Baxter Black (January 10, 1945 – June 10, 2022) was an American
cowboy poet and
veterinarian
A veterinarian (vet), also known as a veterinary surgeon or veterinary physician, is a medical professional who practices veterinary medicine. They manage a wide range of health conditions and injuries in non-human animals. Along with this, vet ...
. He wrote over 30
books
A book is a medium for recording information in the form of writing or images, typically composed of many pages (made of papyrus, parchment, vellum, or paper) bound together and protected by a cover. The technical term for this physical ar ...
of
poetry
Poetry (derived from the Greek ''poiesis'', "making"), also called verse, is a form of literature that uses aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language − such as phonaesthetics, sound symbolism, and metre − to evoke meanings i ...
,
fiction
Fiction is any creative work, chiefly any narrative work, portraying individuals, events, or places that are imaginary, or in ways that are imaginary. Fictional portrayals are thus inconsistent with history, fact, or plausibility. In a traditi ...
—both
novel
A novel is a relatively long work of narrative fiction, typically written in prose and published as a book. The present English word for a long work of prose fiction derives from the for "new", "news", or "short story of something new", itsel ...
s and
children's literature
Children's literature or juvenile literature includes stories, books, magazines, and poems that are created for children. Modern children's literature is classified in two different ways: genre or the intended age of the reader.
Children's ...
—and commentary, selling over two million books,
CDs, and
DVD
The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kin ...
s.
Biography
Black was born in
Brooklyn Naval Hospital
Brooklyn Naval Hospital was a hospital in Brooklyn, New York City, within the Brooklyn Navy Yard. It was one of the oldest naval hospitals in the United States, having operated from 1838 to 1948. Two of the structures in the former hospital's sit ...
,
Brooklyn
Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...
,
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
, but grew up in
Las Cruces, New Mexico. In high school, he became the
Future Farmers of America (FFA) president, the senior class president, and lettered in wrestling one year. He began riding bulls in
rodeos while in high school, and continued riding throughout college. Black received his undergraduate degree at
New Mexico State University, and completed veterinary school at
Colorado State University
Colorado State University (Colorado State or CSU) is a public land-grant research university in Fort Collins, Colorado. It is the flagship university of the Colorado State University System. Colorado State University is classified among "R1: ...
, graduating in 1969. He was a practicing veterinarian from 1969 to 1982, specializing in large animals, such as cows and horses. During the last two years of his veterinary career, Black gained popularity through public speaking with over 250 appearances. After this, his career as a poet began. Black also hosted the public television series ''Baxter Black and Friends''.
He wrote a column, spoke on the radio, and had short segments on
RFD-TV
RFD-TV is an American pay television channel owned by Rural Media Group, Inc. The channel features programming devoted to rural issues, concerns and interests. The channel's name is a reference to Rural Free Delivery, the name for the United Sta ...
and
The Cowboy Channel. He resided in
Benson, Arizona
Benson is a city in Cochise County, Arizona, Cochise County, Arizona, United States, east-southeast of Tucson, Arizona, Tucson. It was founded as a rail terminal for the area, and still serves as such. As of the 2010 United States Census, 2010 c ...
, with his wife, Cindy Lou, where they had no cell phone, television, or fax machine. One of his
philosophies of life claims: "In spite of all the computerized, digitalized, high-tech innovations of today, there will always be a need for a cowboy." When asked what made him decide to become a cowboy, he said, "You either are one, or you aren't. You never have to decide."
In late 2021, Black retired from writing and speaking engagements because of health issues. Black's wife, Cindy Lou, reported on January 15, 2022, that he was in hospice care. His son-in-law explained, however, that the hospice consisted of a home health care worker checking on Black every few days because of various medical issues.
Black died from leukemia on June 10, 2022, at his residence in
Benson, Arizona
Benson is a city in Cochise County, Arizona, Cochise County, Arizona, United States, east-southeast of Tucson, Arizona, Tucson. It was founded as a rail terminal for the area, and still serves as such. As of the 2010 United States Census, 2010 c ...
, aged 77.
Radio
Black's radio career began as a chance occurrence. During a news-worthy local event, he submitted some of his work to a radio station. Black specified in an interview, "It was the year
Yellowstone
Yellowstone National Park is an American national park located in the western United States, largely in the northwest corner of Wyoming and extending into Montana and Idaho. It was established by the 42nd U.S. Congress with the Yellowston ...
caught on fire, 1988. We were listening and they didn't have any coverage to speak of, and it was a huge deal in our life. It was a huge deal in Colorado (where I lived) and the sky smelled like smoke and I had this big tumultuous poem about range fire... So I sent them this. I just sent it to "
Public Radio
Public broadcasting involves radio, television and other electronic media outlets whose primary mission is public service. Public broadcasters receive funding from diverse sources including license fees, individual contributions, public financing ...
" in
Washington D.C. And two or three days later I get a call back."
[''Home on the Range with Baxter Black''](_blank)
/ref>
Baxter was a regular commentator for 20 years on NPR beginning in the early '80s, he was a regular commentator for National Public Radio
National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other n ...
's ''Morning Edition
''Morning Edition'' is an American radio news program produced and distributed by NPR. It airs weekday mornings (Monday through Friday) and runs for two hours, and many stations repeat one or both hours. The show feeds live from 5:00 to 9:00 AM ...
.'' ''Baxter Black on Monday,'' the weekly syndicated radio program
A radio program, radio programme, or radio show is a segment of content intended for broadcast on radio. It may be a one-time production or part of a periodically recurring series. A single program in a series is called an episode.
Radio networ ...
, was on the air since 1989, and his weekly syndicated column, ''On the Edge of Common Sense,'' was carried by more than 150 publications
To publish is to make content available to the general public.[Berne Conve ...](_blank)
.
Bibliography
See also
* Waddie Mitchell
Bruce Douglas "Waddie" Mitchell (born 1950 in Elko County, Nevada) is an American cowboy poet. He sometimes performs his poems with a guitarist playing in the background. Mitchell has made eight CDs including '' That No Quit Attitude, Lone Drifti ...
* Red Steagall
* Will Rogers
William Penn Adair Rogers (November 4, 1879 – August 15, 1935) was an American vaudeville performer, actor, and humorous social commentator. He was born as a citizen of the Cherokee Nation, in the Indian Territory (now part of Oklahoma ...
* John R. Erickson
__NOTOC__
John Richard Erickson (born October 20, 1943) is an American cowboy and author, best known for his Hank the Cowdog series of children's novels.
Born in Midland, Texas, he was reared in Perryton in the northern Texas Panhandle. He grad ...
* Kinky Friedman
References
External links
Official website
''Cowboy Poet Appreciative Of Rural Life''
''Parade Offers More Than A Whiff Of The Old West''
Baxter Black
on IMDb
IMDb (an abbreviation of Internet Movie Database) is an online database of information related to films, television series, home videos, video games, and streaming content online – including cast, production crew and personal biographies, ...
*
''Legacy of a Rodeo Man'' with Baxter Black
{{DEFAULTSORT:Black, Baxter
1945 births
2022 deaths
Cowboys
Poets from New Mexico
American veterinarians
Male veterinarians
Cowboy poets
People from Benson, Arizona
Writers from Arizona
Writers from Brooklyn