R. W. Hampton – Western Singer

R.W. Hampton lives up the road from me in Cimarron, New Mexico, and has become one of the most popular western singers around. He grew up in this area, ranching and wrangling and finding time to sing. Today he and wife Lisa live at their Clearview Ranch at the foot of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains where they’ve raised their five boys. Really good people.

He has a great voice and if you ever get the chance to hear him in person it’s definitely worth it! And if you can’t do that buy his CDs.

From his website:
“Like a lot of young cowboys, R.W. got the urge to see new ranges after a few years. From the Spade Ranch he went to the IL Ranch of northern Nevada and then back to New Mexico and Texas to the 4T and K Cross Ranches, the Quien Sabe and the LS Ranches, where he started colts along with taking his place among the cowboy crew. Although he relished life on the Canadian River ranches, he still had the urge to drift which sent him to the ZX Ranch of the Oregon desert and then to the Pickerel Land and Cattle Company of Wyoming.

“All the while R.W. played guitar and sang cowboy and western songs, an interest he had pursued since high school. On the ranches where he worked he wrote songs based on his experiences. Most of the time he played and sang to entertain in bunkhouses and at roundup wagons; but periodically he was invited to sing in public. As time drew on, R.W. received more invitations, many of which paid considerably more than cowboy wages. As a result, R.W. came to a point where he had to make a decision. The demands of performing while holding a ranch job were much too difficult. In 1988 he decided to see if he could make a living playing music. The decision was monumental because he went from a ranch job, earning $800 a month with a house and beef, to an uncertain attempt to make a living in a new career. Invitations came sporadically at first, but eventually grew to include performances at rodeos, cowboy poetry gatherings, performing arts centers, churches, corporate events, and private functions.

“In 1985 R.W. added to his resume when he worked in Kenny Rogers’ movie Wild Horses. The role was a treat for him as it gave him opportunity to sing and play his guitar in the film and to work with Ben Johnson, Richard Farnsworth, and Buck Taylor. He has appeared in ten movies since, including The Tracker with Kris Kristofferson and two other Kenny Rogers films, The Gambler III and a documentary of the American cowboy.

“Along the way R.W. has performed all over the United States including The Grand Ole Opry in Nashville and The Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. He has also appeared at cowboy events in Australia and Brazil…………

“R.W. has eleven albums to his credit over the past 20 years, including his latest, R.W. Hampton Presents: Oklahoma… Where The West Remains (released in November, 2007). Recorded with the Enid Symphony Orchestra (Enid, Oklahoma) to commemorate the centennial of Oklahoma’s statehood, Where The West Remains was named Outstanding Traditional Western Album of the Year by the National Cowboy Museum and Western Heritage Center in April, 2008 (R.W.’s second prestigious Wrangler Award), and Traditional Album of the Year by the Western Music Association in November, 2008 (R.W.’s third WMA honor).”

You can go to his website HERE and listen to his music plus learn more about him.

And a short video can be found HERE