Ports of Boulder (1978)

Genre: Western Swing, Satire

I moved to Colorado in 1978 and almost immediately penned this musical snapshot of my first impressions. I recorded a boom-chick guitar version of the song in my living room and submitted it on cassette tape to the annual Boulder Music Weekend sponsored by local radio station KBCO. For one weekend in October, 1978 this song got 3-4 on-air plays before it disappeared into the ether.

Of the 500 songs submitted, the station received so much listener response for “Ports of Boulder” that the staff selected it for “special honorable mention” for the “clever and entertaining performance.” (It was a “runners-up” category they had not originally intended.)

The town has seen a lot of changes since then; the lyrics are probably in need of update. I offer it now as a fly in amber and leave it to your judgment whether it still pertains after all these years.

The Western swing dance craze was in full bloom when I arrived in Boulder in the late 1970s. This new version is “danceable satire” in that proud cowboy tradition. (Think Bob Wills meets Tom Lehrer.) Happy spinnin’ and grinnin’!

Pairs well with Spotify, Apple Music Playlist “Rocky Mountain Hi!”