From BEEF Cow-Calf Weekly
“New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson signed legislation last week making the state the first to adopt an official cowboy song. The tune is “Under the New Mexico Sky” by Syd Masters and the Swing Riders.
New Mexico songwriters last year picked Masters’ tune from 26 others and he performed it on the state House floor in March. The state’s official cowboy song joins New Mexico’s other songs, including a Spanish-language state song, a state ballad and a state bilingual song. The state’s official song, “O Fair New Mexico,” was written by the daughter of famed sheriff Pat Garrett.
While New Mexico’s official cowboy song is the first, several other states already have official songs with a Western theme, including Kansas’ “Home on the Range” and Oklahoma’s “Oklahoma!” ”
The Santa Fe New Mexican says that Masters was inspired to write the song after a scenic moment on the Turquoise Trail between Santa Fe and Albuquerque. “I was having a photo taken and while waiting for the clouds to move, I leaned against an adobe wall…and there was a creek running by,” Masters said. “It turned out to be the right thing to describe.”
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(picture is New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson)