Ed Peekeekoot, Frank Gleeson and Ed Wahl will be among the entertainers at the annual Cowboy Christmas Concert.
The concert is set for Saturday, Nov. 16 at the Gibraltar Room followed by the Cowboy Trade and Craft Fair and open mic during the day.
The events are hosted by the Museum of the Cariboo Chilcotin.
Tickets for the concert are available at the museum and during the afternoon at the craft fair.
Frank Gleeson
Williams Lake rancher, Frank Gleeson, is known as the fastest, funniest, cowboy poet in the west.
His original poems are delivered in an easy going, humorous style to audiences across Canada and the U.S.
Numerous dignitaries have been entertained by Gleeson including the premier and lieutenant governors of B.C., mayors and council members.
In 2003 Gleeson was declared the “official poet of Williams Lake.”
In March 2010, he was inducted into the BC Cowboy Hall of Fame in the artistic category.
Although he was unable to attend, Gleeson was honoured by an invitation to perform his poetry at a Farm Aid Concert in Atlanta, Georgia.
Gleeson has been nominated several times by the Academy of Western Artists to receive the Will Rogers Award for male cowboy poet of the year.
In 2003, he placed in the top five.
Gleeson has written five books of poetry and recorded four CDs of his poems and songs.
His songs and poems have been played on radio and television throughout Canada, United States and Europe.
He has been a feature entertainer many times at the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering in Elko, Nevada and the Kamloops Cowboy Festival.
Ed Peekeekoot
Ed Peekeekoot is a seasoned, skilled performer, using guitar, native flute, fiddle, drum and voice in his widely varied performances.
Peekeekoot has recorded four CDs: In the Key of Cree, Front Porch, Dance Tonight and A Prairie Christmas.
His haunting native flute, lightning finger-style guitar picking, toe tapping fiddle tunes, songs and stories delight audiences of all ages.
His style is pleasing and filled with Cree humour and philosophy.
Peekeekoot spent his early years at Ahtahkakoop Cree Nation in Saskatchewan surrounded by a musical family.
Since he was in his teens, Ed has made his home in BC’s interior and coast.
For over three decades he has entertained audiences in clubs, concerts, festivals, schools and other gatherings. He has performed at the Kamloops and 100 Mile House cowboy festivals.
He writes many of his own songs and also sings lots of the old favourites.
He has twice been nominated for the BC Country Music Association’s Instrumentalist of the Year and his CD, In the Key of Cree, was nominated as Best Country CD in the Aboriginal Peoples Choice Music Awards.
Ed Wahl
Ed Wahl grew up in a very musical family in Prince Rupert and has two CDs to his credit, Off The Wahl (2009) and Keeping the West Alive (2013), a collection of fine cowboy tunes.
Wahl and his five-piece country band called Off The Wahl, play at legions, seniors’ centres and private parties. They have performed at numerous cowboy festivals including Kamloops, 100 Mile House, Barkerville.
Wahl has been playing guitar and singing most of his life and has a vibrant voice and stage presence performing classic country, bluegrass, traditional local music and cowboy music.
Over the years, he has competed in various karaoke contests, taking first place several times. In the BC Talent Search 2006, he was a semi-finalist and was a Vancouver finalist in the CMT Karaoke Star Show which aired across Canada in 2008.