Arizona Folklore Preserve

Randy Huston
2024-02-03 14:00 - 16:00, 2024-02-04 14:00 - 16:00 (America/Phoenix) | Arizona Folklore Preserve, 56 E. Folklore Trail, Hereford, AZ, 85615, United States
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.

Out of the Blue (CANCELLED)
2024-02-10 14:00 - 16:00, 2024-02-11 14:00 - 16:00
Out of the Blue started creating their “Bordergrass” style in the early 1990s. You already know three of the members if you’ve heard Way Out West or Dharmapoke at the AFP through the years – Tom Poley on guitar and banjo, Emmy Creigh on guitar and Slim Rost on bass. Donny Russell rounds out the Out of the Blue quartet on mandolin. The band has a reputation for their unique, signature vocal harmonies. Based in Tucson, they have traveled throughout the Southwest playing their distinctive original songs as well as traditional bluegrass and Americana covers. They have toured Europe 3 times and won 2nd place in the Telluride Band competition in 1998. The band members have received honors from the Western Music Association and Tom Poley has won 5 songwriting awards from The John Hartford Festival Songwriting Challenge. You can expect an energetic and fun performance in the acoustically pristine AFP that will feature some of their signature songs as well as some new gems added for these shows.

Mule Boys
2024-02-17 14:00 - 16:00, 2024-02-18 14:00 - 16:00, 2024-04-20 14:00 - 16:00, 2024-04-21 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!
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.

Almeda Bradshaw
2024-02-24 14:00 - 16:00, 2024-02-25 14:00 - 16:00
“I had to move EAST to find the WEST. Though raised a town girl on the Oregon coast, all I wanted was to be a cowgirl. I spent hours riding the ranges of my imaginations in a swing set saddle, and when I was tall enough, I threw a leg up on my family’s trusty propane tank and rode off into many a sunset.”
BEGINNINGS
When her parents moved the family from town to the country, Almeda began living her dream of horses, cows and rural ranch life. She raised her family in north central Montana, while breeding and showing performance horses, running 150 mother cows and operating a seed plant/feed business. She and her husband, former Marlboro Man, Merritt Bradshaw, now live on the Yellowstone River in Huntley, Montana, where they collect western memorabilia, he trains rope horses and she manages everything else, including a busy music and performance life! A multi-instrumentalist, Almeda studied cello and piano through college, has a BA in ELEMENTARY EDUCATION and is self-taught on the guitar, mandolin, and various other stringed instruments. She taught students of all ages to play strings from her former private studio and retail store, A Room for Music, in Big Sandy, MT.
INFLUENCES
Almeda grew up listening to her dad’s LP collection of big bands, the Boston Pops, classical orchestra music and until an eye-popping epiphany happened while watching the Beatles’ American debut on the Ed Sullivan Show. Though classically trained through college on piano and cello, her musical alter-ego was fed through the guitar which she taught herself to play at age thirteen. It was the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band’s “Circle” album that turned her on to the flatpicking style of Mother Maybelle Carter. Though covers of Bob Dylan, Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, Joni Mitchell, Fleetwood Mac and others from the 60s and 70s took over her teenage years, Almeda later returned to the heart of her musical soul in Western Americana/Roots Music, an eclectic mix of cowboy, bluegrass, old-time, folk and spirituals. There she remains.
EXPERIENCE
Almeda has written poetry, journals and songs since her teen years and has been performing at cowboy gatherings throughout the west for over two decades. She has produced the following original works:

VOICES FROM THE RANGE: Almeda Sings the Poetry of Rhoda Sivell (2010)
A WAY OF HEART: The Big Sandy Years (2010)
LOVERS, WIVES & MOTHERS: A Western Woman’s Voice (2015)
TRIBUTE (2017)
BRISKLY VENTURE, BRISLKY ROAM: The Ballad of Yellowstone Kelly (2018)
IF I HAD A HORSE (2021)

As a former member of Humanities Montana, Almeda presented a series of programs on the history of country and western music that included:

THE IMPORTANCE OF HER VOICE: Song in the Lives of Mountain Women
INTO THE SUNSET: The Forgotten Cowgirl Singers
HOMES & HONKYTONKS: Post-WWII Women in Country Music
SONGS OF THE COWBOY: Romance & Reality

