Cowboy Troy
Encyclopedia
Troy Lee Coleman III is an American
musician, better known by his stage name Cowboy Troy, who performs country rap. He is a member of the MuzikMafia
, an aggregation of country music singer-songwriters whose membership also includes Big & Rich
, Gretchen Wilson
and James Otto
. He has released four studio albums and one EP, including two releases on Warner Bros. Records
, and has charted twice on the Billboard
country singles charts.
in the Dallas Independent School District
. He then attended the University of Texas at Austin
and received a bachelors degree. Prior to beginning his career as a singer, he worked as the assistant manager of a Dallas
area Foot Locker.
He got the name Cowboy Troy in college, after a friend used the name to distinguish the cowboy-hat-wearing Coleman from his other friends named Troy.
distribution label. The album debuted at #2 on Billboard's Top Country Albums chart. The first single, "I Play Chicken with the Train," peaked at #48 on Billboard's Hot Country Songs
chart on April 9, 2005 and was the #1 country download at the iTunes Music Store
on April 15, 2005.
As a Chevrolet
promotion, Troy, Wilson, and Big & Rich released "Our America" as a free, time-limited download on July 1, 2005. They also performed the song live at the Boston Pops concert on July 4, 2005. "Our America" combines "The Star-Spangled Banner
" with spoken word of parts of the U.S. Constitution
, Declaration of independence, Pledge of Allegiance
and Martin Luther King, Jr.
's "I Have a Dream
" speech. The song peaked at #44 on Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart, and appears as a bonus track on both Big & Rich's Comin' to Your City
and Wilson's All Jacked Up
albums.
Cowboy Troy released the single "If You Don't Wanna Love Me", a duet with Sarah Buxton
. The single failed to chart, as did the follow-up, "My Last Yee Haw." A promotional single, titled "Hook 'Em Horns", was released on February 14, 2006 after his alma mater (Texas) won the national championship
in football
.
, the fifth season of Nashville Star
on the USA Network
and CMT Canada.
Troy made a special appearance at the March 13, 2006 episode of WWE's RAW
in Beaumont, Texas
. He came to the announcer's table and helped announce for the match between superstars Edge
and Goldust. His entrance music was "My Last Yee Haw." The April 30 episode of WWE's Raw, broadcast from Nashville
, showed Troy in the crowd. The announcers mentioned him, and his duties hosting Nashville Star. In 2007, he released Black in the Saddle.
Troy parted ways with Warner Bros. Nashville in 2008. He released Demolition Mission: Studio Blue Sessions in 2009.
Cowboy Troy was cited as a featured guest artist on 2 tracks from the 2011 Vanilla Ice
release titled WTF
, which is available on iTunes
.
Cowboy Troy performed at the 2008 Republican National Convention
in St. Paul, Minnesota
. He is a self-described black conservative
and a member of the Republican Party
who supported Senator
John McCain
in the 2008 U.S. presidential election
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
musician, better known by his stage name Cowboy Troy, who performs country rap. He is a member of the MuzikMafia
MuzikMafia
The MuzikMafia was an informal collection of American country music artists, founded in October 2001 in Nashville, Tennessee by Big Kenny and John Rich , along with Jon Nicholson and Cory Gierman....
, an aggregation of country music singer-songwriters whose membership also includes Big & Rich
Big & Rich
Big & Rich is an American country music duo composed of Big Kenny and John Rich. Both members alternate as lead vocalists and play rhythm guitar...
, Gretchen Wilson
Gretchen Wilson
Gretchen Frances Wilson is an American country music artist. She made her debut in 2004 with the Grammy Award-winning single "Redneck Woman," a number-one hit on the Billboard country charts. The song served as the lead-off single of her debut album, Here for the Party...
and James Otto
James Otto
James Allen Otto is an American country music artist who is a member of the MuzikMafia, a group of country musicians known for their "country music without prejudice"...
. He has released four studio albums and one EP, including two releases on Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records Inc. is an American record label. It was the foundation label of the present-day Warner Music Group, and now operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of that corporation. It maintains a close relationship with its former parent, Warner Bros. Pictures, although the two companies...
, and has charted twice on the Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
country singles charts.
