Craig Chambers

by Linda SeidaCraig Chambers is the real deal: the cowboy music performer with a soothing baritone was actually a cowboy at one time in his native state of Texas. After performing all of the various ranch chores job required of him, he frequently found himself on the receiving end of requests to sing and play his guitar. His popularity grew, spreading off the range and into the regions rodeos, ranch dances, and other events. Sometimes he even performed at the dance that followed a rodeo after participating in several of the days events. When he decided to make music his career, he began working Texas dancehalls before heading to Nashville. Eventually, Chambers landed in New York where he devoted four years to the musical The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas on Broadway. Chambers played the role of narrator and bandleader. More work followed in commercials. His appearances include New Yorks Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, Oklahomas National Cowboy Hall of Fame, Los Angeles Autry Museum of Western Heritage, the Grand Ol Opry in Nashville, Texas Cowboy Artists of America Museum, and a number of Cowboy Symposiums. He also embarked on a few tours of Europe. He is included in Saddle Serenaders, a book about western music, and he put out his first album, Where the Pavement Ends, in 1995. The following year brought a double honor when Chambers received the Will Rogers Award and earned the title Western Swing Vocalist of the Year. Another release, The Cowboys Conscience, spent three months on the charts.