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 Gordon
Snidow has been known as the foremost chronicler of the
contemporary cowboy for over forty years. He is a leader in the
development of the American Western Art Movement, and is one of
America's out-standing fine artists.
"The West, like all places, is
a continuum of space and time; it is as alive and vibrant in
today's guise - and as Snidow paints it - as it was when George
Catlin, Charles M. Russell, Frederic Remington and their
successors through the years painted it.
He is a historian who
records his time in pictures rather than words, and as Russell
and other in-their-time "contemporary" chroniclers of the West
are seen today as painters of the "Historic West," so Snidow
will be seen in the future." Prix de West
2003 catalog
Snidow is recording other
aspects of his time. Those include his American Woman Series,
Homeless, Wildlife, and one specific work recognizable anywhere
in the country today - an adobe wall covered with graffiti. All
are parts of his view of the "whole fabric" of the modern West.
He paints it not as he would like it to be, but the way it is -
warts and all. There are no guarantees for the future of the
cowboy, but there is for his past. Thanks to Gordon Snidow, the
cowboy in the late 20th century, and his Western world will be
preserved.
Snidow was born in Paris, Mo.
in 1936. He grew up there, in Oklahoma, and Texas. He earned a
BFA from the Art Center College of Design in Los Angeles, CA. He
is a charter member of the Cowboy Artists of America. When he
retired after 25 years to become a member emeritus, he was the
Cowboy Artists Of America top medal winner. Snidow had won 27
Gold and Silver Medals, including three for Best of Show. His
work can be found in the permanent collection of the leading
Western Art Museums. Some of these are Thomas Gilcrease Museum,
The National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum, National Center
for American Western Art, The Cody Museum, and The Phoenix Art
Museum.
In 1998 he created the cover
for recording star Michael Martin Murphy's newest CD release
"Cowboy Songs IV". In September 1998, he was awarded the "New
Mexico Governor's Award For Excellence In The Arts." Annually he
participates in several shows, including the Prix de West Show
at the National Cowboy Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City,
and The Cowboy Artists Of America Show at the Phoenix Art
Museum.
Snidow is the creator of the
famous "COORS COWBOY COLLECTORS SERIES." His work has received
international critical acclaim with shows in France, China,
Taiwan, Russia, England, Germany and Canada. He has been the
subject of three books and a British documentary film.
A one-man retrospective show of
Snidow's work was organized by The Hubbard Museum of The
American West, in Ruidoso, New Mexico and featured more than 120
art works by Snidow covering over 6 decades of his life. The
Exhibit "My Story" opened May 2002 at the Hubbard, then moved to
National Museum of Western Art, in Kerrville, Texas, and ended
May 2003 at the Smithsonian Museum, Arts and Industries Building
in Washington DC. There were approximately 230,000 visitors at
the Smithsonian to view Snidow's work.
http://www.gordonsnidow.com/bio.htm |
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The original REINSMEN, formed
in 1962, consisted of Dick Goodman, Jerry Compton and Don
Richardson. They performed throughout southern California and in
1967 were joined I by artist and musician Robert Wagoner. Bob
got them a job at the annual Death Valley Encampment in 1969 and
where they still appear each November. Doc Denning joined the
group in 1978 and added his remarkable vocals, narrative
ability, songwriting and fiddle playing. Harvey Walker, who had
occasionally joined the group in appearances over the years as
singer and fiddle player became a regular member in the mid-90s
along with Johnny Blankenship. Their addition brought a new
dimension to the Reinsmen sound.
The Reinsmen's long and
illustrious career has taken them into the realm of movies and
television and onto performance stages with some of music's
greats-Roy Rogers and Dale Evans, Rex Allen, Ken Curtis, Jimmy
Wakely, Merle Travis, Tex Williams, Cliffie Stone, Eddie Dean
and Marty Robbins and many others. They toured with Rex Allen
for many years The Reinsmen and recorded an album with Rex Jr. A
trip to Austria won them a whole new audience. Their dedication
to the preservation and recording of western songs, attention to
classic arrangements, perfection of their vocals, and
outstanding musicianship have made them living legends in the
field of Western Music.
Dick Goodman was a founding
member of the WMA and served on the Board of Directors. Over the
past ten years, the Reinsinen have been a highlight at a number
of WMA Festivals. No matter where they have played, they have
left each listener with an appreciation the beauty, majesty, and
humor that is associated with the west of the reel and the real
cowboy.
by Michelle
Sundin
http://www.westernmusic.org/HallOfFamefiles/Reinsmen.html
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