BOB BOVEE | Programs
Photo by Andrea Royce
Get Along Little Dogies
A special one-hour program on the Old West with guitar, banjo, harmonica, autoharp singing and yodeling. The cowboy has long been the great mythical character of American folklore, an image shaped mostly by popular fiction and the "silver screen." The real cowboy's job was difficult, dirty and dangerous.
In this show you'll hear his songs of work and tragedy as well as sampling his wit and frivolity. Songs about bad horses, outlaws, trail drives and love affairs will be spiced with old time tunes from ranch dances and stories of the mountains and plains. This is a program that brings the history and fun of the Old West to the entire family.
Long Steel Rails
There was no greater force in the development of the United States, and the West in particular, than the railroads. The trains brought immigrants and the products of civilization to the frontier. In turn, they transported to market the treasures produced by that land: minerals, lumber, livestock, grain and produce.
Songs, stories and lore about the "long steel rails" and the "iron horse" tell the true story of the trains, but they also reveal the mythology, the larger-than-life image that has thrilled us and filled us with dreams for a century and a half.
This program for all ages presents songs and stories about the famous trains, rail workers, hobos, train wrecks and train robbers. Casey Jones, The Wabash Cannonball & John Henry are as vital and expressive as any pieces of American folklore. Get on board!
Pioneer Days
Pioneer Days is a program of songs, stories and lore of the westward expansion of our country—the joys and hardships of the pioneers moving west in wagon trains, scratching out a living in The Little Old Sod Shanty, working as a miner, cowboy, railroader, and up to the boom and bust of the twentieth century and the disastrous Dustbowl days. Performed with a variety of instruments (guitar, banjo, harmonica, autoharp) and laced together by stories, both humorous and poignant, it's a survey of the epic development of the West at the grassroots level.
Roots of Country Music
Roots of Country Music explores the many threads that came together to create "Country Music." Drawing from American folksongs, blues and ragtime, the compositions of Tin Pan Alley, and the music of the many ethnic groups in the American melting pot, country music was first recorded commercially in the 1920s. "Old Time Country Music," the forerunner of bluegrass, flourished up until World War II, not only on phonograph records, but on the many barn dance radio shows, traveling tent and medicine shows, and even the vaudeville theaters. But, first and foremost, it was the music that people played at home for their own entertainment.
Bob Bovee presents this traditional music in its original style, raw and honest, with guitar, banjo, autoharp and harmonica accompaniment. Take a step back in time to hear southern mountain ballads, cowboy songs, dance music, humorous ditties and sentimental numbers and you'll see why this music is still alive and kicking.
Children's Music Program
Bob uses a variety of instruments to explore our American folk music heritage. Children will hear banjo, guitar, harmonica, jews harp and autoharp, on traditional songs such as The Old Chisholm Trail, Skip to My Lou, and Turkey in the Straw. And, there's always a lot of audience participation.
Comments about Bob and Gail's Children's Programs
"We have so enjoyed your performances and they give young children an introduction to a type of music that they otherwise might not have the opportunity to enjoy. We'll be looking forward to having you perform again this fall." Vicki Ernster, Children's Librarian, Rochester, MN Public Library
"Greetings from your friends in South Dakota! My kids greatly enjoyed your visit to our school. Thank you once again for making that week in October a special and memorable one." Greg Schmitz, Teacher, Sioux Falls, SD Public Schools