interviews for the Golden Spur and Working Cowboy awards, which he said are both prestigious awards given to leaders in the ranching industry.
“They’ve really helped me get interviews I wouldn’t normally be able to get, to connect with some folks I don’t know in the ranching industry,” Hedges said, “and so that’s been a real valuable thing for me.”
In the upcoming National Ranching Heritage Center event, Ranch Verse, Hedges will host an interview panel and facilitate educational presentations to enable visitors to be immersed fully in cowboy traditions.
“To have an event in Lubbock, and at the National Ranching Heritage Center, that’s really focused on the music and the poetry that flows out of this culture,and with the NRHC being a museum part of Tech campus, it really made sense for the event to have a bit of an academic approach,” Hedges said. “It’s during the day, so folks can really come and dig in and learn something and not be purely entertained.”
Hedges said his mission is simple: honoring the industry and its figures.
“This culture that developed out West on these working ranches is a really deep and rich culture,” Hedges said, “that’s worthy of our admiration and worthy of being preserved.”
Photo by Gabrielle Watson
Join Andy Hedges, for a day of Western storytelling, song and poetry at the inaugural Ranch Verse on Saturday, Aug. 3, 2024!
Daytime events with special guests, Ed Ashurst, Waddie Mitchell, Brigid & Johnny Reedy, and Gail Steiger will occur from 10:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. at the National Ranching Heritage Center. Enjoy special performances, poetry readings and discussions, and an onstage interview with Ranching Heritage Association Working Cowboy Award recipient, Ed Ashurst, for Western podcast, Cowboy Crossroads.
A special evening performance at the historic Cactus Theater will take place from 7:30 – 10 p.m. with Andy Hedges, Waddie Mitchell and Brigid & Johnny Reedy. Tickets for the evening concert start at $35 and are now on sale!
