05/25/2024
The Artist-Entrepreneur Whose Flemish Bootprint on International Territories Became a Stage of Opportunities
THE EARLY DAY TRAILBLAZER FOR TODAY'S THRIVING INTERNATIONAL COWBOY CULTURE
Today, we all are witnessing the red-hot spotlights on Cowboy Entertainment. The Cowboy & Cowgirl's cultural impact on catwalks, apparel, interior design, and television productions is going through the roof. Western equine sports and even international rodeo are emerging. This Cowboy & Cowgirl wave is trending on social and traditional media and on the many outlets of social life, from malls to dance floors, from streaming playlists to in-store jumbo screens. The traditions of the West are again the center of attention, and iconic wear like cowboy hats, boots, jackets with fringes, cowboy jeans, and other apparel and accessories are used as attributes to shine and impress. Even old-timer clubs are seeing new members on their trails to reflect the memories of the frontier days.
This is not just a trend; it’s another peak in the continuous parabola on the charts of the contemporary history of Country music, Western Equine Sports, Rodeo, Western Travel, etc. Western entertainment and sports are an evergreen on the horizon of the global cultural landscape, and every decade we see another peak.
The cowboy, as we know him today, is derived from the cattle drives after the American Civil War in the second half of the 19th century and the frontier ‘Westward Ho’. William Frederick Cody, better known as Buffalo Bill, depicted the West in a traveling circus at the turn of the 20th century that also toured in Europe. Although many of the actors never drove cattle but were firsthand showmen, it was a smash.
At the beginning of the 20th century, the cowboy also soon hit the silver screen. The studbooks in western horse breeding were founded, and the working ranch horse evolved into an international athlete. During the rise of movie theatre culture, actors like John Wayne, Lee Van Cleef, Gary Cooper, and many others became representatives of a culture. Dolly Parton, Willie Nelson, Tammy Wynette, Jim Reeves, and their dazzling circles of colleague stars gave the West the indelible sound that we all consider the quintessence of grand country music.
By the time Bobbejaan Schoepen was part of the international scene—with an impressive list of milestones like his legendary performance at the Grand Ole Opry in 1953, his performances with Roy Acuff, Tex Williams (for whom he wrote the lyrics to a song), and Red Foley—the Western Heritage scene was getting in full shape. Bobbejaan embraced Country & Western Culture to its fullest extent. He became more than an entertainer; he was an ambassador of a culture.
When he decided to trade touring for a permanent stage at his very own entertainment hall in Lichtaart, he created a scene, a permanent platform for his music and the Country & Western culture he relayed to a European audience.
The European American Dream Fueled by the Spirit of the West
When his entrepreneurial idea grew into a fully-fledged Cowboy theme park called Bobbejaanland, he became the quintessence of the international cowboy-entertainer–entrepreneur. Bobbejaan embodied the inspiring soul of the American dream beyond the borders and physical constraints of the USA. This resulted in creating an ongoing marketing platform for the cowboy and his entertainment culture.
Nursing Young Talent by Giving It a Break, an Audience, and a Career
He demonstrated a unique ability to share the stage with other artists and acts that he featured, including overseas artists and acts. When he, in the late seventies, featured the famous Larry Mahan Rodeo Show, produced by Bob Cook, he also included cowboy spectaculars to their fullest extent—including rodeo roughstock events.
Fathering an Industry
He harvested credibility and multiplied his community by offering opportunities for exposure and career-building to other artists in the genre. He also helped young talent like William Dougan, who parlayed his rodeo stint as a rough stock rider in the Larry Mahan Show into building his own rodeo ranch in the area, a business that is today known around the planet as one of the most versatile and successful rodeo ranches outside the US.
Bobbejaanland became a beacon, a stage, and a continuous landmark for cowboy culture and catered to families—people of all ages, cultures, and countries. Bobbejaan Schoepen made Western culture a tangible and active experience in its fullest richness. Bobbejaanland was the living proof that the European audience loves the world of the American Cowboy—larger-than-life to its fullest extent.
International markets were no longer just an extension of the American Western industry; they developed into areas of massive importance.
Bobbejaan Schoepen was not only an inspiring artist and entertainment entrepreneur; he was also a larger-than-life trailblazer who cleared the path for Country & Western entertainment overseas. The way he mastered the art of Western performance—he could relay the essence of Country & Western to a broad European audience and he had a keen eye for young talent. His talents, versatility, and work ethic were the tools with which he built an indelible landmark that became an industry: the international areas of Western entertainment.
Today, almost 15 years after his death, colleagues in the US and abroad talk with much respect for this unique man who helped to build international markets for Country & Western entertainment, Cowboy Spectacular, and Western Equine Industries.
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This article by Rik Raats — a contribution to the 11th Edition of the Bobbejaan Memorial on May 26th 2024
