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This guy absolutely slays me. He's so all there. He's got it all, and he's got it all going on.
The Zen Cowboy, that's what they call him. He looks like a monk without his cowboy hat on, right down to the look in his eyes and the smile of a man who knows what's really going on. But the real reason they call him the Zen Cowboy is his philosophical wit and humor, a high spirited combination of the Far East and the Old West.
He's one of the best guitarists in the whole of singer songwriter world, and does workshops sometimes in the style he calls "Rocky Mountain Slam Picking." The CD ends with a guitar piece called "Spank," that's some fine picking, there. But it's always elegant, always serving the song, never flash or technique for its own sake. He's all about the great song, and though an enviable writer himself, he covers three terrific numbers. Two are Tom Kimmel cowrites (one classic with Jennifer Kimball, "Blue Train," and one killer ballad with NYC writing partner Jeff Franzel, "Why Pretend") and a truly memorable tune by Jack Williams, "Outlaw’s Dream."
Very classy production here by Doug Haywood (mixed by Aaron Haywood) at First Hand Studio in Lafayette, CO. Doug also plays bass and electric guitar. Fine bunch of players all around, but we were especially taken with the steel guitar of Dr. Daniel Jones.
I was really tickled but not amazed when I read somewhere that Bill Gates was asked recently what music he listened to. He said his current favorite was country folk artist Chuck Pyle. Now tell me you're too busy to check out clips of this fantastic artist on our Listen page.
We claim that your life will actually improve with the purchase of this recording. - FG - Frank Goodman, Puremusic.com
Discography
Drifter's Wind
Step By Step
Endless Sky
Camel Rock
Keepin' Time By The River
A Few Miles Back
Affected By The Moon
Romancing The Moment
True Unity
Photos
Bio
As Colorado as the Rockies, singer/songwriter Chuck Pyle has won the unqualified respect & praise of peers and fans for 30 years. Referred to affectionately as the Zen Cowboy, Pyle wraps his infectiously hummable melodies with straight-from-the-saddle poetry, quoting bumper stickers, proverbs, world leaders and old cowboys at his shows. When reviewers first gave him the Zen Cowboy label, he decided to, as he says, ride the horse in the direction its going, and took his new nickname to heart. Shaving his head and blending upbeat spirituality with horse sense, Pyle began writing songs about forgetful cowboys, heroic highway patrolmen and brainstems gone critical.
An accomplished songwriter, Pyles songs have been recorded by John Denver, The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band and Suzy Bogguss. He attained local fame when he wrote the theme-song -- thought by many to be the unofficial Colorado State Song -- for the PBS series, Spirit of Colorado; he was invited to sing that same song for the opening session of the 2005 Colorado State Legislature. His flair for words and melody has made him a favorite of Bill & Melinda Gates, whove had him play at their house. Among Country fans, hes probably best known for writing, "Cadillac Cowboy", recorded by the late Chris LeDoux, and Jaded Lover, recorded by Jerry Jeff Walker.
Pyles groundbreaking guitar playing enhances his performances. The sheer invention of his finger-style has distinguished him as a true American original, and earned him teaching invitations to The Puget Sound Guitar Workshop and The Swannanoa Gathering.
An Iowa native, Pyle made his way to the Front Range of Colorado in 1965 when, he says, Boulder was mostly gravel streets. He travels the world, taking what is best about America with him, playing theaters, festivals, colleges, coffeehouses and house concerts.
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