Arizona Folklore Preserve

Rusted Spurs West
2026-02-14 14:00 - 16:00, 2026-02-15 14:00 - 16:00 (America/Phoenix) | Arizona Folklore Preserve, 56 E. Folklore Trail, Hereford, AZ, 85615, United States
Rusted Spurs West is an award-winning cowboy and western swing acoustic trio. The group features Patti Hamel, a retired nurse on accordion and vocals, Tex Hamel, a retired physician on guitar and vocals, and Bob “Slim” Denoncourt, a professional musician on bass and vocals. The group has played concerts and festivals throughout the southwest and their latest C.D., “Arizona Stars,” was awarded the 2023 “Western Swing Album of the Year” by the International Western Music Association. The group features classic songs, originals, light hearted cowboy poetry and sing-alongs, all with that great western harmony.

Nancy Elliott
2026-02-21 14:00 - 16:00, 2026-02-22 14:00 - 16:00
Mom and Dad bought a Kimball Organ when I was about seven years old, and I guess that started it all. At
thirteen, a friend of the family taught me a few guitar chords, and I got my first 12 string the next year. With the
music of John Denver, Batdorf and Rodney and America inspiration, I began writing simple songs and playing folk
music at campfires, weddings and local festivals. The years after High School found me in California working for the
park service and playing evenings in campgrounds and restaurants. Abilene, Texas was the next stop. With its wild
and woolly mix of a low drinking age (that being 18), public dance halls and private clubs, I found my self singing
Linda Ronstadt and Willie Nelson covers behind chicken wire. I had the honor of playing one night a week for
several months at Mel Tillis’s “The Old Sawmill”, The Town Crier Steakhouse, a pool bar, whose name I can’t
remember (might be a good thing) near the back gate of the base, and a fund raiser for the Veterans Hospital with
Rex Allen, Rex Allen Jr and Johnny Gimble. I got out of Abilene with my guitar, my ‘70 Chevy Impala 350, some
real good stories and 10 stitches around my eye from one of those nights there was not enough chicken wire in the
state Texas to protect the band.
Back in Ohio, and once again on the local Dayton folk scene, I played Sam’s on 5th, The Trolley Stop in the
Oregon District and was a performer on opening night at Mick Montgomery’s Canal Street Tavern, where I also later
tended bar. Brisco’s Lounge, Winds Café, Tuty’s Inn, my goodness, it was time of stage hopping with friends and
solid, paying gigs, many of them sit downs where a player could make a living.
Coming to Arizona in 1990 I discovered the Western & Cowboy music. Katy Creek Band resulted in 2001,
lasting a good 13years and four albums. This lovely but tiny genre provided inspiration to grow in my song writing
and performance abilities. Now, seeking wider and broader opportunities, including for “The Heart of It All” story
and song concerts, I once again perform in the Folk genre, particularly my self coined “South~Western Americana”.
After a ten year recording hiatus, the “Tall Tree” album released in January of 2019. Recorded for Mi Casa
Records and produced by Maestro Ismael Barajas, Tall Tree is the first in my self coined South~Western Americana.
The drum styles, arrangements and rhythms, the wide open shelving of instruments against vocals, and the
instruments themselves, are a direct reflection of my life in the Desert Southwest.
My second album of South~Western Americana, “Bluebirds Singing On The Buffalo Road,” is bare bones,
just me and my guitars with harmony vocals on a few songs. It includes “Lightning Woman Danced,” “ By Moon or
No Moon,” refreshed recordings of “Autumn’s On Its Way and “Wild Rose,” and “The Ruby Handled Knife,” a poem inspired while writing the book, “Autumn’s On Its Way,” which released January of 2024.
I am a proud member of the Western Writers of America.
Contact information and booking
Nancy Elliott 520~705~5901
www.NancyElliottMusic.com

