Meet the staff

Award winners with a heart for kids

Our instructors are working Western performers who have stood on stages from Elko to Nashville, and who love passing it on.

Camp Director & Vocal Instructor

Judy James

2021 AWA Female Western Singer of the Year · 4× IWMA DJ of the Year

Judy was born in Hamilton, Texas, where she developed a love of singing and of Western music and history. After graduating from McMurry University she became a high school choir director, and her award-winning choirs were invited to sing in many places, including Carnegie Hall in New York City.

The lure of the West never left her. She has performed from Branson, Missouri to Elko, Nevada, and from Donna, Texas to Great Falls, Montana. She received the 2021 Academy of Western Artists “Female Western Singer of the Year” award, has been nominated several times for Female Vocalist of the Year, and has recorded seven albums. She also wrote Western Wisdom – An Educator’s Guide for Teachers, and co-wrote Parker County Legends: Trail Bosses and Wild Hosses with Pam Tarpley.

Since 1997 Judy has hosted the radio program Cowboy Jubilee with Judy James, airing Saturday mornings on Western Heritage Radio, TuneIn and live365.com. She is a four-time recipient of “DJ of the Year” from the International Western Music Association, and in 2019 added a Sunday-morning gospel program.

The vision for a youth music camp began in 2013, when she saw a need to work with young people who wanted to further their talents through Western music.

JudyJames.com ↗

Assistant Camp Director & Songwriting Instructor

Jean Prescott

“The First Lady of Western Music”

Jean Prescott grew up horseback, living and loving the rural Western lifestyle. She taught herself guitar at 16 and began singing professionally at 18. Her performances have spanned from the National Cowboy Gathering in Elko, Nevada, to Christian youth horsemanship camps, concert stages, campfires and cowboy churches across the country and abroad.

A multiple award-winning singer-songwriter, Jean keeps the history and heritage of the West alive through songs about cowboys, cowgirls and those who love the Western way of life. Her CD with husband Gary, “Satisfied Hearts,” garnered numerous awards; her latest is the gospel recording “Joy.”

Often called “The First Lady of Western Music,” Jean believes the future of Western music lies with our youth. She joined the camp staff in 2019, became Assistant Camp Director in 2021, and works year-round with Judy to prepare for each camp. Jean and Gary live on their ranch south of Abilene, Texas.

JeanPrescott.com ↗

Mandolin & Songwriting Instructor

Dale Burson

Wrangler Award winner, National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum

Fourth-generation Texas Panhandle rancher Dale Burson is an award-winning singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist on guitar, fiddle, mandolin and banjo. He runs cow-calf and yearling operations near Channing, Texas (home of our Burson Ranch camp), and writes songs about ranch life and family values.

Dale received the prestigious Wrangler Award from the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum for “A Life More Than This” as Outstanding Original Western Composition. He has recorded with his children Ross and Brittany, written songs with Red Steagall, and released The Heart (2015) and Just Me (2024).

Guitar Instructor & Band Leader

David Sawyer

Part of the camp since its very first year

David Sawyer is a Texas native renowned for his masterful guitar playing and classic open-road hat. He leads worship at a local church, plays bass with Riley Gilbreath and Lone Star Blue, and plays solo gigs that pair earthy vocals with finger-style guitar.

He has taught private lessons, been featured on recordings including Judy James’s Because of Him, and has been part of this camp since its inception. Off stage, David is an artist and caricaturist who loves making each person feel noticed and special. He and his wife Kathy live in Weatherford.

Fiddle Instructor

Leah Sawyer

Nashville session fiddler; has performed with Michael Martin Murphey & Red Steagall

Leah Sawyer has been fiddling and singing her own songs since she was five, growing up performing with her family’s band, Simple Gifts. In high school she played with bands in the Fort Worth Stockyards and performed everywhere from national fiddle contests to cowboy music festivals.

Now based in Nashville, Leah tours with country and bluegrass artists and does session work for artists and filmmakers. She has performed with Michael Martin Murphey, Red Steagall, Jake Hooker and others, and writes original Cowboy and Western Swing music for her own trio.

Poetry Instructor

Dennis Flynn

Working cowboy turned cowboy poet

Decatur, Texas, brings us cowboy poet Dennis Flynn. After many years cowboying and raising “a little hay, some pretty good horses, and fabulous grandkids,” he now writes and recites authentic cowboy poetry at conferences and events across the country.

His wife Darci volunteers at camp, chronicling each week through the lens of her camera.

Assistant Guitar Instructor

Caroline Wiseman

Former Y Bar J camper

Caroline has been singing since she was eight and soon picked up the guitar. A student at Sam Houston State University studying animal science, she credits mentors including Bobby Flores, Judy James and Jean Prescott for what she knows.

“I am proud to say that I was once in the shoes of the campers who are going to be attending this camp, and without this wonderful camp I would not have learned what I know or met the people I have gotten to meet.”

Activities Director

Dawn Wiseman

Puts the “fun” in camp

Dawn is a CTE teacher at Montgomery High School in Montgomery, Texas, and a veteran of many camps. As activities director she runs the activities room, an essential part of camp, building camaraderie and friendships among campers.

Chaplain & Poetry Assistant

Andrea Waitley

Founder, Cross My Heart Ministries

A Weatherford native, Andrea spent many years on ranches in Texas and northeastern Colorado. In 2002 she founded Cross My Heart Ministries, traveling the country sharing the gospel, and she and her late husband Frank ministered to young adults through a weekly Round Pen Bible study.

Andrea has a heart for youth and encourages campers to love Jesus and live according to His word.

Learn from them this summer

Spots are limited at both camps. Register online in about 10 minutes. No printing, no scanning.