Four Calgary-area artists, each an award-winner in their respective fields of historical writing, music, photography and western poetry, have collaborated on a just-released CD project called One Hundred Years of Thunder: a tribute to the 100th anniversary of the Calgary Stampede.
Singer songwriter Bruce Innes, author Wendy Bryden, photographer Neville Palmer and poet Doris Daley have produced a project that draws from each of their four areas of expertise. The CD itself features 10 original poems (Daley) and ten original songs (Innes) that salute Calgary Stampede themes: pancake breakfasts, Guy Weadick and Flores LaDue, Calgary’s iconic white hat, Outlaw the Bucking Bull, chuckwagon races, Indian Village, cowboy fever, the Big Four…it’s all here and then some. Bryden has written historical essays based on each of the past 10 decades of the Stampede, illustrated by Palmer’s breathtaking photographic art in the CD liner note booklet.

Four different disciplines are represented. The CD itself combines poetry and music for a power-packed, emotional and entertaining ride through 100 years of Stampede history. Wendy’s essays and Neville’s photography add an historical and visual element not typically found in your average CD project.
This project is many things on many different levels. The collaboration of photography, essays, music and western poetry make it more than just  another CD. Each set of poetry and music stands on its own….but together listeners experience the essence of the heartbeat of the Calgary Stampede. 100 years of western spirit and rodeo history is worth celebrating, and 100 Years of Thunder serves it up with history, art, music, stories, emotion and cowboy spirit all rolled into one.
The CD is available on the Stampede Grounds at the Calgary Stampede Gift Store and online here.