Sourdough Slim

Though there’s nothing that can take the place of a live Sourdough Slim performance (the Howdy Doody outfits and vaudevillian showmanship are an inseparable part of his undeniable charm), but a recording is the next best thing. Slim’s latest, Six-Guns ’n Sage, is a thoroughly entertaining collection of cowboy songs, many of them originals. “The only accordion-playing yodeling cowboy ever to grace the stage of Carnegie Hall”—all the way from Paradise, Calif., no less—is enchanting here, with his humor, fine musicianship (on accordion, guitar, harmonica and baritone ukulele) and award-winning yodeling. John Girton (of Dan Hicks fame) joins Slim (a.k.a. Rick Crowder) on some tracks on guitar, bass and French horn. Local clarinetist Pam Laughlin appears on the jaunty Slim original, “I Like the Desert in the Fall.” Slim’s version of “Barnacle Bill” is a complete scream (again, even better live), with him singing both the part of Bill and the part of the Olive Oyl-like fair maiden. Available at www.sourdoughslim.com.