A Wilder West: Rodeo in Western Canada

Performers (in the first half century of rodeo) came to rodeo primarily from the ranches of the region and included not only cowboys of British heritage but also Hispanic gauchos and vaqueros from Argentina and Mexico as well as African Americans, who made up a quarter of the cowboys on the western plains after the American Civil War (and, incidentally, composed many of its best known songs, such as the old standard "Riding Old Paint," the last song to be played at dances in rodeo country when I was growing up). The best rodeo announcers, some rodeo cowboys, and a few of those sitting around the bucking chute make rappers sound tongue-tied, combining the nonchalant intensity of a poet with the quick wit of a comedian, all the while ready for a sudden turn into serious trouble, for rodeo is a dangerous workplace and playground.