Kaden Minor | Living the Cowboy Life He Always Dreamed Of

Raised in the Wasatch Mountains of Utah, Kaden Minor is part of a new generation of Western artists dedicated to preserving the authentic stories, values, and traditions of the American West. A singer-songwriter, horseman, and working cowboy, Kaden writes and performs songs inspired by the people who make their living from the land, drawing from his own experiences on ranches and in the saddle.

Influenced by legendary Western artists such as Ian Tyson, Brenn Hill, and Chris LeDoux, Kaden's music reflects the grit, honesty, and independence that define ranch life. His songwriting paints vivid pictures of the challenges and rewards of life in the West, earning him recognition at cowboy poetry gatherings, Western music festivals, and ranch-country stages throughout the region.

Unlike many artists who sing about cowboy life from afar, Kaden lives it every day. He and his wife, Lindsay, call the Circle H Ranch in Woodruff, Utah home, where ranch work and horsemanship continue to shape the stories behind his songs. His firsthand experience breaking horses and working cattle gives his music a level of authenticity that resonates deeply with audiences who appreciate real Western culture.

Whether he's performing an original song about ranch life, sharing stories from the trail, or keeping the spirit of the cowboy alive through music, Kaden Minor represents the future of Western music while honoring its rich traditions. For him, the dream was never fame—it was living the cowboy life he always imagined and sharing those experiences through song.

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🎵 In This Episode:
• Kaden Minor interview
• Cowboy Music
• Utah Rancher
• Cache Valley Cowboy Rendezvous
• Cowboy Culture

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Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:10

Drake catch a good horse. Take it out a loop. We got a cold to ride and calves bread. I'm on your white horse. Take a good deep seat. You're already making such a head. Six generations on the land. Western blood goes going through your face. Just like your daddy and his daddy's daddy fog. You carry on the jade of fog. You carry on the jade of fog. That sun is rising over stage rush hills. You have your hard time thrill. Don't forget to sacrifice from where the storage came. And don't ever take a remote your name. Don't lose the meaning of your name. Western blood goes flowing through your veins. Mix twist and sweat and a little rain. Just like your daddy and his daddy's daddy for you carry on the jade of heart. You carry on the jade of heart. Pay close attention. Do what you can. Soon enough you'll be a full grown man. Try to walk tall and you gotta feel big shoes. You know just what you're supposed to do. You know exactly what to do. Western blood goes on to your veins. Mix twist and sweat and a little rain. Just like your daddy and his daddy's daddy four. You carry on the jade of fire. You carry on the jade of drink at your best horse. Shake it out a loop. We got colds to ride and calves to break.

SPEAKER_02 3:19

All right. Hey, Caden Minor, welcome.

SPEAKER_00 3:22

Thank you much.

SPEAKER_02 3:23

Welcome to Musical Miles Podcast. I'm your host, Byron Duffin, and this is Caden Minor. We are here in Logan, Utah at the Cache Valley Cowboy Rendezvous. What a cool event.

SPEAKER_00 3:33

Boy, I'll tell you what, yeah, they do a good job here.

SPEAKER_02 3:36

They really do. Have you performed here before?

SPEAKER_00 3:37

Played here last year, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 3:38

Last year. Okay. Caden's a Utah cowboy, and you come from Live Orion Rich County, yeah, Woodruff. Woodruff, that's right. So as the crow flies, it's only 40 miles, you said, but uh, but it's about a two-hour drive.

SPEAKER_00 3:51

Yeah. By the time you pick your way through the hills, it's it's a little bit of a jaunt.

SPEAKER_02 3:55

There's no no easy way to get here, is there? No. Yeah, no. Great. Well, thanks for taking time to sit down with us and tell us your story a little bit about your background. Musically, how how long have you been playing the guitar?

SPEAKER_00 4:08

Um seriously? Yeah. Oh, geez, maybe. Oh. I started I picked it up in seventh grade um for a class there in school, and uh I learned like two chords. I learned the D and the G, I think.

SPEAKER_02 4:24

There you go.

SPEAKER_00 4:25

And then everything else I've kind of had to figure out on my own. So probably seriously, maybe ten years. Okay, I'd I'd pick it up and then find my guitar in my closet again and be like, oh yeah, I remember I have that.

