Editing Baxter Black

{{Short description|American cowboy poet and veterinarian (1945–2022)}}
{{Infobox writer
| embed            =
| honorific_prefix =
| name             = Baxter Black
| image            = 2012-0121 Baxter at NWSS .jpg
| caption          = Black in 2012
| image_size       =
| image_upright    =
| alt              = ''Baxter Black at National Western Stock Show (Denver, Colorado) - January 21, 2012''
| native_name      =
| native_name_lang =
| pseudonym        =
| birth_name       =
| birth_date       = {{birth date|1945|01|10}}
| birth_place      = [[Brooklyn Naval Hospital]], [[Brooklyn]], [[New York (state)|New York]], U.S.
| death_date       = {{Death date and age |2022|06|10|1945|01|10}}
| death_place      = [[Benson, Arizona]], U.S.
| resting_place    =
| occupation       =  {{flatlist|
* [[Livestock feeder (person)|Cattle Feeder]]
* [[cowboy poetry|Cowboy poet]]
* [[Columnist]]
* [[Novelist]]
* [[Philosopher]]
* [[Publisher]] – Coyote Cowboy Company
* [[Raconteur]]
* [[National Public Radio]] [[Radio commentator|Commentator]]
* Former large animal [[Veterinarian]]}}
| language         =
| education        = [[Doctor of Veterinary Medicine]]
| alma_mater       = [[Colorado State University]]
| period           =
| genre            = [[Cowboy poetry|Cowboy Poetry]]
| subject          = [[Cowboy]] and  [[ranch]] life
| movement         =
| notable_works    = {{flatlist|
* On the Edge of Commonsense
* Coyote Cowboy Poetry
* Croutons on a Cowpie}}
| spouse           = Cindy Lou
| partner          = <!-- or: | partners = -->
| children         = Jennifer and Guy
| relatives        = Parents: Robert and Theodora Black
| awards           =
| signature        =
| signature_alt    =
| years_active     = 1965–2022
| module           =
| website          = {{URL|baxterblack.com}}
| portaldisp       = <!-- "on", "yes", "true", etc.; or omit -->
}}

'''Baxter Black''' (January 10, 1945 – June 10, 2022) was an American [[cowboy poet]] and [[veterinarian]]. He wrote over 30 [[books]] of [[poetry]], [[fiction]]—both [[novel]]s and [[children's literature]]—and commentary, selling over two million books, [[CD]]s, and [[DVD]]s.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news |last=Risen |first=Clay |date=2022-06-24 |title=Baxter Black, Who Elevated Cowboy Poetry to Folk Art, Dies at 77 |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/06/24/arts/baxter-black-dead.html |access-date=2022-06-24 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

== Biography ==
Black was born in [[Brooklyn Naval Hospital]], [[Brooklyn]], [[New York (state)|New York]], but grew up in [[Las Cruces, New Mexico]]. In high school, he became the [[Future Farmers of America]] (FFA) president, the senior class president, and lettered in wrestling one year. He began riding bulls in [[rodeos]] while in high school, and continued riding throughout college. Black received his undergraduate degree at [[New Mexico State University]], and completed veterinary school at [[Colorado State University]], graduating in 1969. He was a practicing veterinarian from 1969 to 1982, specializing in large animals, such as cows and horses. During the last two years of his veterinary career, Black gained popularity through public speaking with over 250 appearances. After this, his career as a poet began. Black also hosted the public television series ''Baxter Black and Friends''.<ref>{{cite web |last=Watts, Jr |first=James D. |title=Black humor |work=Tulsa World |date=7 May 2004 |access-date=August 2, 2020 |url=https://tulsaworld.com/archive/black-humor/article_8c8a6a0c-4ffd-597a-bfd9-a23ef482df2d.html}}</ref>

He wrote a column, spoke on the radio, and had short segments on [[RFD-TV]] and [[The Cowboy Channel]]. He resided in [[Benson, Arizona]], with his wife, Cindy Lou, where they had no cell phone, television, or fax machine. One of his [[philosophies]] of life claims: "In spite of all the computerized, digitalized, high-tech innovations of today, there will always be a need for a cowboy."  When asked what made him decide to become a cowboy, he said, "You either are one, or you aren't. You never have to decide."<ref>{{cite web | url=https://baxter-black.merchmadeeasy.com/pages/faq | title=FAQ }}</ref>