Joni Harms
2026-02-28 14:00 - 16:00, 2026-03-01 14:00 - 16:00
Joni Harms has a warm sincerity and ease to her voice… a voice that shines through on stories and melodies of a country/western way of life, making you feel you are part of the entire experience she sings about, as if she is singing only to you. In many ways, Joni is a pioneer and torch-bearer, knowing the country lifestyle is made up of a blend of musical sounds, giving her a unique style drawing crowds, literally, around the world.
“Growing up, I learned to sing and write songs by listening to Emmylou Harris, Dolly Parton, Merle Haggard and George Strait,” says Harms. “I remember seeing Emmylou Harris, and, after playing a while with the famous Hot Band, she returned to the stage with just her black Gibson guitar and proved if you can truly sing, write a song and play your guitar, then you can entertain your audience all by yourself.”
Although it is always special to perform with a great band, Joni held onto that challenging lesson and enjoys performing for radio stations and at various events with just her guitar, showing off that pure country voice she has been praised for since she signed her first record deal with the famed music producer Jimmy Bowen of Capitol Records in the early 1990s. Any singer will tell you not everyone can entertain that way, but Joni is a master.
Joni Harms’ musical journey continues around with globe with the release of her 13th studio album, Lucky 13, which is receiving amazing reviews. Country Music People Magazine says…”these are some of the very best country songs of recent years and prove that Joni Harms is one of country music’s most underrated writers.”
There is no mistaking the fact that Joni was a Merle Haggard fan as she even wrote a tribute to him on her latest album, Lucky 13, simply titled Merle. Joni Harms has built a career on two-stepping, toe-tapping shuffles and swing songs on her CDs. Joni loves to write about rodeo, cowboys and the ranch way of living, but says her favorite kind of songs to write are ballads or story songs. That’s why Merle is one of her favorites. “I absolutely love it when someone tells me that a song of mine has touched them or helped them through a tough situation. It makes me all the more certain that I am doing what I was put on this earth to do,” shares Harms.
Joni’s signature cowboy hat and boots are indeed more than a fashion statement. Harms lives on a century farm in Oregon that was homesteaded by her great, great grandfather Harms in 1872. Joni says, “This place has inspired many of my songs and I think they truly represent who I am and what is important to me.”
And there is no question who Joni Harms is. She is a tough, hard-working rancher who is also a mom with strong values with a gift for writing and performing music. She admits sometimes it is hard juggling all of these things, but they are important to her and she wouldn’t change a thing.
Joni Harms has earned multiple honors from such notable organizations as the Western Music Association and the Academy of Western Artists. She has also performed on some of the most famous stages, including the Grand Ole Opry and New York City’s Carnegie Hall.
Joni Harms continues to tour and do what she loves, saying her journey so far has been absolutely wonderful. God willing she’s not going anywhere for a long time and has a lot more songs to write and sing!

Steve Jones
2026-03-07 14:00 - 16:00, 2026-03-08 14:00 - 16:00
“Steve is in his 25th year as a performer, 17 of which was with the Yampa Valley Boys. Steve has had 2,600+ performances, with 850+ at the Bar Lazy L family ranch over 22 years. His third CD album, “The Lump of Coal (Hope’s Diamond)” charted in the top twenty of western CDs in all four quarters of 2022 per “The Western Way” reporting. He has two other CD recordings, ”That Irish Kid” (2012) and “Picasso” (2017). He brings enthusiasm and energy to the stage with an audience-friendly show, including sing-alongs. He has performed in many of the western states, primarily in Colorado, Wyoming, New Mexico, and Arizona, as well as in Ireland. He has performed at many guest ranches, including the prestigious 3 Forks Ranch. He has appeared at the Arizona Folklore Preserve, Colorado, Cochise, Durango, Grand Encampment, and Nebraska (Valentine) Cowboy Music Gatherings; the Steamboat Pro Rodeo series, county fairs, and many other public and private events.
Steve is now spending the winter months in Casa Grande, AZ. Some new songs are coming out of that experience. He still performs cowboy/western, classic country, folk, Irish and original songs. Lots of humor, too.

Jon Messenger & Co.
2026-03-14 14:00 - 16:00, 2026-03-15 14:00 - 16:00
Jon Messenger’s story is a musical journey through the west, the Everglades, and Cornwall-on-Hudson. Now he’s had some 30 years of performing at home in Cochise County, Arizona, and points north, west, and east.

