COWBOY SOUL -- “AMERICA’S PREMIERE BLACK COWBOY BAND”
SET TO RELEASE NEW CD, “MIKE MANN PRESENTS...COWBOY SOUL”

(HOLLYWOOD) - COWBOY SOUL (formerly known as Mike Mann & the NightRiders) are America’s Premiere Black Cowboy Band and creators of a new style of music called ‘Cowboy Soul.’ Mixing the storytelling of Country Music, the rhythm and harmonies of Soul, and the power of Rock, Cowboy Soul is as universal as it is dynamic. The group recently performed live on the KTLA-TV CHANNEL 5 MORNING NEWS in Los Angeles as well as the KUSI-TV MORNING NEWS in San Diego and have been profiled in the LOS ANGELES TIMES and L.A. WEEKLY, among others. The quintet’s new CD, “MIKE MANN PRESENTS…COWBOY SOUL” will be released early in 2006.
Respected Los Angeles industry publication MUSIC CONNECTION (December 2005) reviewed a live Cowboy Soul show at B.B. King’s Blues Club/Universal City: “There are a lot of players in this band and they all have talent,” writes critic Anne O’Neary. “The standout is bandleader Mann, who plays acoustic guitar, harmonica, and handles most of the lead vocals…the group’s energy level projected pure stamina; each member exuded a high level of fervor,” wrote O’Neary. “Cowboy Soul are cultivating a vision that crosses ethnic and music lines, hoping to bring country music to a wider audience…judging by the size of the crowd at B.B. King’s, they just may be on to something. In any case, these guys do it with flair, talent and fun,” O’Neary concluded in her review.
“The real objective of a Cowboy Soul show is to make our audiences aware of the history of Black Cowboys and their contributions to the Western Frontier,” says front person Mike “Miguel Hombre” Mann (lead vocals, guitar, and harmonica). “Black Cowboys played an incredible role in the ‘Real West,’” continues Mann. “Riding the range and driving the cattle to market was not easy work, or anywhere as romantic or popular as depicted in the movies or on television. And even though the Black Cowboy worked hard, proved he was qualified and really helped build the West…this era is now one of the most forgotten periods of African-American history and achievement. If Black Cowboys still rode the trails today, Cowboy Soul is what their trail songs would sound like,” concludes Mann.
Cowboy Soul’s band members sum up their collective band philosophy thusly: “We want our audiences to remember the history of Black Cowboys…(yesteryear’s) Black Cowboy worked hard, proved he was qualified, and really helped build the West. This era is now one of the most forgotten periods of African-American history and achievement. Mostly, Cowboy Soul is about cultivating a vision that crosses ethnic and musical lines, hoping to bring Country music to a wider audience.”
In addition to Mann, Cowboy Soul’s band members are: Ted “T Coop” Cooper (lead and background vocals); Mark “Markie D” Drummond (lead guitar); Tracy “Bone” Hill (drums); and Keith “Beefy Keef” Washington (bass). The group was formed by Mann – a former on-air radio personality and current-day radio commercial and jingle producer – when he was offered to perform as Country-Western role in a local theater production. In the past Cowboy Soul has shared the stage with such renowned acts as R&B crooner Brian McKnight, comedian Sinbad, longtime rockers New Riders of the Purple Sage, and the late Los Angeles-based bluesman, Harmonica Fats. The Autry Museum of Western Heritage, California Country Music Association, National Final Rodeo Party, Real Black Cowboy Film Festival, and the Watts Third World Arts Festival are among the numerous special events Cowboy Soul have performed at throughout the last several years. A Cowboy Soul song was featured on the recent FOX television show, “Trauma Center.”
“The Cowboy Soul (of) Mike Mann & the NightRiders sounds like a knee-slappin,’ tear-in-your-eye good ‘ol time,” wrote Libby Molyneaux in the L.A. WEEKLY. “Your distinctive style of music overwhelmed each audience member and can truly be called ‘Cowboy Soul,” gushed Mark Devenport, Marketing Director for ex-Los Angeles Lakers basketball star Magic Johnson’s “A Magic Weekend” vent at the Great Western Forum as well as the Great Western Rodeo/Music Fest. “We look forward to working with you again!”