Hal Cannon

The founding Director of the Western Folklife Center and its famous child, the Cowboy Poetry Gathering, Hal has published a dozen books and recordings on the folk arts of the West including his best selling anthology, Cowboy Poetry, A Gathering.



Cannon and producer Taki Telonidis contribute regularly for National Public Radio’s Weekend Edition Sunday, and Public Radio International’s The Savvy Traveler and Marketplace . Their recent TV documentary, WHY THE COWBOY SINGS has been awarded an Emmy Award and was aired nationally by PBS in the fall of 2003. Their high definition short was recently featured at the Tokyo Video Festival.



Cannon has been awarded three Wrangler Awards from the Cowboy Hall of Fame, Oklahoma City; the 1998 Will Rogers Lifetime Achievement Award in Fort Worth; the distinguished alumni award from the University of Utah Communications Department in 1999, the Utah Governor’s Award in the Arts in 1999, and the Utah Governor's Award in the Humanities in 2002. He serves as the laureate for the Alta Club.



A trustee of the Fund for Folk Culture, Hal also serves on the board of Grantmakers in the Arts and Smithsonian Folkways. He is an occasional touring musician, speaker and consults regularly in the areas of philanthropy, rural and folk arts, and in media arts.

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