The Grifting Cowboys

Hank Williams songs & country favorites from the '60s–'90s

The Grifting Cowboys play the honky-tonk of Hank Williams alongside the country and roadhouse songs of the '60s through the '90s. Pedal steel runs through all of it. We call it comfort country — sad songs, good harmonies, steel guitar, and enough familiar tunes to keep people singing along.


Upcoming shows

Fri, Sep 18 Olalla Winery 7–9 pm

Hear the band

Live at the Oysterhouse, Olympia.


The band

Joel Underwood

Vocals & guitar

Singer, guitarist, and music historian who created and tours Move It On Over, a grant-funded Hank Williams concert-and-history show. A recipient of the Woody Guthrie Fellowship; he teaches history at Pierce College.

Jason Kuykendall

Pedal & lap steel

Pedal steel, lap steel, dobro, and guitar. A working Pacific Northwest steel player who has studied with Hawaiian and Western-swing masters; here, the steel is the band's melodic voice.

Morgan Smith

Vocals & strings

Kitsap-based country, Americana, and bluegrass artist who leads his own band, Morgan Smith & Co. A warm voice and a deep country songbook.


Songs we play

Hank & honky-tonk

Hank Williams

  • Honky-Tonk Blues
  • Hey Good-Lookin'
  • Your Cheatin' Heart
  • Cold, Cold Heart
  • Honky-Tonk Man
  • Move It On Over

Classic country

Johnny Cash · Kristofferson · George Strait · Haggard

  • So Lonesome I Could Cry
  • Folsom Prison Blues
  • Me & Bobby McGee
  • Amarillo By Morning
  • The Gambler

Country-rock & singalongs

The Eagles · Brooks & Dunn · Buffett · The Band

  • Already Gone
  • Neon Moon
  • Margaritaville
  • The Weight
  • Friend of the Devil

…and three sets more — honky-tonk, outlaw, and singalong country.

Book the band