That's How the Yodel was Born

The Roy and Dale sign-off link on that last post, made yer humble Dragon all nostalgic for some good old-timey cowboy music, the kind of fever that not even cow-bell can cure.
No sir, there is only one cure for an old-school cowboy music fever, and that is Three on Trail.
So here they are explaining the origin of the yodel:



I first saw these guys at Prescott College in Arizona, when they were touring with their first album Three on the Trail. Somewhere in storage, I still have a signed poster from that night. Man, that was like 25 years ago, and Too Slim's mustache was still fully colored. Since then, they've added the accordian, had a Saturday morning kids show, and a slew of albums. But really they haven't changed a bit. I think they are even still using the same jokes...

And on that subject, I bring you the Riders' latest press release, announcing their solidarity with the Writer's Strike:

Riders Declare Solidarity with Writers, Vow No New Jokes

Riders In The Sky announced today "full solidarity" with the ongoing entertainment writers' strike, vowing no new jokes or routines "until our latte lappin' punchline partners out there in L.A. are free to fire up their laptops and earn a fair ancillary wage."

"I can't go out there and walk the picket line," said Riders funnyman Too Slim, "but I can tell old jokes."

"He certainly can," agreed Riders fiddler Woody Paul. "Some of his jokes must be twenty five, thirty years old. That face-playing routine is eligible for Social Security."

"Yes, yes it is," added Ranger Doug. "But as a union organization, I think it's important for us not to cross a picket line, even if it's only imaginary. If people think they'll get fresh comedy just by coming to our show, that could undermine the strike."

"What about the Milton Berle jokebook in the back of the bus?" suggested Joey, the Cowpolka King. "Can't we just steal some one-liners or limericks from that?"

"Technically yes," answered the Ranger. "In a way, they ARE reruns. But splitting hairs, seeking loopholes and ignoring an underlying issue's true spirit is certainly not..." and he turned his face toward the setting sun, "The Cowboy Way."

"It's a shame," concluded Too Slim. "I was making some real progress on the turtle joke. I was hoping to have it ready by '09. Oh well. Can I at least end this story with a clever riposte?"

"Nope," answered the Ranger. "Just let it trail off into

Heh, heh, heh...
Till next time folks, remember if this was a logical world, men would ride side-saddle.