Biography
Troy graduated from Skyline High SchoolSkyline High School (Dallas)
Skyline High School is a secondary school in the Pleasant Grove area of Dallas, Texas. It was the first high school in the United States to offer a magnet school curriculum....
in the Dallas Independent School District
Dallas Independent School District
The Dallas Independent School District is a school district based in Dallas, Texas . Dallas ISD, which operates schools in much of Dallas County, is the second largest school district in Texas and the twelfth largest in the United States.In 2009, the school district was rated "academically...
. He then attended the University of Texas at Austin
University of Texas at Austin
The University of Texas at Austin is a state research university located in Austin, Texas, USA, and is the flagship institution of the The University of Texas System. Founded in 1883, its campus is located approximately from the Texas State Capitol in Austin...
and received a bachelors degree. Prior to beginning his career as a singer, he worked as the assistant manager of a Dallas
Dallas, Texas
Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
area Foot Locker.
He got the name Cowboy Troy in college, after a friend used the name to distinguish the cowboy-hat-wearing Coleman from his other friends named Troy.
Career
On May 17, 2005, Troy released his first major-label solo album, Loco Motive, through the RAYBAW records production label and the Warner Music GroupWarner Music Group
Warner Music Group is the third largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry, making it one of the big four record companies...
distribution label. The album debuted at #2 on Billboard's Top Country Albums chart. The first single, "I Play Chicken with the Train," peaked at #48 on Billboard's Hot Country Songs
Hot Country Songs
Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales...
chart on April 9, 2005 and was the #1 country download at the iTunes Music Store
ITunes Store
The iTunes Store is a software-based online digital media store operated by Apple. Opening as the iTunes Music Store on April 28, 2003, with over 200,000 items to purchase, it is, as of April 2008, the number-one music vendor in the United States...
on April 15, 2005.
As a Chevrolet
Chevrolet
Chevrolet , also known as Chevy , is a brand of vehicle produced by General Motors Company . Founded by Louis Chevrolet and ousted GM founder William C. Durant on November 3, 1911, General Motors acquired Chevrolet in 1918...
promotion, Troy, Wilson, and Big & Rich released "Our America" as a free, time-limited download on July 1, 2005. They also performed the song live at the Boston Pops concert on July 4, 2005. "Our America" combines "The Star-Spangled Banner
The Star-Spangled Banner
"The Star-Spangled Banner" is the national anthem of the United States of America. The lyrics come from "Defence of Fort McHenry", a poem written in 1814 by the 35-year-old lawyer and amateur poet, Francis Scott Key, after witnessing the bombardment of Fort McHenry by the British Royal Navy ships...
" with spoken word of parts of the U.S. Constitution
United States Constitution
The Constitution of the United States is the supreme law of the United States of America. It is the framework for the organization of the United States government and for the relationship of the federal government with the states, citizens, and all people within the United States.The first three...
, Declaration of independence, Pledge of Allegiance
Pledge of Allegiance
The Pledge of Allegiance of the United States is an expression of loyalty to the federal flag and the republic of the United States of America, originally composed by Christian Socialist Francis Bellamy in 1892 and formally adopted by Congress as the pledge in 1942...
and Martin Luther King, Jr.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
Martin Luther King, Jr. was an American clergyman, activist, and prominent leader in the African-American Civil Rights Movement. He is best known for being an iconic figure in the advancement of civil rights in the United States and around the world, using nonviolent methods following the...
's "I Have a Dream
I Have a Dream
"I Have a Dream" is a 17-minute public speech by Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered on August 28, 1963, in which he called for racial equality and an end to discrimination...
" speech. The song peaked at #44 on Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart, and appears as a bonus track on both Big & Rich's Comin' to Your City
Comin' To Your City
In later presses of the album, "8th of November" was split into two tracks: one for Kris Kristofferson's opening and another for the song itself.-Big & Rich:*Big Kenny – vocals*John Rich – vocals, acoustic guitar-Additional musicians:*Max Abrams – saxophone...
and Wilson's All Jacked Up
All Jacked Up
All Jacked Up is the second album by American country musician, Gretchen Wilson, released in 2005 on Epic Nashville . The album's title track served as its lead-off single. Debuting at No. 21 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts, it set what was then the record for the highest-debuting single...
albums.
