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  WAYNE NELSON was raised on family ranches in Lava Hot Springs and Blackfoot, Idaho. He's also worked on ranches; farms; in mines and spud houses all across the Snake River Plains. Retired now from his work at JR Simplot Co and ranching, he resides on a small place in the Sunbeam Creek area of American Falls dedicating most of his time to writing and performing music and poetry based on his experiences and life in the west. "My songs, poems and stories are about people I rode with when I was growing up and the interesting history of our area. They've taught me so much I feel it's my duty to immortalize them in words and music, like a sculptor or artist in bronze or on canvas."
Nelson's music many times starts out as poetry or stories which seem to take the natural course of becoming Cowboy or Western songs. He's also asked many times what the difference is in his style as opposed to Country&Western/Nashville music. He likes to quote a friend of his, "Country Western music is about a cowgirl doing somebody wrong, Western music is about a COW doing somebody wrong!"
Nelson found a place for his works in the Cowboy Poetry & Music Gatherings throughout the west and up into Canada around 1991. He not only performs in them; he also promotes and assists in a growing number of gatherings in his home state. Nelson is a long standing member of Cowboy Poets of Idaho, Inc. and is a board member for Region 5 (Magic Valley area) As a performer he also dedicates time for special fund raising events dear to his heart, around his home area and a little further a field, such as "An Evening of Cowboy Poetry & Music" for LSR in Wyoming; CPI fund raisers throughout the state; also the Wilson Theater and Cache Peak Backcountry Horsemen Assoc. as part of the Mini Cassia-Snake River Gathering held in Rupert, Idaho in November of every year.
Nelson's poem SNOWVILLE published in several books and magazines and also on a self-produced CD is said to be destined to become a classic and and is currently being recited by others at gatherings throughout the west. Several songs he has written, such as DRY VALLEY WALTZ; SPRINGTIME IN IDAHO; RUSTLER'S BLUES and DADBURNED GUITAR are being performed or recorded by such notable performers as; Wyoming Red, Terry Raff, Grubline Riders, Saddle Strings, and Sharky Schaur of Canada. His songs STOCK DETECTIVE and MONTE THE NIGHT CALVER are favorites of cow savvy folks. He is presently the only member in CPI's history to have received both the coveted Golden Note award (1996) for outstanding music and the time honored Silver Quill award (2000) for outstanding poetry. Nelson also entertains his audiences occasionally by playing what he calls a "Sageharp," a primitive instrument known to musicologists as a mouthbow. This instrument delivers a unique, rhythmic background to his songs and poetry (much like a jawharp.) He's even taught a work shop on this instrument and does other work shops for "guitar pickin" as well as teaching beginner guitar to a variety of students (young and old) in his home area.
Some of the many gatherings and festivals that have featured Nelson's talents, Elko Nevada's Cowboy Poetry Gathering; Santa Clarita California's Cowboy Poetry & Music Festival; and Kamloops, BC Cowboy Festival. Nelson is also featured in a couple of episodes of COWBOY CORRAL, a PBS series filmed at the Lewis-Clark Cowboy Entertainment & Western Arts Festival in Lewiston, Idaho and produced by JEDA Productions in 1999. He also gives private performances for special occasions, clubs and organizations such as the Lions Club for their state convention that was held in Sun Valley, Idaho.
Nelson's latest CD release, DADBURNED GUITAR, is on sale now and includes a live version of the favorite Snowville poem.
His new release, OLD TUMBLEWEED, is in production and is due out in 2004. Nelson's two earlier releases of SNOWVILLE and IDAHO BUCKAROOS AND BADMEN which are sold out now, will be re-released on CD's in 2004 as well. Please check back to this web site as they will be available here when they first go on sale.


Performance Schedule Highlighted songs are now in MP3 format.

CD Only Springtime in Idaho Dadburned Guitar Scatter My Ashes Stock Detective Two Sides of Lonesome Hundred Years Ago Ropes and Sixguns Ticket to the Sky Old Timer Daddy's Bells Snowville

CD Only Dry Valley Waltz Sagebrush Country Monte the Night Calver Diamond Field Jack Quarter Turn Chiricaua Moon Red Dress Water Babies Tibo and the Bear Dusty Jeans

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