Sweethearts of the Rodeo

Admittedly, up until now, when I'd hear the phrase, Sweethearts of the Rodeo, I would think of that great album by The Byrds, minus David Crosby, whom I love, but with Gram Parsons, whom I also love.

Alas, it's been over thirty years since that album was released.

My first and only rodeo experience was when I was about six years old.  I'd go out to Coyle, Oklahoma to see my grandma, and my best friend out there, Cindy Downey and her family took us to the rodeo.  They lived right across the road of that old Highway 33 and they had horses and cattle, and maybe they had someone in the rodeo.  It was a great experience  although I can't really remember the Sweethearts....

So, last weekend, I went to see the movie, Cowgirls N' Angels.
It's the poignant tale of a young girl who sneaks off to join the rodeo in search of her long lost rodeo-dad, and along the way she becomes a Sweetheart of the Rodeo.  A new release, filmed in Oklahoma, Cowgirls N' Angels has two of my songs in it, "Lay Me Down," and the song, "Oklahoma Girl" which I wrote with Bob Livingston and John Hadley.  It also features some friends, the Rangers, in a bar scene, with a great close-up cameo of Don Morris.  It's a sweet film and I cried all the way through it.

And that night, there they were ~the Sweethearts of the Rodeo~ riding all through my dream.....

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