Cowgirl trio, yodeler set for Empire Theater

Award-winning Western trio Horse Crazy Cowgirl Band will perform Friday at 7 p.m. at Tekoa’s Empire Theatre as part of their farewell tour. They will be joined by champion yodeler and vocalist Judy Coder and cowboy poet, pianist and humorist Dave McClure.

This lineup of performers will be sharing the stage for the first time.

Horse Crazy recorded McClure’s song “My Horse Knows the Way Home” which was a finalist for the 2012 Western Music Association’s Song of the Year.

The band has twice won the WMA “Best Harmony Trio of the Year” and has been finalist for numerous other honors.

Horse Crazy consists of Lauralee Northcott on bass and vocals, Jennifer Epps on harmonica, percussion and vocals and Kristyn Harris on guitar and vocals.

Northcott, a former teacher, has for 20 years been a guide and cook for Early Winters Outfitters in Winthrop, and has written a book entitled “Tales and Trails of the Pasayten Wilderness.”

Epps, in addition to operating her own small ranch, works as a part-time ranch hand on other outfits as well as a guide and horse wrangler for a wilderness outfitter. Harris, the newest member of the band, is a native Texan and accomplished horsewoman. She is also a yodeler and was finalist for the WMA Crescendo award and was selected as a “Rising Star” at the Kamloops Festival in Canada.

The Horse Crazy Cowgirl Band has been a group for 14 years.

Coder, a native Kansan, has won several awards for her yodeling and performed with the Topeka Symphony Orchestra, Placido Domingo, Riders in the Sky and many other groups. She is a noted composer of choral music and regularly tours throughout the United States and Europe.

Dave McClure, a third-generation rancher in the Nespelem area, is increasingly in demand as a performer and master of ceremonies. He is a pianist, composer and songwriter and has produced a CD of original compositions, many of which are classical in style with a Western flair.

Admission will be $12 for adults, $5 for students and free for ages 12 and under.