In 2003 KSJD our local Public Radio station put out a request for DJ”s and said they would train. With a little free time on my hands and a love of Western Music I jumped on this opportunity to play the music that I loved. Training was easy I showed up at the studio and the DJ there at the time explained this button/slide controls the live mike these are the CD player controls and this one brings the automation back up. He asked what was my show’s name, I had no clue then he asked for the first song I was going to play that was easy Don Edwards doing Colorado Trail. Sammie Coulon fellow Cowbelle was with me and between us CowTrails was born! Donnie wished me luck and said see you next week!

In my search for more Western Music to share with my listeners I started attending festivals and gathering. CowTrails was received well and music came in by the boxes. I was now starting to interview artist whenever I could … inviting them into the studio and bringing live music to the Studio. This just peaked my enthusiasm for the genre more. I started looking for venues that would support this music. The Lewis Arriola Community Center hosted by KSJD brought in Jim and Jeanne Martin for a fundraiser, we had a great time. Mancos Opera House/VFW was the next venue, our first group was out of Texas “Palo Duro”! But times change and we move on. I then started hosting events “House Concerts” for these outstanding artists and continue to this day. This is a nonprofit all monies go to the entertainer for expenses incurred. This continues to be a way to build a larger fan base for the artists and the genre. I have hosted as many as 16 in one summer season or as little as one. Family entertainment is the focus and all are welcome.

I as a DJ have been recognized by The Western Music Association, The Western Swing Guild and The Academy of Western Music. These awards are a great honor to receive but pale in comparison to the friends and fans of this Awesome journey called “CowTrails”!

Always Your Western Belle,

I've been in the music business many years. Started writing songs for Garth Brooks and others before I began my own recording career with "Another Man's Sky" on Warners in the late 90's. Being a writer and an artist combined, i got to know what resonated with my fans. A DJ, if he or she is a good one and is listening to the fans, well, they learn that too. People are tuned into the Western Belle while the rest of radio cries for ratings. Shows that make it make it because the one bringing it to you loves what they are doing, and cares about their fans. The Western Belle gets a 5 star rating from this cowboy.

~ Royal Wade Kimes

Western Belle's dedication to marking trails through musical meldings, from high and dry lands, to sultry, weeping mires of sound, and sharing her incredible collection of tunes with as many listeners as she can gather, is nothing short of a labor of love.
When it comes to classic country/western performers and history, I know few people as knowledgeable. But there's little restraint to the parameters - the fences - of her melodic herding style, the ranges and water both wide, by turns, and unencumbered.
It's her nature to listen to musicians, new and old, songwriters and singers, and gather the best there is out there on wide musical ranges, and bring them in, for y'all.
I suggest you listen

`~ Brooksie

Barb, thank you for dusting off these old Western and Country songs, they are truly a treasure and bring back the days of yester years , please keep on keeping the faith for all of us out here.
~Dell Owens BMI Songwriter

The Western Belle" pours her immense love and vast knowledge into choosing the music she plays. What makes her a cut above is that she understands the history, the deepest roots and vast influences of the music. As a result she is not afraid to cut fences, cross boundaries or break rules - which after all is the very tradition of the old West.

~ Gary Allegretto