Songs , Cowboy Poetry and an Instrumental
Here are some samples from the latest album. Hope you like ’em!
ROUNDUP TIME in ROSWELL (song) ©2015, P. Gates
FIRST BOOTS (poem) ©2014, P. Gates
NO WELL (a cappella) ©2014, P. Gates
HIPPO LOOSE in HUTTO (song) ©2014, P. Gates
CHANGES at the RANCH (poem) ©2014, P. Gates
All vocals & instrumentals by Purly Gates, except fiddle on Roundup Time in Roswell by the incredible Craig Eastman
COMMENTS on the CD
“… As this very pleasant little offering attests, [Purly] is considerably more than just a poet! She also demonstrates her chops as an interpreter, as an obviously seasoned singer and as a multi-instrumentalist! As a writer Gates wields a mighty pun, too. It’s a good ‘un!!”
~ Rick Huff’s “Best of the West (CD) Reviews” / the Western Way magazine
About Purly’s song ‘No Well’: “It’s so clever…. brilliant….” ~ Doris Daley, award-winning Cowboy Poet from Alberta, Canada
VIDEOS
Click here to watch “Fence Pliers”, a poem by Purly Gates
Click here to watch “Wes Hatch Defines Cowboy Up”, a poem by Purly Gates
Click here to watch “The Old Square Dance” a poem by C.C. Walsh
COMMENTS on the Performer
“Purly Gates has been a performer for four years straight at Shanghai Days Cowboy Gathering. She’s professional, dependable and she’s a hoot. She plays some mean banjo, guitar and sings. She’s a regular Calamity Jane reincarnate, only a lot more talented.”
~ Doc Blakely, Promoter, Wharton, TX
“I can highly recommend Purly both as a performer and as a delightful personality.” ~ Patrick B. Nolan, Ph.D. / Museum Director/ Sam Houston Folk Festival, Huntsville, TX
“Many thanks for your … absolutely top drawer performances for our school. Great musician-ship and diversity.“
~ Ms. Scott, 4th gr, Mtn. View Elementary/ Western Week, Elko, NV
ABOUT THE WESTERN SHOWS
Purly offers concerts for folks age 6-96, filled with plenty of humor and audience participation. She typically plays guitar, banjo, accordion, ukulele, mandolin & harmonica – only not all at once! Her Limberjack, a remnant of pioneer days, delights all ages. Purly brings to the stage a song-bag full of traditional American Cowboy tunes, original compositions, western & early swing numbers and a cappella ditties. If the moment is right, this seasoned raconteur, will tantalize your ears with humorous anecdotes or a short/tall tale. Ms. Gates recites original and borrowed Cowboy Poetry. On occasion, she also portrays Calamity Jane, “the heroine of a thousand Old West adventures”.
OTHER OFFERINGS
Purly also offers hands-on workshops for elementary age children making a 1-string jug banjo, among many other cool projects.
If the time is right, you could get a lesson on how to spin the “flat loop”, or how to make music with spoons, a washboard or a washtub bass!
BIO
For most of her adult life Purly’s been a professional musician, storyteller and Cowboy-gal poet. A former elementary educator, Ms. Gates spent decades as an Artist-in-Residence in various corners of the world, using music to encourage young folks’ creativity, teaching basic carpentry skills while making simple instruments from recycled and unusual materials.
Purly can occasionally be heard whistling with the birds or yodeling to Mona (the donkey) at her hill country hacienda in Driftwood, TX. Indeed, life on the ranch has inspired many songs and poems, in between homesteading occupations such as cabin building, cordwood cutting and organic gardening. She has indeed raised both grass lambs and—over the decades—quite a bit of heck while enjoying life on the land.
A while back, Purly was the recipient of a coveted National Endowment for the Arts grant to work her musical magic in Micronesian schools (on the western edge of the Pacific). The Texas State Library commissioned her to write a theme song for their statewide Summer Reading Club for youth. And she was a finalist in the prestigious Kerrville (TX) New Folk Song-writing competition.
As a horse-crazy kid, Purly mucked stalls in exchange for riding time at nearby stables. Nowadays, she’s flingin’ slightly different material. This part-time ‘bull pucky’ thrower certainly has a tendency to indulge her spiritual connection to the wild women of the old west. As TX humorist Doc Blakely said, “she’s a regular Calamity Jane reincarnate—only a lot more talented. And she’s a hoot!”
To book a program or residency email: info@purlygates.com