ABOUT THE ARTIST
It’s fitting that Ross Cooper would be the first to record a full-length live album in The Boot Shop at Hotel Turkey–by all means, he was their first Boot Shop Sessions guest. A tried-and-true West Texas native, Cooper’s songs resonate with the ethos of the Cowboy Spirit—old and new.
“I only ever wanted to be a cowboy and play music,” says Cooper. Well, if the boot fits. Committed to preserving those sentiments, Cooper’s Panhandle vernacular and rugged, intimate storytelling are deeply rooted in familial ties. He owes much to his parents, rodeo royalty in their own right, who instilled in him a delicate balance of grace and grit that’s reflected not just in his storytelling songs, but in his very character.
His heroes have always been cowboys.
June 20th was the Summer Solstice—the longest day of the year. Truth be told, we all wish it could have lasted just a little while longer. Still, that extra bit of sunlight seemed to stretch time and space, allowing memories to settle into each note played and song sung. A gentle, calming breeze swayed outside as Cooper, flanked by confidants Mike Dunton and Cheyenne Medders, delivered stirring renditions of favorites such as “Everybody Wants To Be A Cowboy,” “I Rode the Wild Horses,” and “Love Like The Old Days,” all in front of an audience of friends and family—those muses who inspired Cooper to write these cowboy and love songs in the first place.
Distractions be damned. Nary a cough, sigh, or sneeze broke the silence as Cooper and company played, their shadows cast on the peeling tan walls behind them, while their boots softly tapped on the weathered concrete floor of The Boot Shop. Undoubtedly stifling, especially for Cooper under the lights and amid the summer swelter, a welcoming intermission eased the evening's nerves as everyone made their way to the hotel’s cantina for a round of beer and whiskey pours.
As golden hour lingered on, the low buzz of the glowing Boot Shop's neon sign ushered everyone back inside. While Cooper’s tone often harkens back to a way of life thought to be escaping the world, in pockets like Turkey, Texas, that life endures, strong and mighty as ever. Still, while Cooper doesn’t solely focus on the past and nostalgia’s rosy gleam, the amber beams and blush of a West Texas sunset beautifully illuminate those memories in a resounding fashion.
-Thomas Mooney