1. Hooves of the Horses
2. I Gram My Saddle Horn and Blow
3. Everyday
4. Equus Caballus
5. Leather Lover
6. Out Here
7. Luther Played the Boogie
8. A Good One
9. Manolito
10. The Sky Above, The Mud Below
11. Mmm...Montana
12. Saddle Broncs and Sagebrush
13. Happy Rovin' Cowboy
14. Marie
15. 76 With a Miss
16. Rockabye Lullaby
Amazon.com
Singing rancher Wylie Gustafson is a man to be envied. After all, he's forged a modest but multifaceted career by pulling together the great loves of his life--horsemanship, ranching, and singing. The east Washington rancher has revived plenty of cowboy classics in the past; this time out, he turns his attention to the cowpoke's favored mode of transportation. The title track, "Saddle Broncs and Sagebrush," and slightly too grandiose "Equus Caballus" are poems set to music by Gustafson that salute the enduring nobility of horses. The Montana-born singer-guitarist contributes his own lyrics to the similarly themed "A Good One" and "Manolito." While Hooves of the Horses is dominated by odes to noble steeds, Wylie also rounds up stray but ultimately sympathetic covers from Buddy Holly ("Everyday"), Johnny Cash ("Luther Played the Boogie"), and Tom Russell ("The Sky Above, The Mud Below"), and he works swing and mariachi touches into the lean but tasty arrangements. There's not much new going on here, but sometimes singers, like horses, should be rewarded for their dependability. --Steven Stolder
Product Description
My life is good. I have a great family, a beautiful wife, the grace of God, and good horses. Horses seem to be the reoccurring theme in my life and on this recording. I first became attached to horses as a youngster. My dad's #1 rope horse was a swaybacked Quarter Horse mare we called Becky. She had a talent for giving my dad a good shot every time. She also had a knack for babysitting, which made her a much loved partner around the Gustafson ranch. My favorite pastime was to hop on Becky's back for off-roading adventures around our rural home. I enjoy writing about what inspires me. More and more it has been my friend equus caballus: the horse. When it comes time to chisel my tombstone, I hope the term horseman will be included to describe what I accomplished in this world. And more importantly, I hope it will be said that I was fair and kind to God's greatest beast.' - Wylie Gustafson
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Hooves of the Horses
- Audio CD: 0 pages (2004-06-15)
- Publisher: Western Jubilee Recording Company
- Label: Western Jubilee Recording Company
- Studio: Western Jubilee Recording Company
- Average Customer Review:
 based on 1 reviews
- Sales Rank in Music: #127779
Avg. Customer Review:
12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
Customer Rating:
Summary: Superb combo of country western folk blues and swing 2004-07-05
Comment: Wylie Gustafson's return to rural living in the mid-90s continues to pay dividends in his music. Bred in Montana, Gustafson's act was born of the California scene and tempered by a stretch in Nashville. But years of Eastern Washington ranching and horsemanship has taken his Western-themed music to a more sacred level. He takes a page from the book of Marty Robbins, not only with sweet Western ballads like "Hooves of the Horses" and Mexicali-flavored tunes like "Manolito," but with variety that includes the slinky blue "Leather Lover" and a jazz tinged cover of Bob Nolan's "I Grab My Saddle Horn and Blow."Covers of Buddy Holly ("Everyday"), Johnny Cash ("Luther Played the Boogie"), and Tom Russell ("The Sky Above, The Mud Below") complement fine originals like the slyly sweet "Mmm... Montana" and the instrumental walking blues, "76." Gustafson crafts songs from cowboy poetry and pulls out his considerable yodeling skill for a cinematic cover of Bob Nolan's "Happy Rovin' Cowboy." The song selections move from country to western to folk to blues to swing with a fluidity that puts this release among the group's best.
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Hooves of the Horses
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