The 15th Annual Saddle Up! happens February 18-22 in Pigeon Forge, a 5-day festival of entertainment celebrating the American cowboy’s life, music, food, dance, endless stories, and poetry.
image courtesy Skip Gorman
Saddle Up! is a celebration of the American cowboy – his life, his music, his food, his endless supply of stories, and even his poetry, for the cowboy’s life could be a contemplative one at times.
The numerous concerts, gatherings and events take place mostly at the LeConte Center, with a few off-site at selected other venues in the area.
This is not so much a honky-tonk country event, more a gathering of true cowboy entertainers, with great music from bands to ballads, and all with a deep sense of the American West.
The festival features many national acts, and offers concerts by some of the country’s most renowned western musicians and cowboy poets. There’s lots of history and legend to absorb and even a chance to worship at Cowboy Church.
There will be food straight off the chuck wagon, music, comedy, storytelling and poetry. There’s memorabilia, an open mic event, and opportunities to visit with the performers. And if you’ve ever wished you could two-step, here’s your chance to learn the basic of some famous cowboy dances.
The Saddle Up! performers for 2015 include:
- Baxter Black – nationally famous cowboy poet and wry humorist
- Wylie and the Wild West band – cowboy, swing, folk and some yodeling too
- Brenn Hill – captivating singer and songwriter acclaimed by the industry’s best
- Chuck Pyle – the hugely entertaining “Zen Cowboy” with a mix of can’t-forget melodies and insights
- Jean & Gary Prescott – award-nominated singer/songwriters with a Texas zest
- Andy Nelson – Farrier, poet, humorist. Between shoeing horses, he garners awards as a performer
- Skip Gorman – the old popular campfire songs, a blend of world music, with fiddle, mandolin and guitar
- T. Scot Wilburn and the Shut-up-n-Playboys – hillbilly swing to pick you up and not let you down
- Kent Rollins – meet the man who’s going to cook for you, award-winning chuck wagon cook and storyteller
For the full program schedule and tickets check the Saddle Up! website or call 800-251-9100.
