Never Give a Heifer a Bum Steer

Joanna Dodder, The Daily Courier (Prescott)
"You can't talk to Marshall Trimble without hearing a joke, and he's cut loose with some of his folksy best."

From the Publisher
Arizona's official historian Marshall Trimble deftly blends his background in history, folklore, tall-story telling, and balladeering to create usually rowdy, sometimes bawdy, and always hilarious humor. If the characters in his book were real, the West would have been lost. Take the Looney Brothers. They were advised that the best way to start a cattle ranch - excluding rustling - was to buy a stout bull and fine heifer and let them go forth and multiply. But they were hoodwinked and the result is summed up in the book's title. Or the vivacious Crystal LeDoux. She became first runner-up in the Miss Arizona contest when her competitor's tractor broke down during the talent show. Or Doc Pringle. His advice for curing insomnia is to get a good night's sleep. Marshall's characters reside in Ash Fork, which he notes is the only town in Arizona never featured in Arizona Highways.

About the Author
Marshall Trimble's roots reach deeply into American military and lawman history. His ancestors were officers in the Revolutionary Army and fought under Andy Jackson at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend and the Battle of New Orleans. The author's great-great-grandfather, Moffett Trimble, was a Texas Ranger under the legendary Sam Walker during the Mexican War. His great-grandfather, Sam Walker Trimble, served in a Texas cavalry regiment during the Civil war and later fought with John Ford's Texas Rangers in the Indian Wars, taking part in the Battle on the Frio, in 1866. Sam Walker Trimble later was a peace officer, professional gambler, and stockman in Texas. Music led Marshall Trimble into writing and teaching Western history. He bought a used Gibson guitar for $5 in 1957 and learned to play while listening to Elvis Presley, Buddy Holly and Johnny Cash records. A couple of years later he attended a Kingston Trio concert and became hooked on folk music. In 1963, he joined a folksinging group called the Gin Mill Three. The group cut four records and played in Las Vegas, Reno, Lake Tahoe, and San Francisco. A promoter changed their name to the Prairie Boys, hoping it would present a cleaner image. The group broke up after two years when one member got drafted and another got married. Trimble returned to music in 1971 with a folk duo called Donnery and Rudd. "I don't know whether I was Donnery or Rudd," Trimble says. "We took the name from the label on a bottle of Cutty Sark scotch." While studying the origins of folk music, Trimble took an interest in the history of the American West. In 1972, he began teaching Arizona and Southwest history at Scottsdale Community College and at the urging of his students, wrote Arizona: A Panoramic History of a Froniter State. The book, published by Doubleday, became a best seller. During the mid-70's Trimble began singing folk tunes again, with an emphasis on old cowboy songs and poetry. In 1988, he wrote and recorded Legends in Levis as a tribute to cowboys of the Old West. Trimble's cowboy poetry has been published in national magazines such as The American Cowboy. Marshall Trimble has written thirteen books on Arizona and the West. His most recent, It Always Rains After a Dry Spell, was a national finalist for the Ben Franklin Award. Trimble combines musical talents with his knowledge of history and folklore to entertain audiences with songs, tales, and cowboy poetry. He has appeared on Good Morning America, This Morning, and has opened concerts for such acts as Waylon Jennings, the Oak Ridge Boys, and Jerry Lee Lewis. The Arizona Historical Foundation said of Marshall Trimble: "Warm, witty, intelligent and always entertaining. ... Marshall's homespun wit and unassuming demeanor often serve as a smokescreen to his incisive talents in scholary arenas.


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