R ① 0 を① NEWS 11 BIG - ISSUES•— YEA イ ) 物し第 •SPECIAL E 団刊 ONS FINALS RODEOISSUE 「、 CHAMP!ONSHIP ISSU 了 「 WOME IN 下 ODEO は、 、 , , TOOLS OF E R Å DE 。 S リ E , 。。” S>ECIAL 立 0 ル・ SUBSCRIBE 0 ル 4 れ d SA $5 ! RODEO NEWS is edited fO 「「 odeo fans, cowboy and cowgirl contestants, contract act performers, sponsors, StOCk contractors, producers, and managers•covering the industry as a sport, entertainment, and business at 引Ⅱ e s Of competition from Little Britches 0 professional. Feature articles deal with 「 odeo , 「 odeo personalities, bucking stock, Western fashions,livestock, and equipment. Regular monthly departments include 「 odeo management ideas, reviews Of Western/rodeo oriented books and 「 e00 「 ds , tips fO 「 the rookie contestant, upcoming rodeos sanctioned by the lnternational Rodeo Association, 「 odeo results, and current world championship point standings. Read About Professional Rodeo . ENCLOSED $ に FO R ー Y R S U BSC R ー PT IO N City Address Name P “ P 襯 . ・ ENCLOSED $ 33 FOR 3 YR SUBSCRIPTION ー ReguIar ! Zip Rodeo News / P. 0. 80X 587 / Pauls Va 〃 ey, OK 73075 / ( 405 ) 238-3310 COUNTRY RHYTHMS 63

闡 00 N 0 0 The Cowboy 跏 ort n this era Of big-time, multi-million dollar professional sports, modern athletes seem tO be 1 ore concerned with large contracts than with loyal- ty. lt appears that the great traditions 0f our national sports are bemg lOSt in the face offree-agency, salary arbitration and corporate ownership. Yet, there IS one sport that remams much today as it was a hundred years ago: the rodeo. C ertainly , the rodeo of the 1980 ' s is a highly organized, million- dollar industry itself, yet it continues to carry on one Of the great American tradi- tions, that ofthe cowboy. lndeed, today's rodeo athletes are Of the same breed as the men WhO once rode the frontiers Of the These, are the six 一 or events in the rodeo. Like any athletes, professional cowboys have their specialities. Unlike most athletes , however, rodeo cowboys SaddIe Bronc Riding This is rodeo ' s olde st event , and possibly its most basic. Simply put, a con- testant must attempt tO ride a bucking horse for a full eight seconds, with only one hand allowed to hold the rein. Points are then awarded for the bucking of the mount, and the style, finesse, and ℃ ontrol the cowboy exhibits during the ride. 56 COUNTRY RHYTHMS by John Goff Amerlcan West. Descending from the early American cattle industry, modern rodeo is a well- organized circuit Ofover 600 tournaments stretched across the North Amerlcan con- tinent. Vying for more than eight million dollars in prizes, ten thousand rodeo athletes from the U. S. and Canada com- pete annually in Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) shows. B ased entrant ' S ShOWin gs the se rodeos throughout the year, the 'PRCA annually awards world championships in each event, along with an all-around world champion. NeedIess to say, being a PRCA world champion is the highest go any rodeo athlete can attam. The Events SO have their favorite animals tO face. Certainly unique to the sport of rodeo is the fact that the rodeo animals are as well- known as the cowboys themselves , and as Bareback Riding Bareback riding is similar to saddle bronc riding, but with one big difference: there are no stirrups and no bronc rems for the rider to hold on to. Therefore, bareback riding appears much wilder than saddle riding. Again, the judging is based on style, spurring action (called 。 'licking' ' ) and control. Today's professional cowboy not only competes in front Of thousands Of spec- tators in the arena, but is Often seen by millions 1 第 ore on television. Because Of the accessibility Of rodeo, due to its visibility on television, and its grass-roots appeal in rura.l Amenca, rodeo now an- nu 記 ly attracts more than ten million spec- tators. Despite the advances made over the years ln prrze moneys, organizatlon Of tournaments, and equlpment used, the rodeo athlete is still a cowboy , and the legendary confrontation remalns the same: 170 pounds of man versus 1800 pounds 0f animal. valuable. A good animal tends to bring out the best in a cowboy, and therefore is worth a considerable amount of interest and money. BuII Riding Bull riding is king in today's rodeo. The event pits the cowboy against a huge bull, which will buck and spin in an ⅲ - credible display of power and agility. After the rider is thrown to the ground, the bull will usually attempt to trample or gore him, making the escape an lmpor- tant part of the event. Judging in bull riding IS similar tO Other riding events, with emphasis on the ability to survive.

