A Little Farther West: Susie and Robert Maxwell Case

A Little Farther West rides high with Buster Scruggs theme

Western music group finds success on TikTok

The Coen brothers’ critically-acclaimed Western film anthology “The Ballad of Buster Scruggs” has steadily gained stature since its 2018 release. Its Oscar-nominated theme, “When A Cowboy Trades his Spurs for Wings,” written by Gillian Welch and David Rawlings, has engendered a number of cover recordings. But none have inspired TikTok creators like the version from Western music duo A Little Farther West.

With their track underlying scores of online videos, the Oklahoma-based group finds the song their most popular over an 11-year, five album career. Consisting of Robert Maxwell Case on electric guitar and vocals and his wife Susie Case on continental combo organ, A Little Farther West relentlessly has championed the Western lifestyle. Their music evokes the spirit of classic Western movie soundtracks, presenting a modern take on the cinematic instrumental and vocal styles of the mid-twentieth century.

Arrangement and inspiration

“When A Cowboy Trades his Spurs for Wings” features A Little Farther West’s signature sound of Robert’s low string “big guitar”, heaped with tremolo and reverb, backed with the classic reed strains of Susie’s Vox Continental keyboard. (Both instruments had a big role in a number of !960’s hits but, ironically, seldom were contained together on the same track.) Topping it all, Robert’s baritone voice tells the song’s story. About the album on which the song appears, reviewer Clayton Edwards states “This is one of the coolest new albums that I’ve come across in quite some time.”  He notes “their arrangements include electric guitar, vocals, a continental combo organ, and not much else.” 

(https://americansongwriter.com/author/claytoned/)

Robert Maxwell Case has been a journeyman entertainer all of his working life. He met his wife Susie during a ten-season run performing in Branson, Missouri. In the summer of 2014, the couple embarked on the collaborative journey of A Little Farther West. “I’ve always loved the workings of a small combo,” muses Robert. “For me, a big inspiration for our group is the sound of Booker T. & The MGs’ recording of ‘Hang ‘Em High’.”

Five albums and counting

With the release of their eponymous first album, they were featured as opening act in concert with Michael Martin Murphey (“Wildfire”). To date A Little Farther West has recorded five albums: “A Little Farther West”, “Mountain Storm”, “God Must Be A Cowboy”, “Christmas On The Line”, and “Vaya Con Dios” (featuring “When A Cowboy Trades His Spurs For Wings”), all on Town & Country Records / Virtual Label. They presently are working on their next full-length release, “Don’t Fence Me In”, featuring the advance first single, “Bonanza”.

According to Cowboy & Indians magazine reviewer Dana Joseph, “With their latest album … the couple offer up what could be the guitar-soaked soundtrack of a hip spaghetti western where the hero really knows how to sit a horse or the not-background music at a cool cocktail party where boots and bolo ties are as de rigueur as dancing.” https://www.cowboysindians.com/2022/03/a-little-farther-wests-vaya-con-dios/

About A Little Farther West

A Little Farther West is based in the Tulsa metropolitan region.The group’s primary website is https://www.alittlefartherwest.world/ and they maintain a presence on FaceBook, X, and Instagram. Their recordings stream on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, and dozens of major music streaming platforms. Physical products are available from Amazon, BandCamp, eBay, and select retailers.

A sampling of the group’s discography shows them mining the Western Writers of America’s Top 100 Western Songs, including covers of: “Cool Water”, “Ghost Riders In The Sky”, “High Noon (Do Not Forsake Me Oh My Darlin’)”, “The Wayward Wind”, “The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance", “South Of The Border (Down Mexico Way)”, and “Bonanza”. And they are not averse to offering the occasional instrumental, including: “Apache”, “El Toro Solitario (The Lonely Bull)”, ”The Western Star (Telstar)”, “Ridin’ The Wind”, “Rhapsidio Sangre De Cristo”, “Buckaroo”, and “Theme From The Magnificent Seven”. Robert’s guitar is a 2022 ocean turquoise Gretsch G6229TG Limited Edition Sparkle Jet BT and Susie’s organ is a 2018 deep orange Korg Vox Continental 61 semi-weighted waterfall keyboard.

Contact: R.M. Case

+1-918-939-9517

alfw@townandcountryrecords.com