RECOGNITION (2009-present)
2022 IWMA ALBUM OF THE YEAR NOMINATION – If I Had a Horse
2018 AWA ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR NOMINATION
2017 WMA SONG OF THE YEAR NOMINATION – Larry Dever Did
2017 #2 TOP TEN SONGS – Cowboy from TRIBUTE
2017 #4 TOP TEN SONGS – Larry Dever Did from TRIBUTE
2017 #18 ALBUM – WMA CHART Lovers, Wives & Mothers (Spring quarter)
2017 AWA ALBUM OF THE YEAR NOMINATION – Lovers, Wives & Mothers
2017 #10 ALBUM – WMA CHART Lovers, Wives & Mothers (Winter quarter)
2017 #10 TOP TEN SONGS – WMA CHART Somewhere in the Rubies (Winter Quarter)
2016 WMA SONG OF THE YEAR NOMINATION – Heavenly Here with You
2016 #2 ALBUM – WMA CHART Lovers, Wives & Mothers (Spring & Summer quarters)
2016 #10 ALBUM – WMA CHART Lovers, Wives & Mothers (Fall quarter)
2016 #2 TOP TEN SONGS – WMA CHART Heavenly Here with You (Spring quarter)
2016 #6 TOP TEN SONGS – WMA CHART Colors in the Rain (Spring quarter)
2016 #3 TOP TEN SONGS – WMA CHART Somewhere in the Rubies (Summer quarter)
2016 #5 TOP TEN SONGS – WMA CHART Heavenly Here with You (Summer quarter)
2016 WW of A SPUR AWARD NOMINATION – WESTERN WRITERS of AMERICA, Song of the Year – Parker Eyes of Blues.
2016 COWBOY IDOL WINNER – COLUMBIA RIVER COWBOY GATHERING, Kennewick, WA
2015 PROFESSIONAL DIVISION CHAMPION – WMA WESTERN WORDSMITH CHAPTER Poetry Jackpot
2012 AWA POETRY ALBUM NOMINATION – A Way of Heart: The Big Sandy Years – Academy of Western Artists Cowboy Poetry Album of the Year
2011 Voices from The Range – #15 on the Western Music Association chart of Top 20 Western Albums
2011 RISING STAR FINALIST – Kamloops Cowboy Festival, Kamloops, BC
2011 2ND PLACE SERIOUS POET- National Cowboy Poetry Rodeo, Kanab, UT
2010 PEOPLE’S CHOICE MUSICIAN – Lee Earl Memorial Cowboy Gathering, Lewiston, ID
2010 Voices from The Range – Spent seven months on Joe Baker’s Back-forty Bunkhouse chart of Top 20 Western Albums
2010 BEST OF 2010 – Song The Range Call made Stan Howe’s Best of 2010 Montana Public Radio’s Bunkhouse & Honkytonk Folk Show
2009 NCPR ROOKIE – Made the finals in 3 of 4 events and placed in the money in Serious Reciting – National Cowboy Poetry Rodeo, Montrose, CO

Liz & Pete
2024-03-02 14:00 - 16:00, 2024-03-03 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.

Dan McCorison
2024-03-09 14:00 - 16:00, 2024-03-10 14:00 - 16:00
Dan McCorison, cut his teeth in the thriving folk music scene of his home town, Denver Colorado. During his high school years his family moved first to Detroit and then on to North Carolina which allowed him to experience firsthand, some of the great roots of American music.
Shortly after college Dan returned to his native Colorado where he and a couple of new friends formed his first band, Dusty Drapes and the Dusters. Known for sure fire country music and Western swing, The Dusters were soon touring, headlining packed shows and opening for the likes of Merle Haggard, Willie Nelson, Flatt and Scruggs and Linda Ronstadt.
Along the way, Dan was discovered by Chris Hillman of The Byrds and Flying Burrito Brothers. Shortly after leaving the Dusters, Chris arranged for Dan to be signed to MCA Records and produced the resulting highly acclaimed album featuring Emmylou Harris’ Hot Band. Eventually, Dan’s trail led to Nashville where he lived for twenty years writing and recording with some of the finest writers and musicians in country music.
He has performed in Japan, Australia and Europe as well as the US and Canada. He and his wife, June, now reside in Arizona with their trusty dog Daisy. He is a regular performer at the beautiful Rancho de Los Caballeros in Wickenburg and travels extensively to play shows around the Southwest.

Steve Jones
2024-03-16 14:00 - 16:00, 2024-03-17 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.

