Toronto, Canada  ·  Est. 1993  ·  Range Music Group

ReggaeCowboys

Fusing the lilting rhythms of the Caribbean
with the outlaw spirit of the wild west

Thirty years of music  ·  Available now on all platforms

Stream Now

Where the Range
meets the Riddim

Founded in Toronto in 1993, the Reggae Cowboys built a sound that defied easy categorization — fusing the infectious pulse of Jamaican reggae with the rugged imagery and storytelling tradition of the American west. Their name came from a fascination with the little-known role of African-Americans in western history.

Four studio albums released in North America between 1995 and 2005, plus a European compilation on Dixiefrog Records, the band toured nationally for seven years, headlined the Kennedy Center, performed at the Bob Marley Festival in Miami alongside Lauryn Hill, Erykah Badu, and Ziggy Marley, and earned the title of one of the best indie bands in North America. Thirty years on, the catalog endures.

Reggae Cowboys band photo
Selected Highlights
Performed at Bob Marley Festival in Miami with Lauryn Hill, Erykah Badu & Ziggy Marley
Headlined the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Washington D.C.
Title track for PBS "Imaging America" series — Buffalo Soldiers
Named "One of the best indie bands in North America" — Mentos Freshmaker Tour
Radio: AAA, college, NPR, CBC world & specialty stations nationwide
7 years national touring — Reggae on the Rocks at Red Rocks to Sioux Falls Jazzfest

Before It Was a Movement

In 1993, the Reggae Cowboys formed in Toronto with a specific mission: to explore and celebrate the little-known but well-documented history of African-Americans in the American West. One in four cowboys in the frontier West were Black. The Reggae Cowboys built their entire identity — their name, their songs, their imagery — around that buried history.

Three decades later, that same cultural territory became the defining aesthetic moment of mainstream popular music. Beyoncé's Cowboy Carter. Lil Nas X's record-shattering Old Town Road. The "yeehaw agenda." A Rolling Stone feature asking where the Black cowboy moment came from.

The Reggae Cowboys were asking — and answering — that question in 1995.

Further Reading: 'Old Town Road' and the History of Black Cowboys in America  →
Rolling Stone, April 2019

"The band was founded in Toronto in 1993. Their name came from their fascination with the little-known role of African-Americans in western history."

— Original Press Kit, 2004

1993 Reggae Cowboys founded, Toronto
1995 Tell The Truth — Pure/Mercury Records
1999 Rock Steady Rodeo — Rykodisc
2000 Wild West Indian — Dixiefrog Records (Europe)
2003 Stone Ranger — Tumbleweed / Cordova Bay
2005 Pony Xpress — Range Music
2019 Lil Nas X — Old Town Road breaks records
2024 Beyoncé — Cowboy Carter
2025 30 years of Reggae Cowboys catalog — still streaming

The Catalog

Tell The Truth album cover
Tell The Truth
1995
Pure/Mercury Records (US) · Tumbleweed Records (CA)
Rock Steady Rodeo album cover
Rock Steady Rodeo
1999
Rykodisc (US) · Tumbleweed Records (CA)
Wild West Indian album cover
Wild West Indian
2000
Dixiefrog Records (Europe)
Stone Ranger album cover
Stone Ranger
2003 / 2004
Tumbleweed / Cordova Bay Records
Pony Xpress album cover
Pony Xpress
2005
Range Music
Tell The Truth (1995) — Track Listing
01 Hang 'Em High
02 We Ah Come Down
03 Tell The Truth
04 Searchin' For De Outlaw
05 The Stranger
06 Cowboy Riddim
07 Outlaw Man
08 Stone Ranger
09 Crime Stories
10 Barkin' Dogs
11 Run U Outta Dodge
12 Do It To Debt
13 Hotel California
Rock Steady Rodeo (1999) — Track Listing
01 Reggae Rodeo
02 Wild West Indian
03 Like A Rolling Stone
04 Lighten Up
05 Geronimo
06 Road Show
07 Jesse's Theme
08 Because Of The Gun
09 Reggae On The River
10 All That Drinkin'
11 Gold Rush
12 De Agenda
13 Redemption Song
Wild West Indian (2000) — Track Listing
01 Reggae Rodeo
02 Searchin' For De Outlaw
03 We All Come Down
04 Wild West Indian
05 Road Show
06 Do It To Debt
07 Because Of The Gun
08 Cowboy Riddim
09 De Agenda
10 Geronimo
11 Lighten Up
12 Hotel California
13 Hang 'Em High
Stone Ranger (2003/2004) — Track Listing
01 Mr. Hubble
02 Johnny B. Goode (Chuck Berry)
03 María
04 Now N' Forever
05 Jed
06 Concrete Jungle (Bob Marley)
07 Buckin' Bronco
08 Night Train
09 Samedi Soir
10 Night Riders
11 Samedi Soir (Reprise)
Pony Xpress (2005) — Track Listing
01 In The Mix
02 De General
03 Misty Morning
04 Mountain Mama
05 Movie Thru The Storm
06 Loneliness
07 John Brown
08 The Wind Cries Mary
09 Git Out Me Yard
10 World Of Confusion

What They Said

"The best kept secret in Reggae music right now... This group is a breath of fresh air. Their mastery of instruments gives a crossover blend of Hillbilly Western Country music dubbed with Roots Reggae... This is a band that I would love to see perform at Reggae Sumfest as these Cowboys bring the fun back to Reggae."

Jamaica Select, Gargamel U.K.

"The stagnant reggae scene needs a ruff 'n tuff live act like the Reggae Cowboys to revitalize things... look for the band to revive a storied subgenre, sparking heritage-minded resurrections of the wild west reggae of the late '60s and early '70s."

Billboard

"Beautifully crafted blend of riddims makes for a memorable shootout at the conscious dancehall corral... Reggae Cowboys have made a proud, hip, authoritative record loaded with plenty of crossover firepower."

Timothy White, Editor-in-Chief, Billboard

"Seamlessly combining Ennio Morricone's spaghetti-western soundtrack music with Marley and the Wailers' one-drop rhythms, these roots-rock wranglers boast gun-smokin' lyrical appeal and home-on-the-range humor, branding reggae with galloping Western grit."

Rhythm Magazine

"Possibly not since (or before) Bob Marley's I Shot the Sheriff has reggae music so openly flirted with country & western themes."

The Word, Toronto

"They incorporate everything from rocksteady to country and western (or more aptly spaghetti western), alongside tinges of blues and a healthy dose of rock... Their own compositions are just as strong, with the syncopated beat and sinuous-as-a-snake bass counterpointing the western slide guitars, turning genres and assumptions on their heads."

Goldmine

"Full of commercial yet authentic classic reggae a la Steel Pulse. Then there's the stirring Mark Knopfler–Eric Clapton–Carlos Santana guitar."

Orange County Register

"One of the most unusual groups to come forward in recent memory. Playing urban, conscious reggae while decked out in Wild West garb, they combine the pulse of reggae with the soulful influences of Marvin Gaye and Curtis Mayfield, along with an unusually philosophical approach."

CMJ (College Music Journal)

"Combining western music and reggae may sound like an inadvisable gimmick, but the Reggae Cowboys somehow pull it off in a way that appeals to fans of both genres. Fresh, upbeat reggae with a country twang — never straying far from reggae's roots."

The Washington Post

Range Music Group LLC
Independent Record Label  ·  Publishing & Streaming Administration