Cowboy Envy

With Roy Rogers, Gene Autry, and the Sons of the Pioneers on their mantle of idols, Berne' Poliakoff, DeDe Vogt, and Kathleen Hatfield formed Cowboy Envy in 1993 from the same mold used by Riders in the Sky. But as they set out to revive the singing cowboy tradition, they wanted to do it the cowgirl way with vocal harmonies that recall the blended smoothness of the Andrews Sisters. And although they approach the music with all due reverence, they wanted to toss in more than a wink of their sly humor, so the gals are known to fans as Frenchie, Too Short, and Buffalo K, respectively. Poliakoff is the official lead vocalist and self-proclaimed star of the bunch (some call her the "Gracie Allen of the West"). She also pens a number of the less than serious tunes, such as "Born to Be Branded," a poignant tale of life on the range as told from the cow's perspective that appears on their 1999 independent release Real Cowboy Girl. As a bassist, guitarist, vocalist, producer, and engineer, Vogt has worked with a large portion of the Atlanta musical population, from Indigo Girls to Gerard McHugh to Kristen Hall, and she brings all of those skills and more to Cowboy Envy. Providing the chuck wagon feel with her steady strum is guitarist/vocalist Hatfield. Having worked and toured with Indigo Girls led to Amy Ray's Daemon Records releasing their sophomore effort, Wagons Ho!, in 2000, another wonderful collection of songs that hark back to a simpler time, when life's troubles centered around whether the crop would come in or if the price per cattle head would be strong. To have the full experience, see one of Cowboy Envy's live shows which have become somewhat legendary around their homestate of Georgia, complete with whip cracks, big hats, yodels, and broomstick horses.