Don Gay is truly the David of profes- sional rodeo. lmagme 1800 pound Brahmas bull, bucking and twisting violently , in an effort to trample anything in its path. On top ofit , is five feet seven inch, 145-pound Don Gay, somehow managmg t0 ride the raging animal longer and better than anyone else. And Don, although only twenty-seven years old, has ridden well enough to win the world bull riding championship six times. As Larry Mahan said of Don, "He's the toughest bull rider tO ever pull on a pair Of bOOts. C ruelty to Animals ? ln the past few years, there has been a growmg e 0 by splintero humane organizations to abolish professional rodeo. Led by the Humane Society of the United States (H SUS) , these groups claim that rodeo iS not family entertain- れれ t , but rather, out- and-out cruelty tO animals. Chief among H SUS indictments of the PRCA is the use ofthe 明 k strap on bucking animals. The leather device is drawn around the flank ofthe animal in the chute and is released when the ride is finished, The HSUS claims that the strap is tightly cinched around sensitive areas of the flank and underbelly, thus causing the animal to buck wildly ⅲ reaction tO the pain. However, GeraId DaImage ofthe SPCA replied to 58 COUNTRY RHYTHMS the claim, "They (HSVS) should take a lesson ⅲー anatomy. ” Apparently, the flank strap fitsjust ahead ofthe animal's hip bones, and in れ 0 way comes in con- tact with any sensitive or vital areas Of the animal. Another attack levied upon the P RCA is the supposed high-incidence of 1 u and abuse t0 rodeo animals. But in reality, inJury t0 rodeo animals occurs to less than one percent of the stock, which, when compared to inJunes to farm animals, is quite small. ln fact, the actual numbers ofi 可 ured rodeo animals far belies the dangerous nature of the SPO れ . This €'surpnsing' co 記 of rodeo' s treatment Ofits animals, however, iS れ Ot difficult to understand First and foremost, iS the supervision Of the PRCA by the venerable American Humane Association (AHA). The AHA, ⅲ conJunction with two major rodeo organizations, wrote and now en- force s humane rules of handling for rodeo animals. ln addition to this, other animal humane officers are welcome, and often present, at any PRCA rodeo. Probably the most logical explanation ofthe small numbers ofinjuries to rodeo animals lies with the animals themselves. They are, due to the unique nature Of the sport, stars in their own rights. Obviously, without the stock there is no rodeo. And, with the emergence ofrodeo as a big-time spofi, the animals are becoming« quite valuable. Any so れ of abuse that could .hinder their performance in the arena, and thus lower their monetary value 0 れ the rodeo circuit, iS simply not tolerated. lt seems, then, that the recent e 0 れ s to abolish rodeo due to its so-called C'cruelty tO animals, ' ' are based more 0 Ⅱ the myth ofrodeo and not the reality. As Dr. William Brock, Dean of the Oklahoma State University Veterinary C011ege, aptly stated, "rodeos are harder on the men than on. the animals. '

