Wayne Erbsen has made it his lifelong passion to collect, preserve and perform historic American music. An active teacher, musician, writer, and publisher, he is President of Native Ground Music, Inc. He lives with his wife Barbara and their three children near asheville, North Carolina.

Oozing with old-time cowboy wisdom and advice, this handy book combines thirty classic cowboy songs of the Wild West along with historic photographs and drawings, twenty-five cowboy insults and many one-liners. Fans of the Old West are treated to such vital information as cowboy poetry, camp cook rules, a recipe for cowboy coffee and thirty-three uses for a neck scarf.
Buy it for about $6.00

There’s nothing more American than a good cowboy story. Collected in these pages are eighteen of the finest fictional works and true narratives about life on the range, all having stood the test of time. Covering all corners of the great Western expanse, these stories feature cowpokes of every ilk - anglo males, Mexicans, women - and colorful characters such as the Cisco Kid, a surprisingly cold-hearted killer created by O. Henry. Some of the stories praise the legendary cowpuncher, while others poke fun. Some are lively tales of adventure and romance, while others offer rare glimpses into the real-life world of the cattleman.
reviewed:"Insight for everyone into the cowboy way of life...  I have never roped a steer or fixed a fence, but I liked reading about how a guy learns to do both and much more. Myths about the American cowboy are put to rest and the truth is exposed. Thank you for writing this book! I feel like I've been on the range with you all year. Good book!"
List price $9.95; Buy it for about $4.00

reviewed:"This is how the old timers did it - and it still works...  For those out there who still refuse to put anything nylon on yer hoss - this is the book for you. In an age when "horse whisperers" dominate the public's view on training their mounts, it's good to still pay attention to the wisdom and insight passed on by men who rode for a living, day in and day out, on green mounts in rough country. Also includes sections on handling a herd, packing, campfire cooking, leather work, saddles, tack, early rodeo, and a few long-forgotten loops for those of you who think you know how to throw a rope! True buckaroos as well as greenhorns will love this book."
List price $24.95; Buy it for about $16.00

Baxter Black, a veterinarian turned writer/troubadour/raconteur and periodic commentator on National Public Radio, has produced a collection of his best anecdotes, songs, poems, and wisdom from the range. "My world is one in which people have lots of wrecks," he reports in Cactus Tracks. "Cow wrecks; horse wrecks; financial wrecks; flood, fire, and drought wrecks. Laughing at our 'wrecks' seems to make the tribulations of our lifestyle easier to handle." Here is the complete collection of his commentaries from NPR's Morning Edition.
List price $14.00; Buy it for under $12.00

reviewed:"A Will Rogers For Our Time... A few years ago I awoke to National Public Radio's Morning Edition and to the voice of some easy going, homespun cowboy reading a poem that had me in stitches by the third verse. As I read "Cactus Trails..." I could hear Black's easy voice utter each word. While his departure from veterinary medicine is a loss to that community, it is a clear gain for easy going, common sense, sanity seeking people caught in the cross hairs of our cell phone, pager, eEVERYTHING society. Thanks to Baxter Black's commentary and writings we have an excuse to slow down a bit each day and get in touch with the basics. Will Rogers would love this guy!"

372-page collection features 200 American cowboy songs with complete lyrics, lead lines and guitar chords, plus an extensive introduction, notes on the songs, illustrations by J.K. Ralston throughout, a lexicon of cowboy terms, a general index and an index of titles and first lines, and more.
Buy it for about $20.00