Filmmakers

Hal Cannon (born 1948 in Salt Lake City) is a folklorist, filmmaker, musician, writer, and radio producer whose work explores the traditional culture of the American West. He was the founding director of the Western Folklife Center and helped establish the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering in Elko, Nevada, in 1985. He has produced numerous radio and television programs, books, and recordings devoted to Western music, poetry, occupational traditions, and rural life.

With Taki Telonidis, Cannon produced and directed Why the Cowboy Sings, which was broadcast nationally on PBS and won a Rocky Mountain Emmy Award for best documentary. He also produced cultural features for NPR programs including Weekend Edition and Marketplace. Since retiring from the Western Folklife Center, Cannon has continued to write, record, and perform, principally with the group 3hattrio. He remains a member of the Western Folklife Center’s National Advisory Council.