In late 2021, Black retired from writing and speaking engagements because of health issues.<ref>{{Cite web |title=On the Edge of Common Sense |url=https://baxter-black.merchmadeeasy.com/pages/column |website=Baxter Black |language=en}}</ref> Black's wife, Cindy Lou, reported on January 15, 2022, that he was in hospice care. His son-in-law explained, however, that the hospice consisted of a home health care worker checking on Black every few days because of various medical issues.<ref>{{cite web |last=Bartlett |first=Melissa |title=Baxter Black is in Hospice Care But Not Like You Think |url=https://mix941kmxj.com/baxter-black-is-in-hospice-care-but-not-like-you-think/ |access-date=January 18, 2022 |website=Mix 94.1 |date=18 January 2022 |language=en}}</ref>

Black died from leukemia on June 10, 2022, at his residence in [[Benson, Arizona]], aged 77.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{cite web |last=Neff |first=Terri Jo |title=Baxter Black, America's Popular Cowboy Poet, Has Died |url=https://arizonadailyindependent.com/2022/06/11/baxter-black-americas-popular-cowboy-poet-has-died/ |website=Arizona Independent |date=12 June 2022 |language=en}}</ref>

== Radio ==
Black's radio career began as a chance occurrence. During a news-worthy local event, he submitted some of his work to a radio station. Black specified in an interview, "It was the year [[Yellowstone]] caught on fire, 1988. We were listening and they didn't have any coverage to speak of, and it was a huge deal in our life. It was a huge deal in Colorado (where I lived) and the sky smelled like smoke and I had this big tumultuous poem about range fire... So I sent them this.  I just sent it to "[[Public Radio]]" in [[Washington D.C.]]  And two or three days later I get a call back."<ref name="scvtv1">[http://www.scvtv.com/html/sg041705-nm.html ''Home on the Range with Baxter Black'']</ref>

Baxter was a regular commentator for 20 years on NPR beginning in the early '80s, he was a regular [[Radio commentator|commentator]] for [[National Public Radio]]'s ''[[Morning Edition]].''<ref name="NPR">{{cite web |title=Stories By Baxter Black |url=https://www.npr.org/people/2100231/baxter-black |website=NPR |date=25 May 2009 |access-date=June 26, 2021}}</ref> ''Baxter Black on Monday,'' the weekly syndicated [[radio program]], was on the air since 1989, and his weekly [[Print syndication|syndicated column]], ''On the Edge of Common Sense,'' was carried by more than 150 [[publications]].<ref name="TDP">{{cite web |last1=Bunch |first1=Joey |title=Former vet found humor his calling |url=https://www.denverpost.com/2009/01/12/former-vet-found-humor-his-calling/ |work=[[The Denver Post]] |date=12 January 2009 |access-date=June 26, 2021}}</ref>