SPEAKER_02 4:36

I I I found myself that unless I pick it up every day, don't ever put it in the closet. Don't ever put it in the case, right? So, of course, uh now in my office I have I think eight or nine guitars that are hanging on the wall, so there's always something available. Even if the one I carry with me is in a case, there's another one there as long as it's always visual, right? So but and and we talked yesterday about this particular guitar. This is a breed love.

SPEAKER_00 4:59

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 4:59

What a beautiful guitar. And you got it from Bren Hill.

SPEAKER_00 5:02

Yeah, he sold this one to me. Um I think he played it on his Painkiller album. In fact, it's he I I think I believe it's the guitar he's got in the album art.

SPEAKER_02 5:13

Um, it's a beautiful guitar, it's got a great guy.

SPEAKER_00 5:16

It sounds, it sounds great, it plays lots better than I do. Yeah, which it really ain't that hard. Well, that's not true.

SPEAKER_02 5:24

No, you play well. I'm impressed. But then again, I'm very easily impressed. So that doesn't say much. I appreciate that. No, uh I I enjoyed and caught a little bit of your your music since we've been here because we had not met you before. That's the hazards of doing what we do. We show up at events like this, lots of new people to meet, and lots of stories to tell. So kind of kind of back up a little bit. You started playing in seventh grade for school, but is there some music in your background? I mean, is your your parents musical? Where'd that where'd that interest in music come from?

SPEAKER_00 5:54

Um, yeah, and on you know, always they grew up. I grew up listening to music, obviously. Sure. Um nobody really plays in my family. I've got anything.

SPEAKER_02 6:03

Today's episode of Musical Miles Podcast is brought to you by Roper Apparel and Footwear. Whether you're chasing songs, loading gear, or standing front row at a live show, Roper blends Western tradition with modern comfort and style, built tough, worn proud, and ready for every mile. Roper, where the west. Music. You said you had an uncle that played.

SPEAKER_00 6:25

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 6:25

Okay. Anybody else?

SPEAKER_00 6:27

Yeah, you know, not really. Um I kind of just picked it up there and took the class to get a credit for junior high, you know. And and uh I did okay. You know, I I learned it I learned, like I say, a D or a G chord and maybe an A, just enough to play like a Chris Ledou song.

SPEAKER_02 6:46

Sure, you know. Well, that's a good one to learn.

SPEAKER_00 6:48

Do you remember what it was? Oh, it was probably 17. Okay. Yeah. Of course I couldn't figure out the intro, but I can, you know, I can just bang away like anybody else. And so um kind of just messed around with it. Um and uh come back to it, dropped it away, you know. And then when I got into high school, I played a little bit more. Nothing, nothing ever like this, you know. I just played in my played in my bedroom walls. Nobody really even knew I played um outside of my immediate family. Um you know, I've always listened to I've always loved cowboy music. I grew up kind of down in the city, I wanted to be a cowboy. Where'd you grow up? I grew up down on the Walsat front, down in in uh Utah Valley, okay. Pleasant Grove American Fork, that area. And uh I just ached for ached for this. So I uh we moved it, my my family moved to Heber, Utah, uh when I was 16. So I was you know, I bought my first horse then, and and that kind of opened up a lot of doors for me, and and then um it would have been right around that time that I started playing that I I discovered Bran Hill's music. Right. I was introduced to him, and it was the equine album, and and from the first line, you know, Stormy throws her head, it was just like there it is, you know. Sure, this is it. Sure. And so I was always a big Ian Tyson fan, always a real big Chris Ledou fan, you know, and then kind of your mainstream country, um, the older stuff, you know, 80s, 90s, when they wrote, you know, the songwriter stuff. When they when they wrote them, they were catchy, you know, and and they put a little thought into them.

SPEAKER_02 8:33

Not saying they don't now, but well, there's some new stuff coming. And they're kind of making a little bit of a resurgence, but we've been lucky enough to have interviewed some great songwriters who have really had an impact on that. But yeah, you're right. The 90s music uh it was different, was different. Yeah, yeah, we got new. We got new stuff coming in, like Zach Top and May Estes. I don't know if you know May, but she's so talented. She she actually you met Skip the other night, Skip Hewing. I didn't meet you. Okay, well Skip Skip just did uh released a new single with Mae Estes. Okay, good. Anyway, but but uh yeah, so so those guys all kind of influenced your music and and and your interest.

SPEAKER_00 9:11

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 9:12

What uh so did you ever take any lessons?

