Wyoming native Ian Moonsick is forging his own path in country music

Over the past three years, Ian Munsick has made his mark on the country music scene. First with his album initial album coyote cry then last year with White buffalo, an 18-song epic that serves as Moonsick’s personal tribute to the American West. (The title comes from the belief in Native American culture that a white buffalo is so rare that when you see one, it is a sign of prosperity and rebirth.)

The songs touch on the hard-working ranch life and the joy and experiences derived from growing up in one of America’s most scenic locations.

Munsick’s music has resonated across the country and beyond, with 700 million global streams to date. He has been named an “Artist to Watch” by Spotify and others and has been selected as a member of the Grand Ole Opry’s NextStage Class of 2023.

He just released a new, deluxe version of his second album (White buffalo), which features five new songs, all related to his theme of worshiping the Western way of life.

“All my music goes back to the way I was raised in Wyoming,” Moonsick says. “Wyoming is just an amazing, unique place. The people are so genuine, no BS, just neighbors helping neighbors and living off the land. There are not many places like this left in this country and I feel that my main goal as an artist is to spread this message to people and inspire them to live like this.”

The new deluxe album is called White Buffalo: I present you to God, and Munsik wrote the title track for his four-year-old son. He says it’s his way of passing on his love and appreciation for the land, like his father did for him.

“Growing up on a ranch in Wyoming, it’s easy to see that God is there because it’s all huge mountains, beautiful canyons, nature and wildlife, it’s just huge country out there. So the song is me trying to explain to a four-year-old that God is out there somewhere, you just have to be far away from civilization to see the beauty of his work.”

Other new songs include “Seven Sisters,” which takes a bluegrass approach to an old Native American story, and one called “Yippee-IA.”

“‘Yippee-IA’ is another one that I feel really takes you to Wyoming and the cowboy lifestyle,” Munsick says. “You hear that and you immediately go out on the range.”

Munsik grew up in a family of ranchers who worked hard during the day, then played music together at night and on weekends. As a young boy, he and his brothers, along with their father (who played the fiddle), performed at dances, rodeos and other events. When Munsik turned 18, he decided to pursue music as a profession. He knew that in order to excel, he would have to move to Nashville and learn from the best of the best in terms of musicians and songwriters.

“I didn’t know if I wanted to be an artist or a songwriter or just play in a band, but the more time I spent in Nashville, the more I realized what country music I grew up on and I like playing, not in the mainstream country market. And then I knew I had something special to offer.”

As he developed a gift for songwriting and began co-producing his own albums, he found himself not only sharing the Western way of life, but often educating people about it. He’s decided to take that a step further with a documentary now that tackles some of the misconceptions people have about cowboys and Indians. Is called White Buffalo: Voices of the West.

“When people think of the West, the first thing that comes to mind is ‘cowboy,'” says Munsik. “And that’s great, and there’s a lot of truth in that, but what 99 percent of people who’ve never lived there don’t know is the Native American influence on the cowboys.” A lot of people think it’s still ‘Cowboys vs. Indians,’ and it’s the other way around.”

He says that so much of what people believe comes from TV shows and movies.

“Even Yellowstone, which is pretty accurate, is still Hollywood,” he says.

While helping to popularize the West through his music, Munsik has been busy mastering the craft of songwriting, creating new music, and touring. As a result, he hasn’t toured his favorite part of the country as much as he’d like, but that’s about to change. He just announced his Country & WEStern tour after this year. He’s excited to be back home and says his dad and brothers might even join him for some of those shows.

“They are real ranchers/cowboys and they don’t like to leave this region, so they stay on the ranch. But they’re all playing music and will be joining me on some of those dates.”

Until then, Munsick will continue to headline shows elsewhere and join CMA Artist of the Year Lainey Wilson this summer for her Country’s Cool Again Tour.

He says that as he worked to pursue his music and passion, life came together in every way that mattered.

“I’m so grateful to be able to tour the way I do, to still be a good father and husband, and to write and make my own music. I feel like I have enough freedom in my life to really be able to do what I love in a comfortable way. I am very, very blessed.