Why Cowboys Yodel: Around the Campfire at Du Quoin Library
</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[Approximately 60 Du Quoin area children, their parents and friends sat around the campfire at the Du Quoin Public Library Thursday night with cowboy Randy Erwin and learned about life on a trail ride, rope tricks and yodeling as part of the John A. Logan College and Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White literacy project. In an hour's time, children learned about the lore of people like Pecos Bill.
By the way, cowboys didn't sing for fun, they sang to keep themselves awake on the long cattle drives and to keep themselves from getting so bored they shot each other. Most of the singing was around the campfire at night, instead of on the saddle like they show in films.
At least they saved the guitar accompaniment for the campfire. Jimmie Rodgers was one of the most prominent yodelers of old time country as were Lefty Frizzell, Hank Williams, Hank Snow, and Merle Haggard. Yodeling also helped soothe the cattle as they bedded down at night before the start of the next day's long trail ride.