Cowboy Troy - Not your everyday country music star
Cowboy Troy is one of the few current African American country music artists around. Cowboy Troy was born on December 18, 1970 in the Dallas-Fort Worth area of Texas. He listened to a wide variety of music including Kenny Rogers, KISS, Run DMC, the Eagles, and LL Cool J, all who influenced his style. Cowboy Troy graduated from Skyline High School and later the University of Texas at Austin with a degree in psychology. Later, he worked as a manager of a Foot Locker in Dallas.
Cowboy Troy began performing in 1989 and developed a style he calls hick hop, which blends various country, rock, rap, and tejano influences. He often raps in Spanish as well as English. He has released three independent albums through Maximedia Production Group and Bull Rush Recordings. “Hick-Hop Hysteria,” released in 2001; “Beginner’s Luck,” 2002; and “Vintage,” 2003. Three songs from these early albums became available as free downloads on amazon.com and became very popular.
Cowboy Troy joined the informal music group, MuzikMafia in 2004. He also appeared on Big & Rich’s first album, “Horse of a Different Color,” rapping on the track “Rollin’ (The Ballad of Big and Rich)”. As a backup vocalist for Big & Rich, he went on tour with Tim McGraw. Cowboy Troy also provided a rap track on Tim McGraw’s ballad “She’s My Kind of Rain.”
Cowboy Troy released his first solo album, “Loco Motive,” through RAYBAW Records and Warner Music Group, on May 17, 2005. The album debuted at Number 2 on Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart. The first single, “I Play Chicken with the Train,” peaked at Number 48 on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart on April 9, 2005; however it was a Number one music download online.
Cowboy Troy, Gretchen Wilson and Big and Rich released “Our America” as a free, limited-time-only download on July 1, 2005. They also performed the song live at the Boston Pops concert on July 4, 2005. “Our America” combines “The Star-Spangled Banner” with a rap version of parts of the U.S. Constitution, Declaration of Independence, Pledge of Allegiance, and Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech. The song peaked at Number 44 on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart, and appears as a bonus track on both Big & Rich’s “Comin’ To Your City” and Gretchen Wilson’s “All Jacked Up” albums.
His next single (released July 20, 2005) was “If You Don’t Wanna Love Me,” a duet with Sarah Buxton. His most recent single, “Hook ‘Em Horns,” was released on February 14, 2006.
Cowboy Troy is currently co-hosting the fourth season of Nashville Star with Wynona Judd on the USA Network. For more information about this unique country artist, visit his website online, or check out the CMT website to find out more about the man and his music.