Trails & Rails

Walt and Paula have enjoyed performing together for over twenty years in various groups, including the Bow Willow trio and Mandolin Madness. As the duo, Trails & Rails, they have appeared at many Southwest events.
In November of 2005, Trails & Rails won the Duo Harmony competition at the Western Music Association Music Festival and annual gathering in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Collecting and sharing Cowboy and Train songs, along with information about the history of the West, is just one of their many passions.
Trails & Rails is available for a program,"The Way West", that follows the history of the West through the music of the time, as well as for:
Walt Richards
Walt began playing guitar and performing while still in high school. He soon went on to become one of Southern California's best-known banjo players.
National touring in the 1960s, an Emmy for arranging and too many performances to count, are all part of Walt's history.
Sharing western and train songs and the history associated with them is his current musical focus.The more he and Paula know about this music, the more they like it!
One of his greatest joys is seeing the progress of his guitar, banjo and mandolin students and the performing groups he coaches. Walt loves giving the gift of music - in all of its many forms.
Paula Strong
Paula also has a long history of music involvement including writing, singing, arranging and playing in many different styles - after a good start with instruction from her band teacher Dad!.
Over the years, she has collected a large number of train and cowboy songs and she's always looking for more!
Singing with Walt in the Trails & Rails duo, has provided the perfect venue from which to share her love of this music as well as her interest in historical events and trends.
An avid reader, her home is overflowing with books on many subjects, with science and western history being her current favorites.
Ken Wilcox is a native Southern Californian and a survivor of the Folk Music Scare of the 1960s.
A lifelong devotee of acoustic fingerstyle guitar, and a big fan of the autoharp, he has performed over the years in various musical incarnations: jugband, blues, old-timey, country and now, Western music with Trails & Rails.
San Diego Folk Heritage
858 566-4040