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Cowboy Troy

Texas resident Troy Lee Coleman III is commonly known in the music world as Cowboy Troy. The American country music duo Big & Rich—Big Kenny and John Richdiscovered Cowboy Troy and his song, “I Played Chicken with the Train” catapulted his popularity across various genres. Coleman has appeared on mainstream shows like “Dancing with the Stars” and “Nashville Star.”

Growing up, Coleman spent time listening to the music his mom and dad listened to as they were getting ready for work. “A lot of the music they listened to was on Adult Contemporary stations, and they played a mixture of everything. Some of the songs were country songs, but I didn’t know they were county songs. They were just songs Mom and Dad listened to,” Coleman said. “I also listened to music that was popular among my friends.”

While attending college at the University of Texas, Coleman said that is when he started paying more attention to country music. “In college, I started listening to more of the country songs. I also started paying attention to singers like Garth Brooks, George Strait and Clint Black.”

Some Country music fans believe Coleman coined the phrase Hickhop. Coleman said, “I don’t know if I coined that phrase. Some people used to make a joke out of it. I was the one who used that moniker as what I thought my style of music was.” He explained that Hick-hop is rap music with a country sound. “Some people referred to it as cowboy rap, hillbilly rap or hillbilly rhyme. People came up with all kinds of different names. Hick-hop is what I do, and I don’t care how many people laugh at it.”

Coleman said he knew Hick-hop would be popular based on what he observed on the country music scene. “I noticed that the DJ would play the top country songs 45 minutes to an hour, and then he would play rap, rock or dance music. When the rap songs came on, the dance floor was always packed. I noticed that this was a pattern and then I realized that country fans like their traditional country music, but they also like to have a mixture of rap and rock, too,” Coleman explained.

People’s reaction to Hickhop was the inspiration for the title of Coleman’s latest album “Laugh with Me.” “One reason I titled my album ‘Laugh with Me’ is you can’t laugh at me if you’re busy laughing with me,” Coleman said.

Coleman’s “Laugh with Me” album was released in May and includes the popular ballad “As Long as it’s in Texas,” the upbeat song “Party Up” and “Swamp Dancin” which was written as a tribute to the people who live in the swamp. His song “Pork Chop” was selected as the “Porktober” anthem by the national pork board. “I like to make songs about food. I tend to talk about food in my songs a lot, and it worked out,” Coleman said.

The Hick-hop Country music star does more with food than write about it in his songs. He is working on a cooking show called the Hick-hop kitchen. “About three or four years ago I started using #hickhopkitchen because I was always cooking something. I thought it was cool for people to post about what they are eating so I decided to do that too,” Coleman said.

In addition to his new cooking segment, Cowboy Troy’s all-purpose sauce will be on the market soon. “I don’t know what I want to call it yet. It is something that can be used as a marinade, a dipping sauce or a B-B-Q sauce. I’ve let people sample it, and they like it,” Coleman said.

“I am trying to keep everything fresh and new. I think one of the biggest mistakes I could make would be to rely on only the success of music or the success based on hit songs. There are so many things that are required for people to remember that you are that guy. You need multiple points of reference,” Coleman said.

Coleman attributes his business savvy to his education. He earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Texas, and a few years later he started pursuing a Master of Science degree in economics, but he postponed his degree in pursuit of music. He earned an MBA degree and is focused on putting it to use with his upcoming business ventures.

Coleman, his wife Laura and their 11-year-old triplet boys returned to Texas. The triplets enjoy music, too; one plays the clarinet, one plays the baritone, and one plays the tuba. Coleman commented on raising his boys, “Writing music is fun for them. I just let them be kids. I don’t try to push them.”

As Coleman eloquently wrote in his song, “His boots have definitely walked a lot of miles and danced along the way… As long as it’s in Texas, he will be there.”