by jon bosworth jaxvillain@yahoo.com
WHAT: Riders In The Sky
WHERE: Florida Theatre
WHEN: Saturday, Jan. 12th, 7:30pm
What do you suppose would happen if you got together a man with a Ph.D. in theoretical plasma physics from MIT, a guy with a Masters degree in literature and a guy with a Masters degree in Wildlife Management? Would it be some sort of environmental initiatives think tank? Perhaps they would explore the notion of particle physics as it applies to life and history? You could spend all day theorizing and you would probably never conclude that they would put on colorful cowboy hats and start yodeling, but that’s exactly what Ranger Doug, Too Slim, and Woody Paul did.
Riders In The Sky is a group of highly educated cowboys that left their higher learning to pursue a life on the road. In the spirit of Gene Autry, Roy Rogers, and cowboys from back in the days when showbiz cowboys did more singing than killing, Riders In The Sky are a grammy-winning musical group as well as a comedy troupe. Between their authentic renderings of traditional cowboy and western songs, complete with harmonies, guitar, bass, an accordian and a fiddle (not to mention colorful cowboy duds), these fine fellars teach you how to yodel the cowboy way and why to always drink upstream from the herd.
In spite of their higher learning these cowboys aren’t dishing out comedy too smart for the average cowpoke, but their act is reminiscent of old time radio shows and the sort of entertainment you just can’t find anymore. Their act is musically skilled, pleasant to watch with tasteful humor that is sure to make you chuckle, and has some level of nostalgia that you don’t find on the trail much these days. You’ll even find yourself going home with a new catchphrase or two.
Ranger Doug (Douglas B. Green), Woody Paul (Paul Woodrow Chrisman), and Too Slim (Fred LaBour) are the original members of this posse, but they recently rustled up Joey Miskulin to join them on accordion. They bill themselves as Ranger Doug (“The Idol of American Youth”), Woody Paul (“King of the Cowboy Fiddlers”), Too Slim (“a Righteous Tater”/”The Man of a Thousand Hats”), and Joey (“the Cowpolka King”).
They will be bringing their fresh-off-the-trail schtick to the Florida Theatre this Saturday and, according to their website, they promise in a vow of “full solidarity” with the striking television writers to not write any new jokes or routines “until our latte lappin’ punchline partners out there in L.A. are free to fire up their laptops and earn a fair ancillary wage.”
Go to ridersinthesky.com to hear some of their tunes and learn more about this uplifting traveling variety show.
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