12/03/2004 R.W. Hampton named Western Music Association's Male Performer of the Year New Mexico recording artist R.W. Hampton has been named 2004 Male Performer of the Year by the Western Music Association. The award was presented at the 16th Annual International Western Music Association Awards Banquet held in Albuquerque, NM, on November 20, 2004. Hampton, who was clearly pleasantly surprised by the win, stated how much he appreciated the WMA and what they are accomplishing within the industry. A Western music industry leader for over a decade Hampton has eight albums and numerous industry awards to his credit including honors from the Academy of Western Artists as the Male Vocalist of the Year, (1996, 1999 & 2002), Entertainer of the Year (1996), and for Album of the Year - Ridin' the Dreamland Range (1997). In 2001 he was awarded the National Cowboy Hall of Fame's Wrangler Award for his album The Last Cowboy - His Journey. This is Mr. Hampton's first Western Music Association award, although he has consistently been one of the top nominees in several categories over the past ten years. Hampton is considered by many to be one of America's few remaining authentic "singing cowboys". Having grown up in suburban Texas, he left just out of high school to work on some of the biggest ranches around the country. Hampton spent years living in remote line camps or out with the wagon and many of his most popular songs have originated from those days cowboying for a living on ranches across the West. Hampton now lives with his wife, Lisa, and their family on their place, the Clearview Ranch, at the foot of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains south of Cimarron, New Mexico. In between headlining across the nation at cowboy poetry gatherings and western music productions, he spends time at the ranch doing the work he loves. His life is guided by his faith, his love for his family, and his desire to share cowboy life with his audiences. If you would like to know more about R.W. Hampton please visit his website, www.rwhampton.com For CDs, press kits, interviews, and further information about R.W. Hampton, please contact our office: Cimarron Sounds/Hampton Land & Lyrics PO Box 150 Cimarron, NM 87714 Tel: (505) 483-0042