R.W. Hampton

R.W. Hampton
Born June 17, 1957
Origin Houston, Texas
Genres country, cowboy, folk, popular
Occupation(s) Singer / Songwriter / Musician / Actor
Instruments Singer, Acoustic Guitar
Years active 1983 – Present
Labels Cimarron Sounds
Website www.rwhampton.com /

R. W. Hampton (born June 17, 1957 in Houston, Texas) is an award-winning American western music singer-songwriter, actor 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 three separate Wrangler Awards from the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City, as well as developing a widespread devoted fan base.

A prolific writer and popular performer, Hampton is known for his patriotism, his family values and Christian beliefs. His wife, Lisa, doubles as his manager & agent.[1]

Early career

After more than a decade as a dedicated cowboy enjoying the hard-working western ranch lifestyle, Hampton decided to explore his other passion: music. In 1984, he 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. His music caught the attention of Kenny Rogers who used R. W. to play himself, a cowboy singing at the campfire, in the television movie, Wild Horses.

Hampton worked at assorted duties—repairing fences, fall and spring roundups, and checking windmills—in numerous places, including the former Spade Ranch in Texas, the IL Ranch in northern Nevada, the ZX Ranch in Oregon, and the Pickerel Land and Cattle Company in Wyoming, but he preferred the Texas Panhandle and eastern New Mexico, where he owns the Clearview Ranch, located some twenty miles southwest of Cimarron.[1]

1990s

Throughout the 1990s, Hampton continued his prolific recording and entertainment career, appearing in several Western films and recording five albums in six years from 1994 to 1999. In 1996, R.W. received the Academy of Western Artists’ first Will Rogers Awards 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 Award in 2000 for Excellence in Dramatic Presentation and Original Music Composition from the National Cowboy Museum and Western Heritage Center.

2000s

“For The Freedom” (2006)

Hampton’s success continued into the 2000s with a Western Music Association 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." [2]

Oklahoma… (2007)

In 2008, R.W. won his second Western Heritage Award, this time for his album Oklahoma … Where the West Remains! which was named Outstanding Traditional Western Album. This album is Hampton’s first performance with a full orchestra. It was praised by Western Horseman magazine for showcasing Hampton’s “deep, velvety vocals, idyllic lyrics and cowboy authenticity” which has “captivated audiences worldwide.” [3]

"Austin to Boston" (2010)

Prior to the album's release, the first European focus track, "Cowboy's Prayer," debuted at #2 on the UK Hotdisc Top 40 chart and quickly rose to #1, where it enjoyed a three-week reign; the second European focus track, "Driftin' Again," debuted at #1. Early in 2011, Hampton received his third Wrangler Award from the National Cowboy Museum and Western Heritage Center in the "Outstanding Original Western Composition" category for his song, "Shortgrass", from this album.

Lubbock Cowboy Symposium (2013)

With twelve albums to his credit, Hampton is a headline performer at the 2013 National Cowboy Symposium in Lubbock, Texas, sponsored in part by the American Cowboy Culture Association. It was in Lubbock in 1978 where Hampton first played before an audience; his selection at that time was "Little Joe the Wrangler."[1]

Spirituality shines through Hampton's singing and songwriting. In an interview with Ray Westbrook of the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal, Hampton reflects:

The spiritual songs seem to go right along with the cowboy life. There's varying degrees of people’s faith out where we live, but it seems to go right along, because you work out in this creation — God's creation. ... Every time I see a beautiful sunset or a sunrise — and I've seen a bunch of them — I always think of the song, "How Great Thou Art." I like to call it the world's greatest cowboy song because it talks about God's creation. ... When the sun comes up over the horizon, [it] just lights everything up, and you go "wow!"...

I have a song, kind of a signature song, called "Born to be a Cowboy." It says, "The life I love I freely chose; I'm at it yet tonight. I was born to be a cowboy, and I will be 'til I die."[1]

In late 2013 American Cowboy Magazine released their Legends Collector's Edition where they listed Hampton among the "Top 50 Greatest Country & Western Singers of All Time" in the company of artists like Johnny Cash, Roy Rogers, George Strait, Hank Williams, Ian Tyson, Chris LeDoux, and more. In April, 2014 Hampton's song "Born to be a Cowboy", originally recorded in 1994 was chosen by noted cowboy music radio host and writer Charley Engel as one of the Top 20 Cowboy Songs written in the past 20 years, saying “One mark of success is how many times your song has been covered. There are no less than nine versions by other top artists.” Other notable names on the list include Riders In The Sky, Michael Martin Murphey, Tom Russell and Don Edwards.

"This Cowboy" (2014)

Hampton's latest release is the first album in a two-part project, "This Cowboy, My Country" which focuses on songs both written and co-written by Hampton as well as several covers that embody his love for the West, his country and his family. A true look at who the artist is and what he believes in, "This Cowboy" peers deep into the heart of the artist. Two integral tracks on the album were pre-released in 2013 and 2014 to great reviews and sold as singles to benefit a New Mexico Veterans group, (Horses for Heroes, New Mexico), that Hampton and his family have become involved with. "My Country's Not For Sale" stayed at the top of the Western Music radio charts for the entire 12 months of 2014 and the album "This Cowboy" was listed at #40 for Top True Country Albums for 2014 on the Roots Music Report. The album sits at the #2 position for the Roots Music Report True Country Chart as of February 9th, 2015.

Honors

His peers in the Western entertainment industry have honored R.W.'s performing and songwriting fifteen times, perhaps most notably in November 2011, when he was inducted into the Hall of Fame of the Western Music Association. His first industry accolades came in 1996, when the Academy of Western Artists presented him with its first Will Rogers awards, naming him both Male Vocalist of the Year and Entertainer of the Year. Twelve months later, his album, Ridin’ The Dreamland Range, won recognition as the group's Album of the Year. The Academy named Hampton its Male Vocalist of the Year again in 1999, 2002 and 2006.[4]

The Western Music Association inducted him into the Association's Hall of Fame in 2011 and have voted him Top Male Performer for 2004 and 2010, and his composition, "For the Freedom" (from his Western gospel album, I Believe) won the 2006 WMA Song of the Year. In September 2009, Hampton received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Association of Cowboy Culture.

With one of the largest social media followings in the Western Entertainment world, Hampton's Facebook page has grown to include more than 36,000 "fans" - a remarkable achievement in today's cowboy world.

Discography

Albums

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 "Ray Westbrook, AJ Remembers: Singer R.W. Hampton and cowboying go way back: Hampton plays cowboy music, September 1, 2013". Lubbock Avalanche-Journal. Retrieved September 2, 2013.
  2. ↑ Braley, Bethany. "Hampton’s “For The Freedom”" in American Cowboy. May/June2005.
  3. ↑ Denison, Jenifer. "Cowboy Culture" in Western Horseman. February 2008.
  4. ↑ "Western Music Awards". awaawards.org. Retrieved September 2, 2013.
  5. ↑ http://www.rwhampton.com/music.html list of albums and years

External links