Cowboys For Hire

About Cowboys For Hire

About Cowboys for Hire

Cowboys For Hire is a western music trio comprised of Dennis Schroeder of Thorndale, TX, Noel Lovellette of Holland, TX, and Dave Roland of Lockhart, TX. Each operate their own respective family ranches among other jobs and pursuits necessary to make ends meet for the 21^st century cowboy. They have been performing together since the late 80’s having found a mutual bond in music and ranching. Their music consists of western/cowboy folk ballads, silver screen classics, and contemporary songs befitting the cowboy way of life. Cowboys For Hire have performed for settings ranging from small private parties to large auditoriums. They have performed at the Texas Cowboy Poetry Gathering in Alpine, TX, National Cowboy Symposium, Lubbock, TX, Carl T Sprague Music Festival, Bryan, TX and most recently at the Wharton Cowboy Christmas Festival in Wharton, TX. They also branch into Western Swing, contemporary country music classics, and other cover music with the addition of an available drummer and musicians needed to round out the various styles required to suit your engagement.

About the musicians

Dennis Schroeder plays rhythm guitar, bass, and fiddle. Dennis was raised on a small family ranch near Thorndale, TX. During his college days at Southwest Texas State (that would be Texas State today) he trained horses and rodeo’d some, where he met and befriended fellow cowboy Glen Moreland, father of Doug Moreland. Fate would bring them back together at the Texas Cowboy Poetry Gathering in Alpine, TX near where Glen and his wife Patty now live. These days Dennis is running the family ranch with his bride Sallie along with his Quarter and Paint horses. Dennis has expanded his music into Gospel and Praise music with the praise team “Created To Praise” from Thorndale, TX.

Noel Lovellette plays rhythm guitar and mandolin. Noel is one of our true American heroes having served in Viet Nam while in the Air Force. Our hats are off to those with the courage to serve our country. Don’t let his gray hair fool you; he can still jump into the pen and sort cattle with the best of them, and does frequently on the cow/calf operation he runs near Holland, TX with his bride Margie. Noel comes from a musical family where all of his siblings played various instruments. He has a great vocal range and we use him from baritone to high tenor, and his love for bluegrass has its influence on the music as well. Noel has had numerous bands of his own throughout the years and has an extensive memory of songs from which to recall.

Dave Roland plays fiddle, rhythm guitar, and bass. Dave was raised in the west Texas town of El Paso and also spent some years in Ruidoso, NM where he learned to ride and train horses at a nearby rent horse stable. Working cattle ranches during his high school and college years taught him horse shoeing and other cattle handling skills that would be invaluable at his own ranch near Lockhart, TX. His early experiences on some of these remote west Texas and southern New Mexico ranches exposed him to many of the cowboy songs and ballads that are part of what makes Cowboys For Hire what it is today. As the primary fiddler for the trio, he has always loved the music of Johnny Gimble, former fiddler for Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys. Dave is in pursuit of Johnny's style as he continues to expand his expertise on the fiddle.