Okay, hands up, who has heard of the Riders in the Sky? In fairness, this LP Record entitled ‘Cowboy Jubilee’ came out in 1981, which may be before some of my readers time! But I bet you do know at least one song that they did, especially if you’re a Disney/Pixar fan.

Okay, hands up, who has heard of ‘Woody’s Round Up’ from Pixar’s Toy Story 2? Well, if you remember that song, than you know the Riders in the Sky!

Before we get to far into the LP that is the main feature of this post, perhaps you’d like to jog your memory a tad and hear the boys play Woody’s signature tune for ya:

Woody’s Roundup. Come on, it’s time to play,
there’s Jessie, the Yodeling Cowgirl.
Bullseye, he’s Woody’s horse. He’s a smart one!
Pete, the old prospector, (Has anyone seen my pick?) and the man himself, of course
It’s time for Sheriff Woody. He’s the very best.
He’s the root’-ness, toot’-ness cowboy in the wild, wild west.
Woody’s Roundup.

Riders in the Sky is a Western music and comedy group whose style appeals to children, hence why it is sometimes considered to be a children’s band. They have written and performed music for major motion pictures, however, and released more serious records like the one in this post.

The Riders first performed on November 11, 1977 at Herr Harry’s Frank N’ Steins in Nashville, TN. They released their first album, Three on the Trail, in 1979. Cowboy Jubilee was their second release. And they’ve only missed 12 years between 1979 and 2018! Now that’s prolific, Pardner!

This album is a nice mix between traditional western music and original compositions. Overall it’s fun entertainment!

The gentleman who wrote the liner notes summed up the band in this inexplicable way: “I guess I can best sum it all up in “Festus-eze” – It’s a purple-tinged pearl buttoned bangled-billy!!!” And I have no idea what that means.