Juni Fisher is the 2009 Western Music Association Female Performer of the Year. Her CD “Gone For Colorado” is the 2009 Western Music Association album of the year. When Ralph Hampton asked many of us to define the difference between Cowboy Music and Western Music, Juni replied with a wonderful answer, and is very qualified to do so. Juni Fisher said:

Cowboy music is about Cowboys and the Cowboy life. Western Music is about the lifestyle and people of the West, not necessarily Cowboy life. Cowboy Music is a PART of Western Music, as is Western swing, Cowboy Swing, Western Folk, etc.

Western Swing, Bob Wills style, is a type of dance oriented music, but content wise, rarely has anything to do with the West, beyond naming towns. Bob Wills, Asleep at the Wheel…Western Swing. Riders in the Sky… Cowboy Swing.

There is so much information on the Internet, much of which is subjective, but a clear definition of Western Music and how it differs from Cowboy Music is very hard to find. Many people refer to Wikipedia for answers, yet Wikipedia implies that both terms are one in the same. As Juni Fisher explained, that is clearly not the case.

Make sure you visit Juni Fisher’s website where you will hear Juni’s beautiful music as soon as you get there. The song you hear is WMA 2009 Song of the Year nominee “Whippoorwill” from the Award winning CD “Gone For Colorado”. Juni has a beautiful voice and we are convinced that you’ll spend plenty of time on her website. To buy Juni’s music visit her store.

In closing, and before I leave you with ten minutes of Juni Fisher, I want to leave you with this thought. Cowboy, Western, and traditional country music stars are real people. If you want a question answered, all you need to do is ask. When in need of good role models, all you need to do is look. When you want to learn about history, all you need to do is listen.

Here is Juni Fisher: