Robert Joe Vandygriff grew up ridin'
horses and strumming an ol' guitar in Roxton, Texas. He
competed in Saddlebronc and Bareback in the sport of rodeo
as well as working as a rodeo clown and bullfighter
Whether he's performing as a solo
artist at a cowboy gathering or starring in the musical "The
Cowboy Ain't Dead Yet!"
the one comment most often heard is "Wow, what a voice!"
R.J. has the God given talent to walk on a stage in front of
any audience and immediately connect with them. There
is an honesty in his performance, a soulful delivery the
audience recognizes and before the first song or poem is
finished you feel like you've known him all your life.
R.J. is one of those performers who create a moment when he
steps to the microphone. A moment remembered by all
who see him perform. He will silence an audience with
a tender cowboy ballad and a heartbeat later have them
roaring with laughter. His comic timing and
expressions have been compared to the great Red Skelton and
Baxter Black.
He vocal delivery to the talented Don Edwards.
These moments are sometimes referred to as magic, some folks
say it charisma. Whatever you want to call it,
Robert Joe Vandygriff has it and has had it all his life.
R.J.'s favorite saying is "The good
Lord never made a nobody, everybody is a somebody so treat
them that way".
He's lives his life by that saying. When he walks off
the stage he will be there until the last autograph is
signed and the last hand is shook.
It doesn't make any difference how many sold-out tours
R.J. has done, how
many days on the road he survived, how many big name
acts he worked with, how many movies, commercials or TV
series he's done. What matters to a smart promoter,
talent buyer or producer is whether people are in the seats! What matters to
the ticket buyer is
"will this guy entertain me?" R.J. has
made a living in the entertainment industry for over forty
years, not PART-TIME but a
FULL-TIME living ! (though at
times the living was pretty thin)
How many folks can say that?
Is he a
talented entertainer? You bet!
Will your audience walk away pleased? Absolutely!
R.J. lives his life by the cowboy
code on and off the stage. He earned his spurs and has the scars to prove it.
FACTS
"The Cowboy Ain't Dead Yet!" Vol. II
(one of the top five most requested western CD's in 2008-09)
Two Movies
(no, you never saw them)
Numerous commercials
One TV series "Walker, Texas Ranger"
Appeared with the biggest names in Country/Pop/Western Music
As a solo performer R.J. has appeared at major Western
Events across the country
Festivals, High School, College and Civic Auditoriums in the
USA and Abroad
Performing "The Cowboy Ain't Dead Yet!" he has appeared at
Community Theaters,
Colleges, Civic And., Corporate Events, National
Conventions, and Summer Musicals
as well as three years in Branson, MO
Appearances
Lincoln Co. Cowboy Symposium-Ruidoso, NM**Festival of the
West-Scottsdale, AZ
National Cowboy Symposium-Lubbock, TX**Stockman's
Casino-Elko, NV
Westfest-Snowmass, CO**Riverbend Live Concert
Series-Rosenberg, OR
National Cutting Horse Futurity-Fort Worth, TX**National
Chuckwagon Championships-Clinton, AK
MPEC Center-Wichita Falls, TX**Globe News Center for the
Performing Arts-Amarillo, TX
Hopkins Co. Civic Center-Sulphur Springs, TX**Terrell Civic
Center-Terrell, TX
Moe Bandy Theater-Branson, MO**Festival of the
Horse-Springfield, MO
Convention Center-San Antonio, TX**Cal Farley's Poetry
Gathering-TX
Peterborough Music Festival-Peterborough, England
Westham Town Hall-London, England
MOST IMPORTANT FACT
He's a pro on stage and off stage.