What's The Connection? Cheyenne

Cheyenne always sounded more like a place than a people to me. Maybe that's because I grew up with the television show before I knew much about the history behind the name. That turns out to be fitting, because this Connection wanders back and forth between the people, the places named after them, and whatever else borrowed the name along the way. If you want to Jump On It instead, the Apache are only a click away. This one is plainly different.

What's The Connection? Cheyenne

01 Hanoi Rocks - Cheyenne

02 The Ken Darby Singers with Orchestra - Cheyenne

03 Ennio Morricone - Farewell To Cheyenne

04 Bo Diddley - Cheyenne

05 John Stewart - Cheyenne

06 Jason Derulo - Cheyenne

07 Joe Nichols - Old Cheyenne

08 George Strait - I Can Still Make Cheyenne

09 The Hold Steady - Cheyenne Sunrise (2018 - Remaster)

10 Kansas - Cheyenne Anthem

11 John Denver - Shipmates And Cheyenne

12 Garth Brooks - The Beaches Of Cheyenne

13 Fishbone - Cheyenne Star Forever Moore

14 Guided By Voices - Cheyenne

15 Bill Monroe - Cheyenne

16 Micky & The Motorcars - Rock Springs To Cheyenne

17 Bobby Darin - Shipmates In Cheyenne

18 Roy Orbison - Cheyenne

19 The Ataris - The Cheyenne Line

20 The Fuzztones - Cheyenne Rider

21 Pistol Annies - Cheyenne

What's The Connection? Apache

Apache always makes me think of Taza. He was my first dog as a kid. His dad was a show dog named Cochise (look him up), so somebody decided to keep the theme going. Taza was extremely well trained, although he never had much of a show business career. My brother and I spent plenty of nights sleeping in his spot with him anyway. I got the dog because my doctor said I was allergic to dogs and my pop called nonsense on that. His solution was simple. Put me around dogs all the time and I'd get over it. Back then we also thought seat belts weren't really needed. We lived. Decades later I still have boxers, and I am still allergic. Pop wasn't completely right, but he wasn't completely wrong either. Somewhere in there is the Connection. We weren't brave, just thought differently.

What's The Connection? Apache

01 Mike Oldfield - Cochise

02 Red Hot Chili Peppers - Apache Rose Peacock

03 Ted Nugent - Geronimo And Me

04 Modern Talking - Geronimo's Cadillac

05 Gianni Oddi - Geronimo

06 Sugarhill Gang - Apache (Jump On It)

07 Incredible Bongo Band - Apache (Grand Master Flash Remix)

08 Johnny Cash - Apache Tears

09 Nancy Sinatra - Geronimo

10 Michael Martin Murphey - Geronimo's Cadillac

11 Elton John - Indian Sunset

12 Los Straitjackets - Lonely Apache

13 The Shadows - Geronimo (Stereo)

14 Sheppard - Geronimo

15 Les Elgart & His Orchestra - Geronimo

16 Bow Wow Wow - Uomo Sex al Apache

17 Bobby Valentin - Geronimo

18 Audioslave - Cochise

What's The Connection? Cherokee

There are a lot of ways to land on Cherokee, and this one covers more ground than most. It opens stretched all the way out, then snaps back into something more familiar and keeps shifting from there, bouncing between styles that don’t usually line up but manage to hold together anyway. The Indian connection is easy, but the approaches are all over the place, sometimes straight, sometimes barely related at all. Even Cher makes sense once you get there, which is kind of the whole point.

What's The Connection? Cherokee

01 Billy Ray Cyrus - Trail Of Tears

02 Gordon Lightfoot - Cherokee Bend

03 Jimi Hendrix - Cherokee Jam

04 Chet Baker - Cherokee

05 Manowar - Spirit Horse Of The Cherokee

06 Jerry Harrison - Cherokee Chief

07 Merle Haggard - Cherokee Maiden

08 Robbie Robertson - Cherokee Morning Song

09 Europe - Cherokee

10 Canned Heat - Cherokee Dance

11 kd Lang - Sweet Little Cherokee

12 Steve Howe & Martin Taylor - Cherokee Ridge

13 Paul Revere & the Raiders - Indian Reservation (The Lament Of The Cherokee Reservation Indian)

14 Hot Club Of Cowtown - Cherokee Shuffle

15 Beau Brummels - Cherokee Girl

16 Michael Martin Murphey - Cherokee Fiddle

17 Joni Mitchell - Cherokee Louise

18 Onie Wheeler - White Lightning Cherokee

19 John Denver - Trail Of Tears

20 Moon Mullican - Cherokee Boogie (Eh-Oh-Aleena)

21 Cher - Half Breed

Western Connection (Cowboys and Indians)

What's the Connection? became a lot about themes in song titles. Was this word or another used in the title of the song. That isn't that difficult to do, if you have all your songs cataloged by album and artist. But it's harder to get a theme like Westerns done, because you have multiple things going on at the same time. Watching old westerns to me means time with my dad going to the movies and seeing The Magnificent Seven, Little Big Man, Red Sun, etc. Usually Cowboys and Indians. Back then there was no PC term. I was a proud member of the Y-Indian Guides as a kid in the probably made up tribe name: the Wa-Kay tribe. But we took it seriously. So here are some of my favorite songs reminding me of Westerns. Click the cover as usual. And if you have any favorite songs of yours that remind you of Westerns, make sure to leave a comment 

WTC Westerns

01 Wall Of Voodoo - The Good, The Bad And The Ugly-Hang 'Em High (Live)

02 Big & Rich - Save A Horse (Ride A Cowboy)

03 Kylie Minogue - Cowboy Style

04 Glen Campbell - Rhinestone Cowboy

05 Goober & The Peas - Funky Cowboy

06 Don Armando's Second Avenue Rhumba Band - I'm an Indian, Too

07 Pet Shop Boys - Go West

08 Steve Miller Band - Space Cowboy

09 Camper Van Beethoven - Cowboys from Hollywood

10 Gichy Dan - Cowboys and Gangsters

11 Paul Revere & the Raiders - Indian Reservation (The Lament Of The Cherokee Reservation Indian)

12 Ted Nugent - Snakeskin Cowboys

13 Frank Zappa - Theme From 'Bonanza'

14 Escape Club - Wild Wild West

15 Boys Don't Cry - Wanna Be A Cowboy

16 Bow Wow Wow - Cowboy

17 Outlaws - Gunsmoke

18 Electric Light Orchestra - Wild West Hero