How The West Was, ONCE!

The best pieces from the Musical are here.
Be sure to keep going to "Older Posts" at the bottom or use the "Blog Archive" at the left to see the whole collection. There are 19 in all and an extra instrumental version of Boot Hill. I hope you like it.
There is a Western quiz in the links to the Playbill on the left. You might enjoy it if your memory goes back far enough.
Where will HTWWO be perfomed next?

Overture

I wrote this one first. I think it sets the mood. How'd I do?

(That's Mike Dotson conducting in the pit at the Smoot. The performance is William Slocum and the Cleveland Philharmonic from a concert they did of the Suite from the Musical.)

Horse Opera

How can you do a Western Musical if you can't put horses on stage? Well, at least I can pay tribute. Can you sing that fast?
I wrote some of the music for this one in 1966. My college prof told me disdainfully that it sounded like 'movie music' as if I should be insulted. I was tickled. He said it sounded like it should be from something like How The West Was Won. Now where do you suppose the title of this musical came from.

Duncan and Leo

Duncan represents the Cisco Kid and Zorro but he had to look like one. I chose Cisco, the first TV show filmed in color, before color TV. (They thought it just looked better.) Here's adventure. Here's romance. Here's O'Henry's Robin Hood of the Old West. Read my notes about Leo in the picture links. Fascinating guy.

Sidekicks

Tim's son really liked this song. He thought it was "Psychics".
To all the number twos.

Village Trumpets

Just an excuse for Maria to dance. Coincidence that Maria is Hispanic and falls for a Gringo just like Maria in West Side Story? RyJ is my favorite cigar too. Hmmm. Coincidence?
In my ideal World I would have had Maynard Ferguson in the outfit from the Si Si MF album cover on stage as Maria danced.

Eli's Theme

Eli Van Cleef embodies Eli Wallach in Magnificent Seven, and Good, Bad, and the Ugly, and more. He also embodies Lee Van Cleef in High Noon, The Man Who Shot Liberty ValanceGood, Bad, and the Ugly and more.
Did I capture the spirit of Ennio Morricone?