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Kip Calahan's involvement in the traditions of the West are as straightforward as it gets. Kip lives on the vast, historical Gray Ranch in the far southwest corner of New Mexico. Her husband, Richard is following in his father's footsteps as foreman of the outfit. They've made their home on one of the most pristine, unspoiled ranches in the West. Kip frequently cooks for the cowboys, rides and works cattle and joins in their conversations. She is attuned to the daily life on the ranch as she can be. Her music reflects her admiration, respect and love for the life that she shares with her husband and their daughter, Kyli. Whether she is writing about her home in the sprawling Animas Valley with her song, "Al Valle De Animas", or reflecting on the many cowboys that drift through her home, she writes with honesty, sincerity and a deep understanding of the "cowboy way". Her song, "What Cowboy Means", a tribute to her late father-in-law, Richard's dad, is a beautiful, straightforward and rousing testimonial to cowboys of yesteryear and cowboys today. This singing cowgirl has a clear, strong voice with a range that enables her to do a wide variety of songs, both the ones that she writes and the ones written by the giants of the genre like Ian Tyson, Paul Zazyski and Jean Prescott. Kip has won her share of awards, she has traveled widely, performed at dozens of cowboy gatherings and shared the stage with Alabama, The Judds, Merle Haggard, Ian Tyson and Baxter Black. What this all really adds up to is a very simple theme…..Kip Calahan cherishes the western way and is one of our very best singer/songwriters who is making sure that for those of us willing to listen, there is a great richness to our western heritage. As she wrote in her song of the Animas Valley, "In a land of extremes, cowboys live out their dreams," we can all dream along. |
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Kip Calahan |
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