PHOTO BY VERN EVANS
“There’s no one else out there like Sourdough Slim. An accordion playing, yodeling, tongue-in-cheek, cowboy-dressed entertainer deluxe. Catchy, uplifting, irresistible, jolly fun,” says Cowboy Magazine editor Darrell Arnold. One of the most original and beloved Western entertainers of our time, Sourdough Slim is a hoot to say the least. The moment this award winning Western showman steps into the spotlight, it’s apparent to everyone that they’re in for a rollicking good time. Ten gallon funny-man Sourdough Slim, transports us to a whimsical world where vaudevillian camp and cowboy lore intermingle to produce grins galore.
Slim, aka Rick Crowder, is a well traveled veteran of stages ranging from The National Cowboy Poetry Gathering to The Lincoln Center’s Roots of American Music Festival and the Carnegie Hall Folk Festival. His fast-paced stage show finds him crooning Western classics, playing accordion, guitar and harmonica, dancing a jig, dishing out hilarious comedic sketches and letting loose with some absolutely mind boggling yodeling. His truly astounding yippie-ti-yi style won him the Academy of Western Artists 2001 Will Rogers Award for “Yodeler of the Year” and 2009, 2010 and 2011 nomination for “Entertainer of the Year” from the Western Music Association.
The Allentown Morning Call proclaims him to be a “One-man Western extravaganza!” The East Bay Express calls him “The most entertaining cowboy singer-yodeler-accordionist extant!” The Newport News Review brandishes him “The W. C. Fields of Western Entertainment” and Via Magazine heralds him “Entertainer extraordinaire!”
Born in Hollywood, California, Rick Crowder spent much of his childhood on a family cattle ranch in the Sierra foothills. But as he explains, “my true calling as a cowboy was not on the range but rather, on the stage.” A childhood cut-up, he developed his comic character, honed his musical and yodeling skills and garnered the nick name “Slim” while performing in several traveling western bands in the 1970’s and 80’s. Sourdough Slim emerged in 1988 when he came up with the idea to meld his experiences into a solo act based on a comical accordion playing yodeling cowhand. He has never looked back.
His seasoned gift for connecting with audiences from the Autry Museum to The Kennedy Center is a true testament to the irrepressible talent and dedication of this unique entertainer.
Sourdough Slim & Robert Armstrong have had the pleasure of sharing their lively roots music with audiences at Carnegie Hall and The Lincoln Center to concert halls, festivals and fairs around the country. With a repertoire of western classics, country blues, vintage jazz and string band favorites from the 1920’s and 30’s, they share a passion for America’s rich musical heritage and they know how to communicate that feeling to an audience. You’ll hear raucous and often heartfelt singing accompanied by a dizzying array of acoustic instruments including accordion, guitar, banjo, ukulele, jug, national steel, musical saw and harmonica. All dished up with a hearty dose of vaudevillian stagecraft making for a delightfully entertaining experience. “Sourdough Slim and Robert Armstrong are flat-out-entertaining fun….with perfect comedic timing and showmanship….outstanding abilities on a variety of instruments, they dazzle audiences. Performances are always fresh and different….something for everyone.” says Margo Metegrano of CowboyPoetry.Com. Sacramento Magazine calls their show “A rollicking evening of outrageous humor and song.”
Sourdough Slim hails from California’s gold country and is the recipient of the Academy Of Western Artist’s “Yodeler of the Year” and a four time nominee for the Western Music Association’s “Entertainer of the Year.” String instrument virtuoso Robert Armstrong is a founding member of the infamous “Cheap Suit Serenaders” and an in demand studio musician who makes his home in Winters, California.
