R.W. Hampton
Encyclopedia
R.W. Hampton is an award-winning American
western music
singer-songwriter
and playwright
. Hampton has achieved both critical and popular success, winning multiple awards from the Western Music Association
and the Academy of Western Artists and a pair of Wrangler Awards
from the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum
, as well as developing a widespread devoted fan base.
enjoying the hard-working western ranch lifestyle, Hampton decided to explore his other passion: music. In 1984, R.W. released his first album, Travelin’ Light, and began building a reputation for his songwriting and performance talents, with appearances at The Grand Ole Opry in Nashville
, Tennessee
and the Smithsonian Institution
in Washington, D.C.
honoring him with both Male Vocalist of the Year and Entertainer of the Year. A year later, his album, Ridin’ The Dreamland Range, won recognition as the association’s Album of the Year. The Academy named Hampton its Male Vocalist of the Year again in 1999.
in 2000 for Excellence in Dramatic Presentation and Original Music Composition from the National Cowboy Museum and Western Heritage Center
.
award for Top Male Performer in 2004. In 2006, R.W. won the WMA Song of the Year award for his composition "For the Freedom" (which appears on his album I Believe). As described by American Cowboy magazine, "For The Freedom" "touches the heart in a personal way. Regardless of how one feels about war, it beautifully honors the soldiers’ work and commitment."
, this time for his album Oklahoma… Where the West Remains! which was named Outstanding Traditional Western Album. The album is Hampton’s first performance with a full orchestra, and was praised by Western Horseman
magazine for showcasing Hampton’s “deep, velvety vocals, idyllic lyrics and cowboy authenticity” which has “captivated audiences worldwide.”
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
western music
Western music (North America)
Western music originated as a form of American folk music. Originally composed by and about the people who settled and worked throughout the Western United States and Western Canada. Directly related musically to old English, Scottish, and Irish folk ballads, Western music celebrates the life of...
singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
and playwright
Playwright
A playwright, also called a dramatist, is a person who writes plays.The term is not a variant spelling of "playwrite", but something quite distinct: the word wright is an archaic English term for a craftsman or builder...
. Hampton has achieved both critical and popular success, winning multiple awards from the Western Music Association
Western Music Association
The Western Music Association was incorporated in 1989 to promote and preserve western music in its traditional, historical, and contemporary forms....
and the Academy of Western Artists and a pair of Wrangler Awards
Bronze Wrangler
The Bronze Wrangler is an award presented annually by the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum to honor the top works in Western music, film, television and literature.The awards were first presented in 1961...
from the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum
National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum
The National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum is a museum in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, with more than 28,000 Western and American Indian art works and artifacts. The facility also has the world's most extensive collection of American rodeo, photographs, barbed wire, saddlery, and early rodeo trophies...
, as well as developing a widespread devoted fan base.
Early career
After more than a decade as a dedicated cowboyCowboy
A cowboy is an animal herder who tends cattle on ranches in North America, traditionally on horseback, and often performs a multitude of other ranch-related tasks. The historic American cowboy of the late 19th century arose from the vaquero traditions of northern Mexico and became a figure of...
enjoying the hard-working western ranch lifestyle, Hampton decided to explore his other passion: music. In 1984, R.W. released his first album, Travelin’ Light, and began building a reputation for his songwriting and performance talents, with appearances at The Grand Ole Opry in 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...
, Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
and the Smithsonian Institution
Smithsonian Institution
The Smithsonian Institution is an educational and research institute and associated museum complex, administered and funded by the government of the United States and by funds from its endowment, contributions, and profits from its retail operations, concessions, licensing activities, and magazines...
in Washington, D.C.
1990s
Throughout the 1990s, Hampton continued his prolific recording career, with 5 albums in 6 years from 1994 to 1999. In 1996, R.W. received the Academy of Western Artists’ first Will Rogers AwardsWill Rogers
William "Will" Penn Adair Rogers was an American cowboy, comedian, humorist, social commentator, vaudeville performer, film actor, and one of the world's best-known celebrities in the 1920s and 1930s....
honoring him with both Male Vocalist of the Year and Entertainer of the Year. A year later, his album, Ridin’ The Dreamland Range, won recognition as the association’s Album of the Year. The Academy named Hampton its Male Vocalist of the Year again in 1999.
The Last Cowboy (1993)
The 1990s also saw Hampton’s skills as a playwright blossom. The one-man stage play The Last Cowboy was written with his brother, Jeff, and playwright Dave Marquis in 1993. The show has received high praise not only for Hampton’s performance, but for his insightful interpretation of the cowboy past as well. In addition, his album, The Last Cowboy – His Journey, which was inspired by the play, earned him his first Wrangler AwardBronze Wrangler
The Bronze Wrangler is an award presented annually by the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum to honor the top works in Western music, film, television and literature.The awards were first presented in 1961...
in 2000 for Excellence in Dramatic Presentation and Original Music Composition from the National Cowboy Museum and Western Heritage Center
National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum
The National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum is a museum in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, with more than 28,000 Western and American Indian art works and artifacts. The facility also has the world's most extensive collection of American rodeo, photographs, barbed wire, saddlery, and early rodeo trophies...
.
“For The Freedom” (2006)
Hampton’s success continued into the 2000s with a Western Music AssociationWestern Music Association
The Western Music Association was incorporated in 1989 to promote and preserve western music in its traditional, historical, and contemporary forms....
award for Top Male Performer in 2004. In 2006, R.W. won the WMA Song of the Year award for his composition "For the Freedom" (which appears on his album I Believe). As described by American Cowboy magazine, "For The Freedom" "touches the heart in a personal way. Regardless of how one feels about war, it beautifully honors the soldiers’ work and commitment."
Oklahoma… (2007)
In 2008, R.W. won his second Western Heritage AwardBronze Wrangler
The Bronze Wrangler is an award presented annually by the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum to honor the top works in Western music, film, television and literature.The awards were first presented in 1961...
, this time for his album Oklahoma… Where the West Remains! which was named Outstanding Traditional Western Album. The album is Hampton’s first performance with a full orchestra, and was praised by Western Horseman
Western Horseman
Western Horseman, a monthly magazine published by the Magazine Division of Morris Communications, was first published in January 1936. It features articles on Western riding, the breeding and care of horses, horse training and tack, and ranching...
magazine for showcasing Hampton’s “deep, velvety vocals, idyllic lyrics and cowboy authenticity” which has “captivated audiences worldwide.”
Albums
- 2007 Oklahoma… Where the West Remains!
- 2005 I Believe
- 2005 Our First Noel
- 2003 Troubadour
- 2001 Always in My Heart
- 1999 The Last Cowboy – His Journey
- 1998 Then Sings My Soul
- 1997 Ridin’ the Dreamland Range
- 1996 Born to Be a Cowboy
- 1994 The One That I Could Never Ride
- 1984 Travelin’ Light