SPEAKER_00 9:14

Uh as far as guitar lessons. Guitar lessons. No, I you know, I I had the I had the class where I learned the three chords and then everything else. I kind of had to just figure it out on my own. So there's holes in my there's holes in my uh in my playing, obviously, and I don't really know what they are because I don't know enough to know what I don't know.

SPEAKER_02 9:32

Well, but you know, I think there's holes in everybody's playing, and that's listen, I've I've talked to a lot of good guitar players, and they all say, Man, I'd love to get through a song without screwing it up too.

SPEAKER_00 9:41

Oh, yeah, well, there's that too, yeah, for sure.

SPEAKER_02 9:43

But but that's just normal, right? So but uh well, so so how many do you do very many events like this a year? Are you playing out much?

SPEAKER_00 9:51

Or yeah, you know, I I kind of get to as many as I can. Um I work I work full-time on on a ranch, like I mentioned, and it's pretty well a full-time sure, you know.

SPEAKER_02 10:02

Most jobs are, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 10:03

And the ranching deal especially. It's really you know, so I try not to abuse it. Sure. I work for some really great guys. Um I work for some really great guys that are really patient with the case.

SPEAKER_02 10:12

Is this a cow calf operation or is it it's not a yearland deal?

SPEAKER_00 10:15

No, it's cow calf operation. So it is and it's a family deal, and we don't, you know, we we don't have a whole lot of it's it's me and two other guys. Okay. Me and the two owners.

SPEAKER_02 10:25

Sure.

SPEAKER_00 10:25

And some for the most part. And then and you know, we've got some younger kids that some kids in high school that come help feed and stuff here and there. But um so it's not like I can just go out and my current employment. But uh so I try not to abuse it, but yeah, I'll I'll hit I'll hit a few every now and again and uh and uh every chance I get, you know, type of deal.

SPEAKER_02 10:48

Now let me ask you this. Have you done much? Have you recorded much?

SPEAKER_00 10:52

Yeah, so I've got I've got two singles out right now. I've got a song called Drifted Snow. Um and that's a it's a song about the winter of 22, 23 was record-breaking. Right. Um and over in my country, I live in winter country anyways, right? And we still had two and a half feet of snow by May 1st. And we're supposed to be able to turn cattle out on public ground on on the summer range May 1st. And we still had two and a half feet of snow by by May 1st. Um, there's guys that had 50% death loss in their calf crop that year. Wow. You know, so I mean, that's what you sell, that's what makes you that's what you pay your bills with on a cow calf operation is your calves. We had guys that were losing 50% of that. It was pretty dark times. Um, it's a co-wrote with Daryl Holden. I think you mentioned.

SPEAKER_02 11:40

Yeah, we interviewed Daryl this morning. Uh big fan.

SPEAKER_00 11:43

He's a he's one of the better lyricists that I've ever come across. Yeah. And he's pretty humble about it. But uh anyway, so that's a co-write with him. Bran Hill was has been a really big mentor to me. He helped me cut it, helped me get it in the studio. Excuse me. And uh, and then I've got another s another single that's called Not a Saint.

SPEAKER_02 12:02

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 12:02

And it's out as well.

SPEAKER_02 12:03

Um now these are on Spotify. Yeah, wherever you wherever you take them. Yep.

SPEAKER_00 12:08

Okay, yep. Um anyways, not a saint is just kind of a song about uh the human perspective, I guess. You know, everybody, everybody knows they could be doing better and and not and so well if that makes sense.

SPEAKER_02 12:24

Yeah, yeah, no, it makes total sense. We're all we're all heathens in our own right, right? Especially me. Yeah. Anyway, well, uh well, we we enjoyed listening to you this weekend and and getting to catch little bits and pieces. They have this set up pretty cool. There's actually four stages uh here in the building. Yeah, the main stage doesn't really go until the the main show, but there's there's uh an open mic stage, and then there's the two other stages that and so we're bouncing back and forth trying to catch a little bit of everybody so that we can get a some perspective of your talent, which there's a ton of talent. You don't get invited to things like this without some talent.

SPEAKER_00 13:01

So oh, you know, I think they they bring me to these deals to even everybody out.

SPEAKER_02 13:05

Oh, I don't know about that. I think you're a very good guitar player, believe it or not, in spite of what your thoughts are. I'm I'm very uh intrigued by guitar players, and so and I love guitars, and and uh it yesterday I made a com comment on this guitar and you just handed it to me. You said, Here, play it. And what a beautiful guitar.

