All Star Cowboy Poetry and Music Show

Jon Chandler received the International Western Music Association’s Award of Excellence as 2023’s Male Performer of the Year. He is a three-time winner of the prestigious Spur Award from the Western Writers of America. Linwood, his moody examination of Doc Holliday’s life won the Spur for Best Song, as did his tribute to Wyoming’s Hole in the Wall country, Morning Star Moon. His novel The Spanish Peaks received the WWA’s Medicine Pipe Bearer Award. Wyoming Wind, A Novel of Tom Horn, was a finalist for the Colorado Book Award. Jon was named True West Magazine’s Best Western Musician, and received the Branding Iron Award by the Friends of the William S. Hart Museum in Newhall, California.

A seventh-generation Coloradan, Jon’s music and stories reflect his heritage, and his 11 CDs, two novels, three non-fiction works and myriad short stories and non-fiction articles are collected by western lifestyle aficionados worldwide. 10-9-21, Jon Chandler Live! is his latest recording, released in 2022, while Homage, a highly praised collection of cover songs that have influenced his writing and singing was released in 2021. He is at work on two new recordings, Ghost Smoke and I’m Still Here. Chandler has travelled throughout the country performing at concert venues, honky-tonks, nightclubs, cowboy poetry gatherings and music festivals, and has appeared everywhere from the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville to the Congressional Earth Day Reception in Washington D.C.

Jon will be part of our Saturday night headline duo with Ernie Martinez!

More about Jon Chandler

Ernie Martinez, a native of Denver, Colorado has been a part of the Colorado music scene for over 50 years. He is the current recipient of the 2023 International Western Music Association Curly Musgrave Award and the 2018 IWMA Instrumentalist of the year.

His outstanding and versatile pickin’ has been used on over 300 albums as well as stage performances with Jon Chandler; Carlos Washington’s Steel Horse Swing; Patty Clayton; Dustin Devine and the Real Deal; Americana band Dakota Blonde; and many more. Ernie is known for stepping in whenever needed. For 14 years, Ernie was part of the house band for Jon Chandler’s monthly show America Soul Live. As a teacher at Swallow Hill Music School in Denver for over 40 years he has taught guitar, mandolin, dobro, banjo, steel guitar, vocals, and vocal harmonies.

Ernie has recorded three solo albums: Bluerange combines his love of western and bluegrass music, his first album, Where I Make My Home, and a Christmas instrumental Sleigh Ridin’. He co-produced San Miguel, songs written and performed by Junction 5-12, duo Ernie Martinez and Mary Gifford. Some of Ernie’s songs have been co-written with Baxter Black, Sandy Reay, Les Buffham, and Mary Gifford. His songs have been recorded by Bill Barwick and Yampa Valley Boys. He was inducted into the Colorado Bluegrass Music Hall of Honor in 2011.

Ernie will be part of our Saturday night headline duo with Jon Chandler!

Caitlyn Taussig is a fourth-generation rancher from Kremmling, Colorado. She runs cow-calf pairs with her mother on their high-country cattle ranch. Caitlyn’s interests include travel, cattle care, learning to be a better roper, and studying up on bridle horses in the Californio tradition.

Caitlyn has been singing since childhood and has performed at ranch brandings, cowboy gatherings, private events, guest ranches, bars and ranch ropings. She draws inspiration for her songwriting from Colorado's rugged and beautiful landscapes, her experiences summering cattle at 9,000 feet, cowboying in rough high country and dark timber, working on the family ranch and feeding cattle in the harsh winter months, and listening to her late father’s wild stories.  An article about the Taussig family appeared in the February 2016 issue of Western Horseman, and in January 2019 Caitlyn and her mother Vicki were featured in the front-page NY Times Sunday business section story "Female Ranchers are Reclaiming the American West".

Caitlyn's debut album, The Things We Gave Up, was released in January 2015.

More about Caitlynn Taussig

Jeff Carson was born and raised in Utah and now lives in the beautiful Wasatch Mountains.  His passion in life is spending time on pack trips in the high country and breaking green mule colts.  His life experiences have been the inspiration for most of the poetry he writes. Jeff’s collection of poetry will give you a good laugh, or paint you a picture of how things were when the true cowboys roamed the prairie.  Jeff also likes to include a moral, or life lesson in his poetry to get people thinking.