Ted Ramirez
2026-03-21 14:00 - 16:00, 2026-03-22 14:00 - 16:00
Teodoro “Ted” Ramirez is a Southwest troubadour with a captivating sound and distinctive music style. His performances are a celebration in Southwest culture. The name “Teodoro” is the Spanish version of English “Theodore”, and is a old family name – one that dates back to before the 1700’s in his family. Ted often with a smile says: “my name is Teodoro, but all my friends call me Teo or Ted.
Ted’s repertoire is a mixture of original music, classic American and Mexican folk songs, and stories. Ted is an established and seasoned live concert performing artist having toured extensively in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, and northern Europe.
Ted was born in Tucson, Arizona in 1953 with family roots that pre-date the Spanish and Mexican eras of the region.
Ted presents songs with intriguing introductions drawn from personal experience, and the oral and written histories of Mexico and the American Southwest.
Ted has received numerous awards including: “Arizona Culture Keeper Award” and named “Tucson’s Official Troubadour” by the Tucson’s Mayor and City Council in 2001.
Ted is the founder of the celebrated Tucson-based folk group; “The Santa Cruz River Band”.
Ted’s live performance presentations are well-suited for: concerts, festivals, educational programs, residencies, workshops, and special presentations and ceremonies for all ages.

Steff Kayser and Alvin Blaine
2026-03-28 14:00 - 16:00, 2026-03-29 14:00 - 16:00
An insightful, award-winning composer and brilliant interpreter of others’ material, Tucson-based Steff Kayser offers unique and diverse performances with a soulful soaring voice and musical talents that delight the most discerning of audiences. Most recently, Steff’s original ‘The Space Between Our Fences’ won 3rd place in the 2022 Tumbleweed Music Festival Song Contest. He’s a finalist in this year’s 2023 Tucson Folk Festival Song Contest (winner TBD). He also surprises with creative takes on a variety of unexpected cover tunes.

Alvin Blaine’s career took off after performing Wildwood Flower for his dad at age 5. Up to that point, Dad had prohibited the kids from playing any of his many instruments that graced the living room of Alvin’s childhood. Since then, as a multi-genre, multi-instrumentalist musician, Alvin has performed in countless bands as a treasured and skilled sideman. With 25 years in Las Vegas as a professional musician, he played everything from cowboy swing to jazz, blues, and country standards on the energized Vegas circuit honing his many skills.

Doors open at 1 p.m., performances begin at 2:00 p.m. Reservations are preferred; however, walk-ins will be seated if space permits. The Arizona Folklore Preserve is located at 56 E. Folklore Trail in Hereford. Make reservations at www.arizonafolklore.com.

Michael Grande
2026-04-04 14:00 - 16:00, 2026-04-05 14:00 - 16:00
Michael Grande, one of the world’s beloved entertainers is returning this weekend.
Grande, who tours the world, only performs in Cochise County twice per year. A singer-songwriter and virtuoso guitarist, Grande brings laughter and tears to audience members as he moves from exciting instrumentals featuring his famous five-fingered picking technique and breathtaking guitar flourishes to his gentle, almost caressing of the strings, as his sexy, smooth voice, tells tales of soldiers, families and the great depression.
But if the song is a sad one, the mood is uplifted immediately by Grande inserting songs and stories of friends, family and animals: a little girl’s first horse, the loss of a stray dog that became a hero to a family it saved, and the romantic love story of an Arabian stallion and mare.
In between songs, Grande is known for his tales. Growing up in an Italian family, he tells of being a child in Brooklyn, N.Y., where he used to tie the tail of his coonskin cap to his bicycle and pretend it was a horse as he raced through the mean streets of Bensonhurst. In his mind and his dreams, he was always a cowboy, and he was always in Arizona.

Old Pueblo Bluegrass Band
2026-04-11 14:00 - 16:00, 2026-04-12 14:00 - 16:00
The Old Pueblo Bluegrass Band has been delighting audiences with high-energy bluegrass music for five years. Bandleader Reid Griffin, on guitar and vocals, is a Tucson native. He has performed throughout the Southwest since the 1980s and toured Europe with his band “Griffin Brothers”. Steve Reed, on electric and upright bass and vocals, majored in music at Pima College, then made a long musical journey from classical to jazz and onward to bluegrass. Bob Frankot, on fiddle, has been steeped in bluegrass all his life and has played with the popular California bluegrass band “Hot Off the Press” through the 1980s before coming to the Old Pueblo.