SPEAKER_00 13:21

Yeah. So yeah, it doesn't do much good if it ain't being played.

SPEAKER_02 13:25

So, you know, now I can say I got to play Caden Kaden Miner's guitar, and which was actually owned at one time by Brent Hill.

SPEAKER_00 13:32

Yeah, that's what you can hang your hat on.

SPEAKER_02 13:33

Yeah, well, we hang our hat on a lot with Brent because Brent was a great interview. Uh, I just recently sh uh shared a little piece of that on uh on our YouTube channel, and it got a bunch of views, which tickled me. You know, it was just because he said in the in that in that little short that I shared, uh he said, you know, he said, I know for a fact that there are people today riding Bronx because of Chris Ledew. And I said, I have to agree with you. You know, that's Chris Ladeo's music made us all want to be cowboys, right? I'm a I tell everybody I'm an Idaho farm boy that always wanted to be a cowboy, and was fortunate enough that that I grew up in a time when when uh the ag industry was good, and my dad was at that time was pretty flush with cash, and so he he made sure we had good horses to ride and and had somebody who could teach us how to rope and do all those things. So it was it was fun. But uh so I can appreciate where you come from, kind of a city kid, and moved up to Heber and got some exposure into the to the cowboy way of life, and it gave you some opportunity to get to do what you always wanted to do, right? Well, cool. Well, so where where where do you go from here? Where I mean, you're just gonna continue. Would you like to be uh the ranching deal, a full-time deal, or would you like to venture out into the music some?

SPEAKER_00 14:46

Uh you know, I I kind of go back and forth. I've um I haven't really thought too too much about it.

SPEAKER_02 14:54

Sure.

SPEAKER_00 14:55

I don't know. You know, that I guess I don't I'm not really sure. If if things were to work out to where I don't know if I could do the few music deal full time.

SPEAKER_02 15:05

Sure.

SPEAKER_00 15:05

I don't know that I could be married to it. Um I think I from what I've seen from from some other artists, you know, and just the exposure I have, I think it's pretty tough on a family.

SPEAKER_02 15:16

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 15:17

You know?

SPEAKER_02 15:17

Well, and it's uh it's not easy. It's not for the weak of heart. I know that.

SPEAKER_00 15:21

Um and I qualify as that.

SPEAKER_02 15:24

Yeah, I don't I doubt that you're weak hearted. Uh anybody who can spend time out there in that country and and those tough winters and take care of cows is not weak hearted. Let me let me ask you this. So you're did you hear about Coulter Wall recently? I did, yeah. So there's a prime example of a guy who's who's tried to do both, uh, comes from ranching family and and runs a ranch in Saskatchewan and and he's beat it up and down the road. And we've seen Coulter, not had the chance to interview him, but seen him uh quite a bit, but it finally caught up with him. Yeah. And I think it does. Sure. You know, I think a guy has to have, you know, and Brenton will tell you, I'm sure, you know, you have to you have to measure things out and you have to take time for your family and your the things you want to do uh besides the music.

SPEAKER_00 16:06

Well, you know, every everything has its drawbacks.

SPEAKER_02 16:09

Sure.

SPEAKER_00 16:10

Everything has it, you know, there's no one profession. I mean, that's not to say that ranching's easy.

SPEAKER_02 16:16

Oh no.

SPEAKER_00 16:17

It's got it takes pl it takes a toll on families and and well it takes your full attention.

SPEAKER_02 16:22

It's not something you can I don't need to go out today. I mean, you've got to go out every day. Right. And I always said, you know, own an own you if you're gonna own a dog, you might as well have a herd of cows, because somebody's gotta take care of the dog, somebody's gonna take care of the cows. So you gotta go out and make sure the cows are taken care of, and it's it's a lot of work and and hats off, and a lot of respect to those, to the ranchers and the farmers that that and you you uh you sang a song yesterday and talked about you know you you're you're the only industry that works all year long and generates a a a product and then goes to the market and said, What will you give me for this? What's it worth? What's it worth to you? You know, you yeah, you're in the right. And farming's the same way.

SPEAKER_00 16:59

Yeah, right. You know, and and uh and for the last pile of years, you know, they haven't figured uh cattle was worth enough uh very much, you know. So so you break your back and do everything you can do to if you break even, you're like, Yeah, Yahoo.

SPEAKER_02 17:19

Yeah, you know. Yeah. Well, here lately they're worth a lot, but but it it there are those years that you're lucky to break even. So you're you're just building your herd and investing back into your into your base and hope that it continues to grow and that that that you'll have those windfall years.

