Orin Friesen grew up working with cattle and horses on his family’s farm in Nebraska. He raised Herford cattle for his 4-H projects and was a member of the local saddle club. His love of the Western Music of the Sons of the Pioneers and the Bluegrass of the Dillards led him to pursue a career in radio in 1964 with a folk music program. Two years later, he began performing in a bluegrass band.

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In the 1970s, he started the world’s first syndicated program of bluegrass music, which was aired on 35 radio stations, including several major country music stations. During the 1980s and ‘90s, Orin was best known for his all-night, country music radio show on KFDI AM & FM in Wichita, Kansas.

Orin formed his first cowboy band in 1994. From 1999 through 2008, he was a member of the Prairie Rose Wranglers, house band for the Prairie Rose Chuckwagon Supper. The group performed from coast to coast, including twice at Carnegie Hall. In 2006, they toured China.

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Orin received the International Bluegrass Music Association’s very first Broadcaster of the Year Award in 1990 and received the Distinguished Achievement Award from that same organization in 1999.

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Orin is a member of the Kansas Music Hall of Fame, the Kansas Cowboy Hall of Fame, the Kansas Bluegrass Hall of Fame, and the Old-Time Country Music Hall of Fame. He still performs with his cowboy band, now known as the Diamond W Wranglers, and owns a recording studio called Geneva Sky Productions. He is also an author, film maker, and part-time historian.

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Join Orin every Sunday from Noon-1pm for Bluegrass from the Rockin' Banjo Ranch!

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