Cowboy Troy released the single "If You Don't Wanna Love Me", a duet with Sarah Buxton
Sarah Buxton (Singer)
Sarah Buxton is an American country music artist, formerly signed to the independent Lyric Street Records...
. The single failed to chart, as did the follow-up, "My Last Yee Haw." A promotional single, titled "Hook 'Em Horns", was released on February 14, 2006 after his alma mater (Texas) won the national championship
2006 Rose Bowl
The 2006 Rose Bowl Game, played on January 4, 2006, was a football game that served as the national championship of the 2005-2006 Bowl Championship Series...
in football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
.
2006-present
Cowboy Troy co-hosted, with JewelJewel (singer)
Jewel Kilcher , professionally known as Jewel, is an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, producer, actress and poet...
, the fifth season of Nashville Star
Nashville Star
Nashville Star is an American reality television program. It was transmitted during mid-2008 on NBC, following five seasons on USA Network. It premiered on March 8, 2003, and its five seasons on USA made it the longest-running competition series on cable television. In Canada, the show aired on CMT...
on the USA Network
USA Network
USA Network is an American cable television channel launched in 1971. Once a minor player in basic cable, the network has steadily gained popularity because of breakout hits like Monk, Psych, Burn Notice, Royal Pains, Covert Affairs, White Collar, Monday Night RAW, Suits, and reruns of the various...
and CMT Canada.
Troy made a special appearance at the March 13, 2006 episode of WWE's RAW
WWE RAW
WWE Raw ) is a sports entertainment television program for WWE that currently airs on the USA Network in the United States...
in Beaumont, Texas
Beaumont, Texas
Beaumont is a city in and county seat of Jefferson County, Texas, United States, within the Beaumont–Port Arthur Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city's population was 118,296 at the 2010 census. With Port Arthur and Orange, it forms the Golden Triangle, a major industrial area on the...
. He came to the announcer's table and helped announce for the match between superstars Edge
Adam Copeland
Adam Joseph Copeland is a retired Canadian professional wrestler and actor, better known by his ring name Edge. He is currently signed to WWE under a Legends contract....
and Goldust. His entrance music was "My Last Yee Haw." The April 30 episode of WWE's Raw, broadcast from Nashville
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
, showed Troy in the crowd. The announcers mentioned him, and his duties hosting Nashville Star. In 2007, he released Black in the Saddle.
Troy parted ways with Warner Bros. Nashville in 2008. He released Demolition Mission: Studio Blue Sessions in 2009.
Cowboy Troy was cited as a featured guest artist on 2 tracks from the 2011 Vanilla Ice
Vanilla Ice
Robert Matthew Van Winkle , best known by his stage name Vanilla Ice, is an American rapper, extreme athlete and home improvement television personality...
release titled WTF
WTF
WTF may refer to:-Slang:*"what the fuck", -Media and entertainment:...
, which is available on iTunes
ITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
.
Personal life
He and his wife Laura have been married for 5 years. They have triplets - Reece Jacob, John Reagan and Riley Joseph.Cowboy Troy performed at the 2008 Republican National Convention
Republican National Convention
The Republican National Convention is the presidential nominating convention of the Republican Party of the United States. Convened by the Republican National Committee, the stated purpose of the convocation is to nominate an official candidate in an upcoming U.S...
in St. Paul, Minnesota
Saint Paul, Minnesota
Saint Paul is the capital and second-most populous city of the U.S. state of Minnesota. The city lies mostly on the east bank of the Mississippi River in the area surrounding its point of confluence with the Minnesota River, and adjoins Minneapolis, the state's largest city...
