You’ve heard the names of Old West gunfighters: “Wild Bill” Hickok, “Doc” Holliday, Wyatt Earp. You’ve watched Hollywood’s versions of their lives. Now, relive and celebrate their experiences in person with the Arizona Gunfighters.

When Bob and Dale Charnes moved to Arizona in 1992, they searched in vain for an Old West reenactment group similar to the one they had helped create in California. Instead of settling for one of the many good comedy groups in the area, they joined forces with the late “Corky” Corkran in 1993 to form the Arizona Gunfighters. With an active cast of at least sixty reenactors who play different characters with every show, the group travels around the state—mostly in the greater Phoenix area—with a complete Old West town in tow to recreate familiar historical periods. The group transports guests to James Butler “Wild Bill” Hickok’s time in Abilene, Kansas in 1871 or John Henry “Doc” Holliday’s era in Las Vegas, New Mexico in 1879. Their most popular show, however, holds special meaning for Arizonans. It is the famous—or shall we say infamous— gunfight in Tombstone.

The town they set up is not a movie set of false building fronts—except for the Mercantile, which hides the sound equipment (shh!)—but rather is comprised of complete buildings. It takes three and a half to five hours to assemble, and breaks down into pieces small enough for their trailer. It comes complete with jail wagons, stagecoaches, a saloon, a hotel, and much more.

The Arizona Gunfighters are committed to portraying these familiar events as accurately as possible, clearing up some faulty but common notions—all except for one: it is far less exciting to say that the Tombstone showdown took place in a vacant lot near Fremont Street than saying it happened in the OK Corral. (Well, it did take place near the OK Corral.)

This group, which sometimes performs in Vegas and even performed at Super Bowl XXX, also provides a five-hour “Wild West Experience,” in which they shuttle a group of people out to ranches or Western towns for a full-out Old West food and entertainment experience. Every March, they take part in the National Festival of the West at Rawhide at Wild Horse Pass. On November 3, Arizona Gunfighters will host a gunfighter rendezvous at the Pioneer Living History Museum. With a direct descendent of Wyatt Earp in the group, the Arizona Gunfighters are definitely a piece of living history.

For booking and schedule information, visit arizonagunfighters.com. If you wish to join the Charneses and the rest of the Old West enthusiasts, call Bob Charnes at (480) 986-1800.

Cowboys may comprise a large part of Arizona history and culture, but Native Americans make up an equally vital component of the Old West—and our continent today. The Yellow Bird Indian Dancers is a family dance troupe formed by Ken Duncan Sr., a full-blooded Apache Indian from the San Carlos Reservation in Arizona, and his wife Doreen, a Plains Indian from North Dakota. The troupe includes the enthusiasm and singing and dancing talents of their seven sons, one daughter, and two granddaughters. The ages of these young people span from little 3-year-old Nalani to 27-year-old Ken Jr.

Duncan says he and his wife “caught the performing bug” when they were asked in college to perform for presidents Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter. Although they began performing only in the Valley and soon thereafter in surrounding states, an invite in the nineties to share their native culture with Austrians in historic Vienna sparked a life of international adventures. From Ireland, to Italy, to Scandinavia, and to Eastern Europe, the Duncans have traveled extensively throughout the world, even performing for royalty. While in Denmark, Queen Margrethe requested a private encore for her grandchildren at her summer palace, and the queen of Tonga asked to see them during her visit to the Valley. Traveling with goats and sheep on airplanes is one of their more zany experiences.

Duncan expressed a sense of honor and joy as he spoke of their opportunities to represent not only Apache and other Native American cultures, but all of America. In fact, the State Department has used the Yellow Bird Indian Dancers as goodwill ambassadors on many occasions. Before their July visit to Central America on one such mission, they were granted rare and privileged access to several closed Asian countries—including Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Kazakhstan—where the presidents requested a taste of America but only permitted Native Americans to visit. While there, the Duncans visited schools and museums in the capital cities, performing and handing out U.S. flag pins. There is hope that improving relations with such countries will in turn improve relations with their neighbors, which include Iraq, Iran, and Afghanistan. In fact, Duncan says, while in Turkmenistan, Iranian musicians took part in as many photographs as possible with the family for the media.

The troupe’s shows incorporate storytelling, singing, powwow dancing from Doreen’s culture, and Southwest dances like the Eagle Dance and the Hoop Dance. One son, Tony, is a four-time world champion Hoop Dancer, and has just submitted the latest of his four albums for Grammy consideration. His group, Estunbah (meaning “music for the women”), also uses native flutes traditionally used for love songs in their promotion of respect for both culture and women.

As proud citizens of Arizona and America, goodwill ambassadors of the State Department, and recipients of the governor’s Arizona Culture Keepers award (awarded them by Governor Napolitano), the Yellow Bird Indian Dancers work hard to create a positive image for Indians and other Americans. They look forward to a trip to Bahrain early next year, and the pending opportunity to be a part of the opening ceremonies at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, China.

To book the Yellowbird Indian Dancers visit their website at yellowbirdproductions.com. Schools may also book them through the Arizona Commission on the Arts, which help with funding.

For the past fifteen years, Arizona resident Gary Sprague has been known as The Singing Cowboy. It’s a title he is proud of, and his job is a lifelong dream fulfilled. Most guys in their forties can now afford to revert back to 25 and do those things they never had a chance to do, Sprague says. Sprague himself is 56, and says he instead chose to revisit his childhood and explore being 6 again. As a young boy, he revered the great men of the old TV westerns like Roy Rogers and Gene Autry. “The point of old movies was relationships, not gunfights,” Sprague reminisces, “and they were really fun to watch.” Cowboys were a big deal to the small screen and the silver screen in the 1950s, and Sprague was captivated. He wanted to do what these old cowboys did.

He began playing the guitar and singing in the sixties, but what began as hobbies have now morphed into a career—and a way of life. Accompanied by his trusty horse Dusty (preceded by Steele, who is now retired but still does the occasional show), Sprague rides into the spotlight singing songs from the Rogers and Autry era, recounting humorous cowboy poetry and stories, and even doing a little gun twirling. Dusty is a friend and entertainment partner and not a prop, and also does some tricks. But whatever the activity, everything is light and humorous. For Sprague and his personality, there could be no other way.

Sprague and Dusty travel throughout Arizona and neighboring states like California, New Mexico, and Colorado, as well as other parts of the country, during which time Sprague occasionally allows his horse some R&R. Dusty won’t settle for anything less than a first-class seat, but nobody will pay for it, Sprague jokes.

Sprague also takes pleasure in bringing back the old time cowboys for future generations, educating and entertaining children through appearances at elementary schools, libraries, and birthday parties. Most of his shows are performed for private audiences, but starting the first week of November and extending through the winter, Sprague will be in Old Town Scottsdale on Saturday afternoons.

Living out his dream is not optional for Sprague. His job is therapeutic for him. He says his wife once told him that she would never ask him to stop doing music because it is who he is and what makes him happy. Perhaps, then, Gary Sprague can inspire more than the preservation of Old West cowboy history.

For booking and schedule information, contact Gary at (480) 488-8281 or gary@thesingingcowboy.com. More information at thesingingcowboy.com.