Bar D Wranglers

The Bar D Wranglers are a stage performance quartet presenting a blend of Western music, cowboy poetry, and rollicking Western humor. They are based at their chuckwagon-style restaurant near Durango, Colorado, and perform there and at mostly regional venues. They have performed internationally in Japan.

History

The group formed in 1969 in conjunction with the Bar D Chuckwagon, their outdoor restaurant near Durango. The founder was Cy Scarborough who served as the general manager until his death in 2020. Other founders were Jim Blanton and Buck Teeter. The restaurant has been open every summer evening since then. The Wranglers have entertained over 2.5 million people there and on countless stages around the U.S. The band members have changed over the years, with many performers spending decades with the group. One of the current members, Gary Cook, has been with the group since 1989. He has twice been named the national flatpicking champion guitar player.^[1][2]

As of 2023, the current lineup consists of Gary Cook, Matt Palmer, David Bradley, Joel Racheff, and Danny Rogers.

Performances

The Wranglers traditionally present a well-received cowboy Christmas show at venues in Colorado and neighboring states.^[3] They are traditionally well received at selective art-friendly venues in Sedona, Arizona and the Walnut Valley Festival in Winfield, Kansas. In 2008, they played to an audience of 35,000 at a cherry blossom festival near Naval Air Facility Atsugi, Japan. After the festival, they gave intimate living room concerts for pilots and their families from the USS Kitty Hawk.^[4][5][6]

The Bar D Wranglers have recorded six CDs and two DVDs.^[7]

References

1. "Chuckwagon Dinners and Shows". ColoradoInfo. Colorado Activities Center. Retrieved January 24, 2015.
2. "The Bar D Wranglers". bardwranglers.com. Retrieved January 24, 2015.
3. "Bar D Wranglers Christmas Jubilee". Durango Colorado. Durango Area Tourism Office. Retrieved January 24, 2015.
4. "Blazin' M Welcomes Bar D Wranglers". The Sedona Eye. Sedona, Arizona. January 2, 2015. Retrieved January 24, 2015.
5. "Bar-D Wranglers". Walnut Valley Festival Website. Walnut Valley Festival. Archived from the original on January 28, 2015. Retrieved January 24, 2015.
6. Goebel, Leanne (June 6, 2008). "Konnichihua: Bar D Wranglers play Japan". The Durango Herald. Durango, Colorado. Retrieved January 24, 2015.
7. "Bar D Chuckwagon Suppers". Retrieved January 24, 2015. List of Wrangler CDs and DVDs