Chancey Williams just so happened to be in Laramie, Wyoming, when Tom Hersig, CEO of the Cheyenne Frontier Days, called and invited him over to the event’s announcement party last week in Cheyenne.
Up until that day, no one except for a select few knew who would be performing at this year’s CFD. As the announcements were called out, they included a certain opening act for Brooks and Dunn — Moorcroft, Wyoming, native Chancey Williams.
“Tom had me hidden in the hall when they announced my name,” Williams said. “I came out and got to tell the crowd that I’d be playing this year. I’m just so excited to be back.”
It will be the first time that two CFD hall of famers will share a stage.
Hall Of Fame
The Cheyenne Frontier Days Hall of Fame inductees are voted on by members of the Old West Museum. They include contestants, contract personnel, entertainers, livestock, families, or volunteers and all represent the competitive and cooperative spirit of CFD.
“These are the people who have really made a difference at Frontier Days,” Mike Wilkinson, Contracts Acts Chairman, said. “The Hall of Fame is a very elite group.”
In 2023, Brooks and Dunn were inducted into the Hall of Fame, beating out Chancey Williams who came back to be inducted in 2024.
“Two Hall of Famers taking the same stage is just huge,” Wilkinson said. “It's going be a great night.”
Williams is honored to have made the hall of fame, especially since it was voted on by those who are most invested in the Cheyenne Frontier Days.
“This is one of my greatest accomplishments just because very few people are in the Hall of Fame,” Williams said. “As far as entertainers go, it's Chris LeDoux, Reba, Garth, George Strait and Brooks and Dunn. So, to be in that list of people in the Hall of Fame is unbelievable.”
Back On The Wyoming Stage
This is Williams’ fifth time playing on the main stage at CFD. He has opened for legends Merle Haggard, Dwight Yoakam, Gary Allen, Dierks Bentley and now Brooks and Dunn.
“When I was riding saddle broncs, we were having a lot of fun,” Williams said. “But I never dreamed I'd get to play Cheyenne Frontier Days.”
He told Cowboy State Daily that he has played on many big stages throughout the world such as the Ryman Auditorium, known as the "Mother Church of Country Music. He also played at the Grand Old Opry four times.
“I've played Billy Bob's and NFR and Las Vegas,” Williams said. “But to me, my favorite place to play ever is Cheyenne Frontier Days.”
Wilkinson said that one reason so many artists like Chancey love playing at CFD is because even their stage is now the ‘daddy of all.’
“It is one of the biggest moving stages in the country,” Wilkinson said. “We're not the grand Ole Opry but it's a big honor to play on our stage in Wyoming for Cheyenne Frontier Days because of the history.”
That history is deeply rooted in Williams’ own family. In 1971, his dad was in the rodeo at CFD and Williams and his brothers also rode bronc before Williams turned to music full time.
“Cheyenne is the biggest outdoor rodeo in the world,” Williams said. “So being able to play the main stages is special to me as a Wyoming kid and a rodeo kid that grew up doing it.”
Williams looked up to Chris LeDoux and said that every kid that played the guitar and rodeoed in Wyoming, looked up to this legend.
“No matter what artist gets big or how many hits they get, whether it's me or somebody else, Chris LeDoux will always be the King of Wyoming,” he said. “It's cool to kind of follow Chris’ footsteps and play Cheyenne and ride there, too.”
Not only is this the first time in history that two CFD Hall of Famers will share the same stage, but Williams and LeDoux are the only two entertainers to rodeo at Frontier Days and then go on to play the main stage.
Chancey Williams in the spotlight performing for a packed house. (Courtesy Chancey Williams) 
Chancey Williams performs at the legendary Red Rocks Amphitheater in Colorado. (Courtesy Chancey Williams) 
(Cowboy State Daily Staff) 
Country music stars Chancey Williams, left, and Toby Keith perform Keith's smash hit "Should've Been a Cowboy" at Cheyenne Frontier Days. (Courtesy Chancey Williams) 
Chancey Williams on horseback at the 2023 Cheyenne Frontier Days. (Matt Idler for Cowboy State Daily) 
Chancey Williams in the arena at the 2024 Cheyenne Frontier Days. (Matt Idler for Cowboy State Daily)
A Wyoming Show
Chancey Williams will open for Brooks and Dunn on July 23 and Wilkinson said that Williams was the best possible choice to open for the concert.
“He's Wyoming,” Wilkerson said. “He's just a down-home boy that likes to play his music and likes rodeo and he's very easy to work with. He’s a very neat kid.”
Williams sings what he calls a newer sound of country music that still has a traditional sound. Concert goers can expect him to sing old favorites as well as his newer songs, “The Ballad of Uncle Don,” that just hit No. 1 on the CMT charts and the grittier “Miles On Me.”
“There's a lot of people that sing country music, but there's very few people that are authentic,” Williams said. “My lyrics have to be accurate because a lot of my friends are rodeo cowboys and ranchers, so I have to sing about real cowboy stuff, or my friends would call me out.”
Williams is known as an ambassador of Wyoming, representing his roots growing up on a ranch in Moorcroft and rodeoing with his brothers at CFD. With the growing interest in the Western life through such shows as “Yellowstone,” Wiliams takes this job seriously.
“They live vicariously through the country music that I sing and write about,” he said. “So, I try to be accurate and authentic about writing music and singing music. This way, those that live on the East and West coasts in the cities, can really see exactly the lives we live out here.”
When People magazine said cowboys are cool again when highlighting Williams’ growing popularity, he countered that cowboys have always been cool.
“I've always looked up to cowboys,” Williams said. “I thought they were cool. I think the rest of the world has finally caught up to us.”
Jackie Dorothy can be reached at jackie@cowboystatedaily.com.
