By ALEX PAJUNAS

A cool breeze kicked up dust and rustled the flags lining the rodeo grounds in Haines. Large groups of clouds passed overhead as the crowd, mostly dressed in cowboy hats or red, white and blue, waited for the opening band to climb aboard a flat bed trailer, acting as a stage.

MC Rob Weber announced a goal that he hoped Tuesday night’s music would accomplish: andquot;We want to bring back the life of the pioneers, the cowboys that rode the ranges, and the American west.andquot;

And as Bill Freese and the Heaters began to play, the shadows from the curtain of clouds parted, and the Sun’s golden glow illuminated the arena.

The music on July 4 was part of the second annual Stampede Cowboy Music Showdown. An estimated crowd of 800 attended the free event which celebrated the life and music of the old West with nine scheduled solo and group performers. The Showdown competition asked that everyone play only cowboy music, without crossing into country music or any other genre.

So what exactly is cowboy music?

andquot;Well cowboy music in the old days was written by cowboys that had actually experienced the lifestyle right out on the range,andquot; said Delores Fielding, the winner of the solo competition.

Performer Tim Magee had a more specific definition in mind.

andquot;I would have to wrap (cowboy music) up into Chris LeDoux and the song ‘Stampede,’andquot; said Magee.

andquot;In my eyes country music is ‘We are partying, looking at girls and having fun getting drunk.’ Cowboy music is ‘Hey, I just pushed 2,000 head of cattle across two states.’ It’s about relying on the weather and praying to God every night going ‘Lord, let us get these cattle home. Lord, let us get these horses across Iowa. Lord, just keep us safe and in your hands.’andquot;

Typical instruments used in cowboy music include the acoustic guitar, mandolin, fiddle and harmonica. The music has roots in old Celtic music brought over by immigrants and transformed through life on the range.

The music is about storytelling and true life subjects such as heartbreak, love and weather according to Weber, from Moses Lake, Wash.

andquot;Many nights cowboys would be alone moving across the plains,andquot; Weber said. andquot;The music would keep the cattle from getting startled and let others know that the night guard was on duty.andquot;

Some good places to hear cowboy music are at the Pendleton Round-Up, at the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering in Elko, Nev., and of course, sitting around campfires out on the range.

Though the history of cowboy music has strong ties to life out west, it has abroad audience.

andquot;I think actual cowboy music is popular all over. A lot of the people in the east that have never had any experience love to listen to it. Its kind of romantic, brings the old original traditions to mind,andquot; said Fielding.

About the Showdown

Two judges graded the performers by awarding a maximum of 100 points.

Artists could earn up to 50 points based on genre, but could also receive an automatic zero for not understanding the cowboy theme. The other two criteria that judges looked at were artistic impression and technical skill, which were both worth 25 points.

Cash prizes of $175 were awarded to the winners of three categories. Though they were the only competition, Bill Freese and the Heaters put on a strong performance in winning the Group competition.

Fielding was the winner in the Solo category, while andquot;Hoppyandquot; Hopkins took home the People’s Choice award, as the audience’s favorite performer in addition to a second place in the Solo category.

andquot;Hoppy was amazing because he reminded me of a Will Rodgers type guy,andquot; said Carol Gregory, who was visiting with her husband and daughter from Pacific Palisades, Cal. andquot;He rides all day long, can do anything on a horse, can tell a funny joke and sing. I mean that’s a true cowboy in my opinion. He was good.andquot;

To play cowboy music, it takes more than an ability to yodel and recite lines from a John Wayne movie.

Fielding believes you need a love for the cowboy lifestyle and an ear for good music to be successful.

andquot;There’s not that many guys that are working cowboys anymore,andquot; said Fielding of Summerville, Ore. andquot;They don’t write from the actual experience they write from what they imagine it to be.andquot;

andquot;When you’ve ridden for 16 hours straight in the saddle and your butt and the inside of your legs are soaking wet from sweat in 98 degree weather, then I think you have an idea of what its like,andquot; said Magee.

One reason for the creation of a Cowboy music contest in Haines, was the funding provided by an anonymous donor. The donor who had a love for cowboy music believed it fit in with the Haines rodeo explained Mark Coomer, the showdown coordinator.

The donations are part of a five year commitment to build the event into a major part of the Haines fourth of July celebration.

andquot;Anything that has to do with rodeo, cowboys, and youth all rolled up together is something we want to support,andquot; said Coomer of Baker City. andquot;This seemed like a natural and I think it is. I think it fits really nice with the Haines rodeo.andquot;

With increased awareness of the event in the community, the audience grew by over a third compared to 2005’s inaugural Cowboy Music Showdown.

This year’s event also stuck more closely to the rule of playing only Cowboy Music. Whereas last year’s groups included drums and electric guitars, this year found mainly solo performers using acoustic guistars.

andquot;There was a good cross section, with good variety. I was very pleased with the whole competition,andquot; said Coomer. andquot;I would like to see more fiddles and instruments from the early era of cowboy music.andquot;

To help the event continue to improve, Coomer hopes more people from the community will become involved.

andquot;It would be nice to be plugged into the music community with someone who has a passion for this kind of music, who could help promote it and help refine the rules and requirements and things like that. That’s a piece of the puzzle that I think we need to rectify before the next one.andquot;

Cowboy Lyrics:

andquot;When the Cactus is in Bloomandquot;

words and music by Jimmy Rodgers

andquot;The cattle prowl and the coyotes howl

Out on the Great Divide

I never done no wrong, just singin a song

And still the trail I ride

Rattlesnakes rattle at the prarie dogs

And you hear that mournful tune

When it’s round up time, way out west

And the cactus is in bloomandquot;

-Performed by Delores Fielding

andquot;The Real Live Buckarooandquot;

words and music by Gary McMahan

andquot;Well whiskey tends to make me high

And sad songs make me cry

Pretty women break my hear almost every night

Well I run on beans and nicotine

I’m a real live buckaroo

Well I smell like a litter of puppies

I hardly ever tell the truthandquot;

-Performed by andquot;Hoppyandquot; Hopkins