45 years.

It seemed to go by in a blur, pounding the road, seeing the world, raising babies and sending them to college, mowing lawns, romances, marriages, high school drama, endless airports, the nights at the Hollywood Bowl, the night at the Red Barn in Louisville dodging various barroom projectiles, frozen diesel lines, blast furnace desert heat, hours of practice, late nights and early mornings, and lots and lots and lots of laughter.

No laptops, no cellular phones, no Google, no downloads, no Skype, no Tweets, no Apple, no Microsoft, no texting, no electric cars, no Uber. A different world. But there were three young men with drive and wit who wanted to keep a special music alive. They believed in preserving the heritage of Western Music and presenting it to a new generation. They believed in entertaining, and they did so… entertaining themselves as well as the audience! And they believed in creating original Western Music to continue the tradition, not just seal it in amber as a museum piece. What they did not realize at the time was that they would be doing the same thing 45 years later.

45 years ago, Ranger Doug, Too Slim and the late Windy Bill Collins played that first date on the bitter cold evening of November 11th, 1977 at Herr Harry’s Frank N’ Stein Rathskeller in Nashville, and small listening room dates followed. By August of the following year demand was building, and while Windy Bill left, Woody Paul joined, and the true professional beginnings of the band began at the Kentucky State Fair, where the trio played 10 days for $2500 - and bought their own rooms and meals out of that!

A first wave followed, including appearances on Austin City Limits; recording contracts with Rounder, then MCA, then Columbia; guest appearances on the Grand Ole Opry leading to membership in 1982; and a three-year run on The Nashville Network with a TV show called “Tumbleweed Theater,” which yet in turn led to a seven-year run on public radio with “Riders Radio Theater. People Magazine, interested in the Riders phenomenon, ran a story which happily caught the eye of a Hollywood producer.

And so the second wave broke, sending the boys to Hollywood to star in “Riders In The Sky” on CBS for a year on Saturday mornings, introducing them to yet another generation. More recordings, endless show dates, and television appearances followed for a decade before the fine folks at Pixar called and asked the quartet – by this time they had been joined by Joey the Cowpolka King – to sing a tune called “Woody’s Roundup” in the movie “Toy Story 2.” Thus, the third wave began, highlighted by a number of projects for Disney, including two albums, both of which won GRAMMY Awards!

The creation of satellite radio has recently given them a new platform, as they continue to produce episodes of the award-winning “Classic Cowboy Corral” on Sirius/XM.

Still more road dates and recordings (several on their own Riders Radio Records label) and other film and television projects have filled the days and weeks and years, and since the quartet has slowed up very little, the numbers begin to add up: an astonishing 7,200+ appearances, 35 years on the Grand Ole Opry, 40 records albums (well, now CDs,) and tours of all 50 states and all over the world.

Honors accumulated as well. In addition to the two Grammy Awards, Riders received numerous awards from the Western Music Association, including the highest: membership in the Western Music Hall of Fame; numerous Wrangler awards from the Cowboy Hall of Fame and Western Heritage Museum; awards from the Academy of Western Artists; enshrinement in the Walkway of Western Stars, and more. What began as a celebration of classic Western Music and an evening of hilarity has become a career, and that career has become a legend, one which, 40 years on, shows no signs of stopping or even slowing down much.

Ranger Doug, Too Slim, Woody Paul and Joey the Cowpolka King… 45 years on, “The Cowboy Way.

THE DRIFTERS. One of Rock & Roll’s founding vocal groups is once again touring the U.S. under the auspices of their original management team. Up on the Roof. Under the Boardwalk. This Magic Moment. There Goes My Baby. Dance with Me. Spanish Harlem. Stand by Me. The list of hits goes on and on. Once again the Treadwell family has put THE DRIFTERS back on tour in the United States – a monumental reunion celebrating their 50-year catalog of memorable hits.

The LaPlant Family, 6:00 pm

The High 48s, 7:00pm

Since forming in northeast Minneapolis in 2006, The High 48s have been making music that combines the soulful sound of classic bluegrass with a modern attitude. They’re a band with one foot in tradition and the other in the world of music today, and one of the very few who can find an overlooked bluegrass classic in a song by M. Ward or the Clash then throw down hard on a standard by Bill Monroe.
The High 48s are also a band of songwriters. Here, too, they take a modern approach, heeding the well-worn advice to writers: write what you know. Their songs ring true to their lives as northern city-folk rather than an imagined “sweet, sunny south” of coal mines and dark hollers.

With special guest The LaPlant Family

The Reif Film Festival is a celebration of talented filmmakers from Northern Minnesota and the surrounding region. The festival will feature original works in the form of both short films and feature length films of all genres. Buy a pass for Saturday only, Sunday only, or save when you buy a two-day pass. Specific titles/ratings will be added as they are secured. Please check back for the latest updates.

Saturday, October 7, 2023

• 1:00pm-3:00pm: A WINTER LOVE
• 3:00pm-5:00pm, Shorts Block (Reif Students)
• 5:00pm-7:00pm: THE PARISH OF THE PINES
• 7:00pm-8:30pm: THE DIM
• 9:00pm-10:00pm, Reception @ Klockow Brewery
• 10:00pm-12:00am, Horror Shorts @ Klockow Brewery

Sunday, October 8, 2023

• 11:00am-1:00pm: MINNESOTA MEAN
• 1:00pm-3:00pm, Shorts Block
• 3:15pm-4:45pm: BOUGH BROTHERS
• 5:00pm, Awards Show

AWARDS:        

1. Best Feature Film
2. Best Short Film
3. Best Reif Student Film
4. Fan Favorite

Now every year in Africa they hold the Jungle Dance, Where every single animal turns up to skip and prance. And this year when the day arrived, poor Gerald felt so sad, Because when it came to dancing, he was really very bad…Gerald the Giraffe longs to go to the great Jungle Dance, but how can he join in when he doesn’t know how to tango or two-step? Everyone knows that giraffes can’t dance! But with a little help from a wise and kind cricket, Gerald discovers his rhythm – because sometimes when you’re different, you just need a different song! Carrying the important and universal message of acceptance and self belief, the sensitive and nuanced storytelling of Giraffes Can’t Dance is perfect for young children, who will be encouraged to dance to their own tune with Gerald the Giraffe and company of five actors playing warthogs, lions, rhinos chimps and, of course, the violin-playing cricket.

Wayne Leeds

Fireside Music takes place in the Reif Center lobby for one hour prior to theater performance.

Now in the 12th incredible year of performing hundreds of sellout performances, The Fabulous Armadillos and Collective Unconscious come together to recreate the magical songs we all know as the premier band of California Rock in the 70’s, known as the Eagles. You will hear all the hits and relive the sound of your turntable spinning all those incredible albums. Hear Take It Easy, Lyin’ Eyes, One Of These Nights, Desperado, I Can’t Tell You Why, Witchy Woman, Hotel California, Take It To The Limit and so many more! With their 9 piece band, you can sit back and close your eyes and bask in the joy of the Eagles live with the Fabulous Armadillos and Collective Unconscious Eagles Tribute – “Takin’ It To The Limit.”

This event is not eligible for any discounts.

Keith Soring

Fireside Music takes place in the Reif Center lobby for one hour prior to theater performance.