Lanky Roy Cooper, calf roper par ex- cellence, shattered his wrist in mid 1979. For most, this injury would have ended any hopes for being a top rodeo athlete, but not for Roy Cooper. Six months after the inJury, he won the calfroping average at the NationaI FinaIs, and the next year was the WorId Champion calf roper. But adversity has never stopped the redhead from Durant, Oklahoma. He has been named rookie of the year, world cham- pion, and PRCA season champion in his short career, the while being afllicted with asthma. ln fact, in 1978 , he was chosen by the national foundation as spokesman, which is possibly the greatest honor ever for this arnazmg rodeo athlete. Lasso King 飛 oy Cooper ropes a calf. season record for winmngs ln one event: Bruce Ford holds the all-time, single- den as well as Bruce. ln tesümony ofthis cowboys, past or present, have ever rid- you can rest assured that very few 。 'WiId Horse' ' mounts a bareback horse, cowboy of the late 1800 ' s. But when Bruce looks every bit the part ofa rugged the western range. Tall, quiet, and blond, throwback to the days when cowboys rode riding, Bruce "Wild Horse ” Ford is a Twice WorId Champion in bareback Bareback Bronc Champ Bruce Ford busting 100SC ・ Clint Johnson, the Saddle Bronc Champ ・ Young Clint J0hnson, age twenty- four, has quite a future. ln a short rodeo career, Clint has so far won $ 80 000 in earmngs, and a world championship in saddle bronc riding tO bOOt. Known as a strong, quiet cowboy, he is a product 0f the modern rodeo generation, competmg almost solely in saddle bronc riding. But when your spurring lick is as good as Clint's, why do anything else? COUNTRY RHYTHMS 59

ⅵ山 shirts as authenfic as e Qld ROY Coop Connie Combs, Oran Bradley—rodeo champions I. They're a hard act to follow and they're tough t0 please. But when it comes to shirts—they 1 choose authentic westem shirts from Wrangler Western Wear. 0 ー Blue ー . ー第 Rodeo Champions. They're some tough customers.

Tom Ferguson, thirty year old native of Tahlequah, OkIahoma, is today's suc- cessor tO pro rodeo's 1 OSt famous cowboy, Larry Mahan. Tom now holds the record for most WorId All-Around Championships (six), which the legen- dary Mahan once held, and he is still go- ing strong. His list Of accomplishments is endless, and so is the respect he has earned along the way. Pro rodeo ' s first $ 100 , 000- a - year cowboy is one of the fan's favorites. Andjust as Arnold Palmer became golfs first rnillion dollarwlnner ln career earnmgs, Tom Ferguson might very well be professional rodeo's first pnze-money Ⅱ 1 illionalre. All-Around Champ Tom Ferguson grabbing the bull by the horns. Calf Roping This event involves a skill truly unique to the wild west: ropmg. A twenty-five fOOt lariat IS used in an attempt tO snare a 350 pound calf, while the cowboy is on horseback. Once the calf is noosed, the rider dismounts, throws the animal down, and ties any three legs ofthe calftogether. This event is j u dged solely on speed and is usually won or lOSt due tO the coordination between a rider and hiS horse. Steer Roping Steer ropmg is quite similar tO calf roping, but obviously, with much more poundage involved. The sconng is again based on time. Although an onginal rodeo event, steer ropmg IS not as popular as lt once was. Steer WrestIing Steer 、 Mrestling iS an unusual rodeo event, in that it was never a part Of ranch work. lt involves the contestant, his horse, and another mounted cowboy, know as the 。 'hazer. ' ' lt's the hazer's job to keep the steer runnlng straight, while the con- testant dismounts, grabs the steer by the neck, and actually wrestles it tO the ground. Scoring is based solely on speed. COUNTRYRHYTHMS 57

Brand New A f ll ・℃ 0 ー 0 ー magazine that covers all the action in the exciting field Of ℃ 0 取 try music, including exclusive interviews with ・℃ h stars as Kenny Rogers, Barbara Mandrell, Tammy Wynette, Eddie Rabbitt, and an inside ー 00k at the way they live. Each issue features the latest news on personalities, records, mOV1es, concerts, rodeo 、を radio, TV, fashions ー p ー咫・ historical, informative and controversial stories by the most respected writers 0 country music, with pictures by the finest photographers ・ This the total magazine Of ℃ 0 try music— anything like it. there has never been をド讐 0 0 00d をん $ ル 0 p, み 0 0 響 第 DAÄs S を 0 ⅵ 0 , ん一 Subscribe NOW and SAVE! On ツ $ 9.98 for one year! ー SEND TO: O'Quinn Studios COUNTRY RHYTHMS 475 Park Avenue South New York, NY 10016 ☆飛 YT, $ ☆ EncIosed: $ 9.98 fO 「 one year ( 6 issues) $ 12.25 (Foreign surface) TotaI: $ PleaseaIIow sixtoeightweeks processingtime before your firstissue is mailed. Make check or money 0 「 de 「 payable tO Country Rhythms,Inc. ADDRESS NAME 0 TY STAT E 乙 P CRI