. He is a self-described black conservative
Black conservatism in the United States
Black conservatism in the United States is a political and social movement rooted in communities of African descent that aligns largely with the American conservative movement...
and a member of the Republican Party
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
who supported Senator
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
John McCain
John McCain
John Sidney McCain III is the senior United States Senator from Arizona. He was the Republican nominee for president in the 2008 United States election....
in the 2008 U.S. presidential election
Studio albums
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country | US Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
US Rap Top Rap Albums Top Rap Albums is a record chart published by Billboard magazine that ranks Rap and hip-hop albums based on sales compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The chart began publication for the week of November 13, 2004.... |
||
| Beginner's Luck |
|
— | — | — |
| Loco Motive Loco Motive Loco Motive is an album by American country rap artist Cowboy Troy. Released in 2005 as his first album for Warner Bros. Records, it features the single "I Play Chicken with the Train", a #48 on the Hot Country Songs charts in 2005... |
Warner Bros. Records Warner Bros. Records Inc. is an American record label. It was the foundation label of the present-day Warner Music Group, and now operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of that corporation. It maintains a close relationship with its former parent, Warner Bros. Pictures, although the two companies... |
2 | 15 | 13 |
| Black in the Saddle Black in the Saddle Black in the Saddle is an album by American country rap artist Cowboy Troy. It is his second major-label album, released in 2007 on Warner Bros. Records. None of the album's singles entered the Billboard singles charts.... |
|
28 | 153 | — |
| Demolition Mission: Studio Blue Sessions |
|
— | — | — |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart | ||||
Extended plays
| Title | Album details |
|---|---|
| Hick-Hop Hysteria |
|
| Before You Knew My Name |
|
Singles
| Year | Single | Peak chart positions | Album | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country Hot Country Songs Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales... |
US Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
US Pop Pop 100 The Pop 100 was a songs chart that debuted in February 2005 and was released weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States until its discontinuation in 2009... |
|||
| 2005 | "I Play Chicken with the Train" (with Big & Rich Big & Rich Big & Rich is an American country music duo composed of Big Kenny and John Rich. Both members alternate as lead vocalists and play rhythm guitar... ) |
48 | 118 | 81 | Loco Motive |
| "If You Don't Wanna Love Me" (with Sarah Buxton Sarah Buxton (Singer) Sarah Buxton is an American country music artist, formerly signed to the independent Lyric Street Records... ) |
— | — | — | ||
| "My Last Yee Haw" (with Big & Rich) | — | — | — | ||
| 2006 | "El Tejano" | — | — | — | |
| "Hook 'Em Horns" | — | — | — | single only | |
| 2007 | "Hick Chick" (with Angela Hacker Angela Hacker Angela Hacker is an American country music singer. In 2007, she was the winner of the USA Network talent show Nashville Star. Her brother Zac finished second the same year. She released an album via Warner Bros. Records in 2007, although it did not chart and produced no singles.-Biography:Angela... ) |
— | — | — | Black in the Saddle |
| 2009 | "Cash in the Cookie Jar" | — | — | — | Demolition Mission |
| 2010 | "New Sheriff" | — | — | — | singles only |
| "Ballad of Cherokee Bill" | — | — | — | ||
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart | |||||
Other charted songs
| Year | Single | Artist | Peak positions | Album |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country Hot Country Songs Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales... |
||||
| 2005 | "Our America" | Big & Rich (with Gretchen Wilson Gretchen Wilson Gretchen Frances Wilson is an American country music artist. She made her debut in 2004 with the Grammy Award-winning single "Redneck Woman," a number-one hit on the Billboard country charts. The song served as the lead-off single of her debut album, Here for the Party... ) |
44 | Comin' to Your City Comin' To Your City In later presses of the album, "8th of November" was split into two tracks: one for Kris Kristofferson's opening and another for the song itself.-Big & Rich:*Big Kenny – vocals*John Rich – vocals, acoustic guitar-Additional musicians:*Max Abrams – saxophone... |
Music videos
| Year | Video | Director |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | "I Play Chicken With the Train" | Deaton-Flanigen |
| "If You Don't Wanna Love Me" | Shaun Silva Shaun Silva Shaun Silva is a music video director who works primarily in the country music field. He has directed a number of music videos for many country music artists, including many of Kenny Chesney's music videos. His other clients include: Jack Ingram, Sugarland, Luke Bryan, Brooks & Dunn, and Rascal... |
|
| "My Last Yee Haw" | Kristin Barlowe | |
| 2007 | "Hick Chick" | Shaun Silva |