Dom Flemons plays the bones with Andy Hedges on guitar at the 32nd National Cowboy Poetry Gathering in Elko, Nevada. Credit: Charlie Ekburg
Although folklorists and poets are divided on whether that’s a good or bad thing, Cannon says there’s no denying that some of the festival’s original participants are getting older, and a younger batch of artists and audience members alike — some of whom are slightly more removed from the ranch — are needed to keep the event going. One such youngster is Grammy award-winning musician Dom Flemons, who stopped by this year’s gathering on his way to play Carnegie Hall, and hosted a sold-out workshop on playing the bones (that’s cow rib bones, of course). 

Listen in on that session, and enjoy a poem from cowgirl poet Purly Gates in this episode of Range:

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