==Bibliography==
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+ Books
|-
! Title !! Genre !! Publisher !! Year
|-
|''The Cowboy and His Dog : or, "Go, Git in the Pickup!"'' || Poetry || Record Stockman Press || 1980
|-
| ''A Rider, a Roper and a Heck'uva Windmill Man'' || Poetry || Record Stockman Press || 1982
|-
| ''On the Edge of Common Sense : the Best So Far'' || Poetry || Record Stockman Press || 1983
|-
| ''Doc, While Yer Here'' || Poetry || Record Stockman Press || 1984
|-
| ''Cowboy and Sourdough Buckaroo History'' || Poetry || Record Stockman Press || 1985
|-
| ''Coyote Cowboy Poetry'' || Poetry || Record Stockman Press ||1986
|-
| ''Croutons on a Cow-Pie'' || Poetry || Record Stockman Press || 1988
|-
| ''The Buckskin Mare''|| Poetry || Record Stockman Press || 1989
|-
| ''There's Mountain Time, There's Daylight<br>Savings Time, and Cowboy Standard Time'' || Poetry || Record Stockman Press || 1990
|-
| ''Hey, Cowboy, Wanna Get Lucky?''|| Fiction || Record Stockman Press || 1990
|-
| ''Croutons on a Cow-Pie II'' || Poetry || Coyote Cowboy Co.|| 1992
|-
| ''Dunny and the Duck''|| Poetry || Coyote Cowboy Co. || 1994
|-
| ''Cow Attack'' || Poetry|| Coyote Cowboy Co.|| 1996
|-
| ''Cactus Tracks & Cowboy Philosophy'' || Literary Collection || Penguin Books || 1997
|-
| ''Loose Cow Party'' || Poetry & Anecdotes || Coyote Cowboy Co. || 1998
|-
| ''A Cowful of Cowboy Poetry'' || Poetry|| Coyote Cowboy Co. || 2000
|-
| ''Storey's Guide to Raising Beef Cattle'' || Livestock<br><small>Forward only</small> || Storey Books || 2000
|-
| ''Cowboy Mentality: And the Big One That Got Away Blues'' || Poetry || Coyote Cowboy Co. || 2001
|-
| ''Horseshoes, Cowsocks, and Duckfeet: More Commentary<br>by NPR's Cowboy Poet & Former Large Animal Veterinarian'' || Commentary || Crown Publishers || 2002
|-
| ''Baxter Black's Ag Man : the Comic Book'' || [[Graphic Novel]] || Coyote Cowboy Co. || 2003
|-
| ''Hey, Cowgirl, Need a Ride?'' || Fiction || Crown Publishers || 2005
|-
| ''The West''<br><small>Limited Edition of 50</small> || Poetry || Poetry Center of Chicago || 2005
|-
| ''Blazin' Bloats and Cows on FIRE! or, It's Hard to Blow Out a Holstein''|| Poetry || Coyote Cowboy Co. || 2006
|-
| ''The World According to Baxter Black: Quips, Quirks and Quotes'' || Poetry || Coyote Cowboy Co. || 2008
|-
| ''The Back Page: the Best of Baxter Black From Western Horseman'' || Literary Collection || Coyote Cowboy Co. || 2009
|-
| ''Rudolph's Night Off'' || Children's Poetry || Coyote Cowboy Co. || 2011
|-
| ''Lessons From a Desperado Poet''<br><small>with Wilford Brimley</small> || Literary Collection || TwoDot || 2012
|-
| ''Ride, Cowboy, Ride! 8 Seconds Ain't That Long'' || Fiction || TwoDot || 2012
|-
| ''Reindeer Flu'' || Poetry || Children's Fiction || 2013
|-
| ''Poems Worth Saving'' || Poetry || Coyote Cowboy Co. || 2013
|-
| ''Cave Wall Graffiti from a Neanderthal Cowboy'' || Poetry || Coyote Cowboy Co. || 2014
|-
| ''National Cowboy Poetry Gathering: An Anthology'' || Poetry || Lyons Press || 2014
|-
| ''Tinsel, Mistletoe and Reindeer Bait'' || Poetry || Coyote Cowboy Co. || 2016
|-
| '' Scrambled Wisdom'' || Poetry & Anecdotes|| Coyote Cowboy Co. || 2017
|-
| ''A Commotion in Rhyme'' || Poetry || Coyote Cowboy Co. || 2018
|}

==See also==
{{portal|Poetry}}
* [[Waddie Mitchell]]
* [[Red Steagall]]
* [[Will Rogers]]
* [[John R. Erickson]]
* [[Kinky Friedman]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://www.baxterblack.com/ Official website]
* [http://www.scvtv.com/html/sg041705-nm.html ''Home on the Range with Baxter Black'']
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20100821121026/http://www.baxterblack.com/skins/Skin_1/images/PDFS/PORTALES%20ARTICLE.pdf ''Cowboy Poet Appreciative Of Rural Life'']
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20100821121224/http://www.baxterblack.com/skins/Skin_1/images/PDFS/denver-post-stockshow.pdf ''Parade Offers More Than A Whiff Of The Old West'']
* [https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1271311/ Baxter Black] on [[IMDb]]
* {{discogs artist|Baxter Black}}
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KYKak0W_dOU  ''Legacy of a Rodeo Man'' with Baxter Black]
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Black, Baxter}}
[[Category:1945 births]]
[[Category:2022 deaths]]
[[Category:Cowboys]]
[[Category:Poets from New Mexico]]
[[Category:American veterinarians]]
[[Category:Cowboy poets]]
[[Category:People from Benson, Arizona]]
[[Category:Writers from Arizona]]
[[Category:Writers from Brooklyn]]