SPEAKER_00 17:35

Right.

SPEAKER_02 17:36

Right, and then and then you deal with what we're talking about, weather and no window.

SPEAKER_00 17:39

Oh man, the price of the water.

SPEAKER_02 17:40

Winter of twenty-two was horrible. This winter's been nothing.

SPEAKER_00 17:44

Right, and you know, and and that's got I mean, like I say, everything in the ranch and deal is is out to get you. Yeah, sure. I mean sure. And so, you know, we had a we had a winter where we had an open winter, it was gr it was an excellent winter, but for Kevin, we're gonna pay back we're gonna pay that this summer because our the grass is gonna not gonna be there. The grass ain't gonna be there very long, and our reservoirs are they look like this carpet. You know, I mean all dry. There ain't any water in the reservoir, so um you know the hay crop ain't gonna be there because we unless it unless it turns off and rains every week for until July, but sure the way it's going, I don't see that happening. But you know, it could surprise you. And like that song that you mentioned, there's always a chance.

SPEAKER_02 18:29

Sure. You know, you kind of just have to bet on the cum.

SPEAKER_00 18:33

Pray to God. We're we're all gamblers, right? Got a bet on the cum and and uh and put it in his hands, I guess.

SPEAKER_02 18:40

Well, real quick, tell us uh a little bit about that song that you played for us opening.

SPEAKER_00 18:45

Yeah, yeah, yeah. So um so I work for the Weston family. The the Weston family, they've been they've been ranching since they came from England in uh in the 1800s. Um my boss has I think four or five or six brothers. Oh wow and at one point they they had a ranch that that was, you know, they ran they ran probably more cattle than anybody in the county combined there. Um it got big enough to and they and they all got had their had sons and children, obviously, and stuff, and so they decided that they would split the ranch so that everybody could get a portion and then excuse me, go out and and their kids could have a job on the ranch, if that makes sense.

SPEAKER_02 19:30

Sure. Oh, all family farms are far far family and ranches are that way. You either gotta continue to grow and add to or divide it into smaller parcels.

SPEAKER_00 19:39

Right. So so I work for Sim. Um one of his brothers is Norm, and he has a he had a grandson has a grandson that is named Drake. And when I first moved into that country, man, I thought I was, you know, I thought I was gonna be a cowboy, and I thought, oh yeah, I got this figured out, you know. And uh and uh come on. Sorry. You're good. Got my kid. That's what it's all about. Hey, go go find mom, okay? Go get mom.

SPEAKER_02 20:08

You want to sit with me?

SPEAKER_00 20:10

No, go get mom. Anyways, and so um man, there was this kid, he's two, he's 12 years old, you know, and he's and he's starting Colts and he ropes. Fantastic, and I thought, oh geez, you know, their kids are handier than me. And so, um, and so I wrote the song about him, and uh um he was he was riding there's the line that says Yeah, thanks. There's the line that says uh climb on your white horse and and uh take a good deep seat. He was riding this this uh this uh Carmelo Colt at the time, and man, he was he had him stop slide stopping and doing the whole deal, so that's where the song come from.

SPEAKER_02 20:52

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 20:52

He's uh I think I think Drake would be six or seventh generation um on the ranch there. And so, you know, just the roots run deep, you know.

SPEAKER_02 21:04

Well, it's a great song, it's a great story, and I know you gotta go because you got to get on stage here in about five minutes. So we're gonna we're gonna make sure you get out of here and uh but thanks for taking the time to visit to share your story. Um uh it's always fun for us to meet new artists and and uh and hear your stories. So where can they find your music on online? What's it under?

SPEAKER_00 21:23

Yeah, under Caden Minor. Um on uh Apple, Spotify, YouTube, kind of have wherever you take it. They're they're welcome to follow me on Instagram. Perfect. Caden Minor Music. I Caden underscore minor underscore music. Um or Facebook, Caden Minor, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 21:40

So my friend request and cool and uh well we did, so that's how we kind of connected. But anyway, hey, thanks for taking the time, buddy.

SPEAKER_00 21:48

Thank you for having me on the video. You betcha's been a pleasure.

SPEAKER_02 21:50

All right, hey for musical miles podcast, I'm your host, Myron Delphin here with Caden Minor from the Cash Valley Cowboy Rendezvous. We'll see y'all somewhere down the road.