The National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City, OK, will host the 59th annual Western Heritage Awards, April 12 – 13, 2019, in celebration of creative works in literature, music, film, and television that reflect the significant stories of the Western genre.

This year, legendary Hollywood actor Kevin Costner will be inducted into the Hall of Great Western Performers along with notable musical and screen performer Howard Keel (1919 – 2004). Inductees into the Hall of Great Westerners for 2019 are Clark McEntire (1927 – 2014), three-time world champion steer roper and father of country music icon Reba McEntire, and George McJunkin (1851 – 1922), a cowboy and former slave who discovered the first Folsom archaeological site.

“As the preeminent recognition of quality in Western-themed works for nearly 60 years, the Western Heritage Awards celebrates and encourages the creation of Western literature, music, and film with true merit,” said Museum President & CEO Natalie Shirley. “We are excited to once again honor a group of creative individuals who hold steadfast to Western ideals while creating new and groundbreaking works.”

Also recognized will be Dave Stamey, cowboy entertainer and musician, with the Chester A. Reynolds Memorial Award. Named in honor of the Museum’s founder, this award is bestowed on a living honoree who has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to Western values and ideals. Singer and songwriter Michael Martin Murphey received the Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of his nearly 50 years producing celebrated Western music.

The Museum’s Western Heritage Awards was established in 1961 as the pinnacle commemoration of the American West by honoring the legacy of men and women for their works in literature, music, film, and television.  Each award winner and inductee receives a Wrangler, an impressive bronze sculpture of a cowboy on horseback created by Oklahoma artist Harold T. Holden, a 2017 Hall of Great Westerners inductee.

The National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City is America’s premier institution of Western history, art and culture. Founded in 1955, the Museum collects, preserves and exhibits an internationally renowned collection of Western art and artifacts while sponsoring dynamic educational programs to stimulate interest in the enduring legacy of the American West. For more information, visit nationalcowboymuseum.org.

By Press Release