Liz & Pete
2026-04-18 14:00 - 16:00, 2026-04-19 14:00 - 16:00, 2026-05-23 14:00 - 16:00, 2026-05-24 14:00 - 16:00
She’s Liz, he’s Pete, they are Liz & Pete. Liz Cerepanya and Peter Dalton Ronstadt join musical forces to explore material old and new. Liz’s heartfelt voice with Pete’s haunting harmonies and rich guitar arrangements captivate the mind and tug at the heart. After a few passing introductions in their shared music scene, Liz Cerepanya joined Peter Dalton Ronstadt on stage at Monterey Court in Tucson in the fall of 2019. They had had a brief opportunity to work up a couple of songs, including Rodney Crowell’s “Leaving Louisiana in the Broad Daylight”, and an instant musical match was realized. The decision to make a record together was easy, and quickly Liz and Pete began exploring material including the timeless songs of Alan Garr, songs of their favorite songwriters and singers, new and old compositions by Pete as well as classic songs from his father Michael Joseph Ronstadt’s repertoire. Liz and Pete’s natural element is just the two of them on stage accompanied by an acoustic guitar and the Pennsylvania Stompbox.

Randy Huston
2026-04-25 14:00 - 16:00, 2026-04-26 14:00 - 16:00
Singer, songwriter, cowboy — Randy Huston writes and sings about the modern-day lifestyle of the cowboy. He is a fourth-generation livestock producer and partners with his father on their ranch in New Mexico. He started breaking horses for wages at the age of 14 and spent many years in rodeo arenas through high school and college. He’s written some of the most widely recognized contemporary cowboy music, and his songs have been recorded by some of the “stars” of this genre. Huston was voted one of the top five male entertainers in 2007 by the Academy of Western Artists and was 2010 Academy of Western Artists male vocalist of the year. In 2022 he was honored as Male Performer of the Year by the International Western Music Association. He is also a multiple Wrangler Award Recipient.
Doors open at 1 p.m., performances begin at 2:00 p.m. Reservations are preferred; however, walk-ins will be seated if space permits.

Mule Boys
2026-05-02 14:00 - 16:00, 2026-05-03 14:00 - 16:00
Scott Muhleman, namesake of this duo, blows a mean harp. He’s been bending notes and playing the blues since the sixties. LA, Waikiki in ’68, Alaska, San Francisco, to Bisbee, Arizona. He came to Bisbee the first time while touring with DC Miner and Blues on the Move. Jon Messenger’s story has been a journey through, away from, and back again to the American West. A musical journey through the west. And the Everglades. And Cornwall-on-Hudson. Always some guitar player willing to be patient with him, indulge him with some music and “communicate to me how to play.” Scott and Jon met at a campout at Parker Canyon Lake in 1992. Assembled with like minds in fine surroundings, music was made. Music continued to happen and will happen again this weekend!

Jim Jones and Mariam Funke
2026-05-09 14:00 - 16:00, 2026-05-10 14:00 - 16:00
Jim Jones and Mariam Funke are award-winning musicians from New Mexico, and are two-thirds of the band, The Cowboy Way. As a group they have been named Western Group of the Year four times by the International Western Music Association, and have taken home numerous individual awards from the IWMA, the Writers of America, the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum, and the Academy of Western Artists. Their music captures the spirit of the West…the past, the present, and the future, as well as the values, challenges, and allure, while their lively shows feature tight harmonies, high energy and smokin’ instruments. They honor traditional cowboy songs and then bowl you over with their dynamic contemporary original Western tunes.

Dry Wash Anglers
2026-05-16 14:00 - 16:00, 2026-05-17 14:00 - 16:00
Originally from back East, the Dry Wash Anglers grew out of a mutual need for more fishing, bluegrass and George Jones in 2022. With guitarist/vocalist Joel Leland, songwriter/vocalist/guitarist Hank Abbey, Katy Colville on bass, and Corrine Gary on fiddle, the Anglers channel the harmonies and hot flatpicking of a pantheon of heroes; Carter Stanley, Larry Sparks, Billy Joe Shaver and more. Stem to stern, Abbey, Leland and Colville nurture a respect for the familiar sound that shaped them but aren’t shy of the deeper waters of their own original music.