Gary Allegretto
2024-03-23 14:00 - 16:00, 2024-03-24 14:00 - 16:00
Gary Allegretto is the 2019 International Western Music Association (IWMA) Performer of the Year. Western Horseman Magazine raves, “Gary’s music transcends genres, generations and cultural barriers, yet is so professional, engaging and core to the cowboy that listeners can’t help but want to ride along a while longer and discover something new in a song.” Not only is Gary the best harmonica player you will likely ever hear, but he is also a remarkable singer, songwriter, guitarist, and a masterful entertainer. His talents have also earned him Grammy nominations, an Academy of Western Artist (AWA) Will Rogers Award, an EQUUIS Award, and a Best of the West Award. His songs have reached the #1 spot on the Western Music radio charts. His music is featured in major motion picture soundtracks, and he has provided interviews and performances for Western music films and television shows. Gary’s engaging and often laugh-out-loud songs tell stories drawn from his rich and diverse life experience in the West (including ranch hand, forest firefighter as a USFS Hotshot, and bouncer in a couple of rough honky-tonks).

Jim Jones and Mariam Funke
2024-03-30 14:00 - 16:00, 2024-03-31 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.

Randy Huston
2024-04-06 14:00 - 16:00, 2024-04-07 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.

Old Pueblo Blue Grass Band
2024-04-13 14:00 - 16:00, 2024-04-14 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.

Mark Mulligan and Kelly McGuire (Special Event)
2024-04-17 17:00 - 19:00
SPECIAL EVENT AT THE AFP!!
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 17, 2024
Doors open at 4:00, show at 5:00
$30 per person – ONLINE RESERVATIONS NEEDED
The AFP will host a special show featuring audience favorite, Mark Mulligan, along with special guest Kelly McGuire. These two singer/songwriters have been wowing audiences with their shows filled with original music along with Jimmy Buffett tribute music. The doors will open at 4:00, the show starts at 5:00, and beverages and snacks will be provided at no additional cost.

Mark Mulligan deported himself to Mexico 30 years ago, ditching his gold Century 21 real estate jacket for flip flops and a guitar. Living south of the border, his songs paint pictures of sunshine, sailboats, and sandy beaches. His book, “The Three Miracles” is available in the AFP bookstore and is a true story of love and faith. Mark performs throughout the U.S. and Mexico, and has played in Canada, Belize, the Cayman Islands and Costa Rica.
Kelly McGuire is an award-winning Texas singer/songwriter as well as an artist/painter. He’s a storyteller and has written and produced songs for 6 CDs. He has won various awards for his music, and you can hear his music on the SiriusXM Margaritaville station. He is known for his “escapism” songs about boats, islands, and beaches. In his concerts, he tells you about his coast-to-coast travels and the stories behind his songs.

You don’t want to miss this evening of fun-filled music, so put the date on your calendars!

Eric Ramsey
2024-04-27 14:00 - 16:00, 2024-04-28 14:00 - 16:00
Eric is a perennial favorite on the Folk and Blues Festival circuits, not only for his dynamic, engaging performances but for his open tuning and slide guitar workshops as well.
With soaring vocals and organic arrangements, Eric’s original compositions reflect his musical influences, but come from a place all their own. He writes from experience about the human condition – at times sensitive, at times humorous, always thought-provoking. His arrangements and delivery encompass a spectrum of styles, from delicate fingerpicking to raucous, bluesy bottleneck slide.
Eric lives in the Phoenix area with his patient, long-suffering wife, three kids and dogs of indeterminate pedigree. He can often be found in the garage, where his family prefer he practice….

Independence Creek
2024-05-04 14:00 - 16:00, 2024-05-05 14:00 - 16:00
Performing Bluegrass, Folk and Americana music emphasizing three-part vocal harmony, Independence Creek feature covers of popular tunes as well as songs by female lead Sally Wisely. Skilled musicians on traditional acoustic instruments including banjo, 12 and 6 string guitars, mandolin and fiddle, this trio is appearing on the AFP stage for the first time. Let’s give them a big AFP welcome!

The Arizona Wildflowers
2024-05-11 14:00 - 16:00
The Arizona Wildflowers are an award winning bluegrass band who live on a working ranch in southern Arizona.
Ranelle, on mandolin is 15, Brie on guitar is 14, Aspen on fiddle is 12. Sawyer, age 9, is the bass player and Isley on fiddle is 7.
They play shows and festivals all over the country, as well as all being state and national fiddle champions.
The group will be spending their summer playing at Silver Dollar City in Branson, MO and festivals in Oregon, Colorado, Idaho and Kentucky. Ranelle, 15, is scheduled to play on The Grand Ole Opry on August 31, which happens to be her 16th birthday!
