Sponsored by the community’s Lions Club, the First Annual Bluegrass Festival in Unionville, Mo., from Thursday, June 25 through Saturday, June 27, promises to be an entertainment extravaganza for music fans.

This event will also serve as the community’s 4th of July celebration. Though there will be bluegrass performances on Thursday, June 25, the evening’s main highlight will feature R. W. Hampton and his beloved guitar at 7 p.m. Blessed with a wonderfully rich baritone voice, that singing cowboy has a genuineness about him that resonates when he’s on stage, in person, or just through the words of his songs.

Born in Texas to be a cowboy, R. W. lived and worked on ranches all over the American West. Whether driving cows, singing around campfires, or leading horse rides in the high country, R. W. knew it was the life he was destined for. His parents were eager for him to attend college and get an education, which he tried, but he soon found more interest in riding a horse and playing his guitar. Consequently, he left school, loaded his saddle and headed to New Mexico. Eventually, he drifted to ranches in other states to realize his dreams.

During his wrangling years R. W. played guitar and sang cowboy and western songs, an interest he pursued since high school. He also wrote songs based on his traveling cowboy experiences. Most of the time he played and sang to entertain in bunkhouses, around campfires and at roundup wagons, but periodically he was invited to sing in public. As time passed, he received more invitations that often paid more than cowboy wages.

In 1988, he decided to switch from his ranch job and make a living by playing music. Invitations soon included performances at rodeos, cowboy poetry gatherings, performing art centers, churches, corporate events and private functions. He gradually earned an esteemed reputation for being a “traveling cowboy singer.”

R. W.’s resume grew. In 1985, he worked in Kenny Rogers’ movie “Wild Horses.” The role gave him the opportunity to sing and play his guitar in the film and to work with Ben Johnson, Robert Farnsworth and Buck Taylor. He has since appeared in 10 movies, including “The Tracker” with Kris Kristofferson and Kenny Rogers, “The Gambler III” and a documentary of the American cowboy.

Along the way, R. W. has performed all over the United States including the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville and The Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D. C.  He has appeared at cowboy events in Australia and Brazil.

R. W.’s peers in western entertainment have honored his performing and songwriting many times. The Academy of Western Artists has named him Male Vocalist of the year on several occasions.

One of his most creative efforts is the one-man stage play, “The Last Cowboy,” he wrote with his brother, Jeff, and playwright Dave Marquis in 1993. Set in the year 2025, R. W. plays an aging cowboy who recounts the history of the American cowboy through monologue and song. R. W. has 11 albums to his credit.

Kevin Collins, a local Baptist pastor, says of R. W., “Him and his guitar are inseparable. Traveling music is his specialty. Fans will thoroughly enjoy his old cowboy and gospel songs.”

Today, R. W. lives with his wife and family on their New Mexico ranch. When he’s not headlining at cowboy poetry gatherings and western music events across the nation, he spends most of his time on the ranch doing the cowboy work he loves. His life is guided by faith, his love for his family, and his desire to share cowboy life with his audiences.  Music fans will adore his style.

 An impressive fireworks display will begin at darkness on Saturday. Camping in the City Park is on a first come basis.