Woody Paul

Woody Paul
Chrisman performing at the Poncan Theater in 2008
Background information
Birth name	Paul Woodrow Chrisman
Also known as	Woody Paul
Born	(1949-08-23) August 23, 1949 Nashville, Tennessee
Genres	Western swing
Occupation(s)	Composer, vocalist
Instrument(s)	Vocals, violin
Years active	1976–present
Website	www.ridersinthesky.com

Paul Woodrow Chrisman (born August 23, 1949), better known by his stage name Woody Paul, is an American singer, fiddler, and composer, best known for his work with the Western swing musical and comedy group Riders in the Sky. With the Riders, he is billed as "Woody Paul — King of the Cowboy Fiddlers". He was inducted into the National Fiddler Hall of Fame in 2012 and is "known in the music industry for being proficient and innovative across many musical genres including western, jazz, bluegrass, old-time, and Celtic." He has won two Grammy Awards with his band.

Biography

Early life

Chrisman began playing fiddle when he was 11 years old. He played with Sam McGee and others regularly at the Grand Ole Opry in the mid-sixties. He is also extremely adept at lariat tricks. He attended Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, and has a Ph.D. in theoretical plasma physics from MIT, where he wrote his thesis, "Inertial, Viscous, and Finite-Beta Effects in a Resistive, Time Dependent Tokamak Discharge", Thesis Nuc. Eng. 1976, PhD, supervised by James E. McCune. He returned to Nashville and began playing recording sessions and recorded and toured with Loggins & Messina.

Riders In The Sky

In 1978, Chrisman approached the Riders (then consisting of just Douglas B. Green and Fred LaBour) backstage after a show and inquired about joining the group. Shortly before Chrisman approached the Riders, Williams "Bill" Collins had just left the group, so Green and LaBour were already looking for a replacement member, and Chrisman seemed like the perfect fit. Chrisman's first show with the Riders was at the 1978 Kentucky State Fair. As of 2024, Chrisman is still with the Riders.

Songwriting

Prior to joining the Riders, Chrisman had already written "Blue Bonnet Lady" and "Cowboy Song" (both of which would be featured on the Riders' first album, Three on the Trail). Chrisman also wrote "So Long, Saddle Pals", what many would consider the Riders' equivalent of "Happy Trails".

Notable filmography

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1977	Showdown At The Hoedown	Himself	PBS Documentary
1982	Twilight Theater	Woody Paul	Member of Riders In The Sky
1983-1985	Tumbleweed Theater	Woody Paul and other characters
1989	Hee Haw	Woody Paul	Member of Riders In The Sky Season 22, episode 5
1990	Christmas The Cowboy Way	Woody Paul	TV special
1991	Riders in the Sky	Woody Paul	13 episodes
1993	A Riders In The Sky Christmas	Woody Paul	TV special
1995-1996	Riders Radio Theater: The Television Show	Woody Paul and other characters	Four Episodes
1996	America's Music: The Roots of Country	Himself/Woody Paul	Member of Riders In The Sky
1998	Barney & Friends	Woody Paul	Member of Riders In The Sky Episode: "Howdy, Friends!"
2003	Duck Dodgers	Saloon Robot (Voice)	Member of Riders In The Sky Episode: "The Wrath of Canasta"

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1985	Sweet Dreams	Member of The Jordanaires	Credited as "Opry Band"
1985	Wild Horses	Woody Paul	Member of Riders In The Sky
1999	Toy Story 2		Member of Riders In The Sky Performer: "Woody's Round-Up"
2003	Country Music: The Spirit of America	Woody Paul	Member of Riders In The Sky
2006	Stanley's Dinosaur Round-Up	Woody Paul (Voice)	Member of Riders In The Sky
2015	The Cartoon Cowboys	Woody Paul (Voice)
2015	Music City U.S.A.	Himself/Woody Paul	Member of Riders In The Sky

External links

• Riders in the Sky website