VOLUME ONE Business and Editorial Offices: COUNTRY RHYTHMS Magazine 475 Park Avenue South New York, N. Y. 10016 ( 212 ) 689-2830 Publishers NORMAN JACOBS KERRY O'QUINN As sociate Publisher RITA EISENSTEIN Exec. Circulation Director RICHARD BROWNE Editor DANNY FIELDS Art Director CHEH NAM LOW Managing Editor STUART MATRANGA Music Editor LENNY KAYE Movie Editor DONALD LYONS Records Editor GARY KENTON Nashville Editor JOHN LOMAX III } { iS torlan ROBERT K. OERMANN Los Angeles Correspondent JOYCE ESTRIN Rodeo Editor JOHN GOFF Associate Art Director BOB SEFCIK Art Staff LAURA O'BRIEN AMY BERGENFELD Advertising Director CHRIS LASSEN ON THE COVER: Willie Nelson photo- graphed by Michael Abramson. COUNTRY RHYTHMS is published by COUNTRY RHYTHMS INC, 475 Park Avenue South, New York, N. Y. 10016. This is VOLUME ONE. Content is ◎ Copyright 1981 by COUNTRY RHYTHMS INC. AII rights reserved. Reprint or reproduction in part or ln WhOle without written permission is strictly forbidden. COUNTRY RHYTH MS accepts no re- sponsibility for unsolicited manuscripts , photos , art , or Other materials , but if freelance submittals are accompanied by a self- addressed , stamped envelope , they will be seriously considered if returned. Products are not necessari- endorsed by COUNTRY RHYTHMS, and any view express- ed in editorial copy are not necessarily those of COUNTRY RHYTHMS. Subscripton rates: $ 9.98 for one year ( 6 issues) delivered in the U. S. and Canada. Foreign subscriptions: $ 12.25 in U. S. funds 0 ⅲ y. New subscriptions send directly to COUN- TRY RHYTHMS, 475 Park Avenue South, New York, N. Y. ー 0016. Notification of change of address or renewals : send to COUNTRY RHYTHMS Subscription l)ept. P. 0. Box 4 , Mt. Morris,IL. 61054. Printed in the U. S. A. 4 COUNTRY RHYTHMS 題 YT ーー漑 $ 0 ☆ Prom 血師 t ☆ WeIcome to the premiere issue of COUNTRY RHYTHMS, the magazine aimed at covering the 例尾 world Of the true music Of Amer1ca, and the men and women who make it. The last few ye ars have seen an extraordinary growth in the popularity of country muSlC—on radiO and tV, in the and the recording in- dustry, in clubs and concert halls from North to South and East to West. What was once considered a musical style indigenous to one reglon of the United States is now a nationwide phenomenon—you only have to be Amencan tO love country and it that most dO. With its emphasis on melody, emotion, humor, reality, heartbreak and love, it is no wonder that country music has won the affection ofthe people of this land, and it is those basic values to which COUNTRY RHYTHMS is dedicated. ln each issue of COUNTRY RHYTHMS, we will try to bring you, our readers, what you want tO know and see about the marvelously talented people who write, sing and play this music—the stories of their careers, their private lives, what they think, what they do, and 田り they are 田ん they are. ln addition, we want to present and analyze the broader aspects Of the entertamment industries in which these performers function, and the lifestyles which they influence and affect. Just as country music belongs to the people of America, COUNTRY RHYTHMS belongs to you. We would like to know what you want to read about, know about, see pictures of—and we promise to continue to have the finest wrlters and photographers gather and present this information. Ⅵ are eager for your criticism, your praise (naturally), and your curiosity. So please write down your thoughts and send them to us, c/o The Editors, COUNTRY RHYTHMS, 475 Park Avenue South, New York, N. Y. 10016. We will be paying close attention to what you think and want to know— meanwhile, enJOY this first issue, of which we are very proud, and join us again when COUNTRY RHYTHMS # 2 arrives on your newsstand in October. Yours in the spirit of the muSIC we love , The Editors っ 0 》、 ~ 0 0 0 0 0 ナ 部 0