NM singer-songwriter and farrier honored with 2025 Rounders Award
Rancher-musician Randy Huston and farrier-artist Jim Keith received the 2025 Rounders Award from the New Mexico Department of Agriculture for their lasting contributions to Western culture and heritage.
Randy Huston and Jim Keith recognized by the New Mexico Department of Agriculture for embodying and celebrating the Western way of life.
Organ Mountain News report
LAS CRUCES - New Mexico singer-songwriter Randy Huston and farrier Jim Keith received the 2025 Rounders Award Oct. 15 at the New Mexico Farm and Ranch Heritage Museum.
Huston, a rancher, rodeo competitor and award-winning musician, has performed across the country. His songs have been recorded by Lee Ann Womack, Darryl Singletary and Chris LeDoux. He has earned honors from the Academy of Western Artists, the International Western Music Association, Western Writers of America and the National Cowboy Hall of Fame. A lifelong advocate for agriculture, he continues to raise cattle on his family ranch near Cuervo.
Keith, often described as a “Renaissance man,” grew up in Springer and has spent his life immersed in ranching, rodeo and horseshoeing. A four-time World Champion Blacksmith, he taught horseshoeing, judged major competitions worldwide and managed the American Farrier Team. In retirement, he turned to cowboy art and writing, publishing I Never Called Myself a Cowboy and working on a second book, Looking Back: 66 Years of Shoeing.
The Rounders Award was named after The Rounders, a classic Western novel by Max Evans. Created in 1990 by former New Mexico Agriculture Secretary Frank DuBois, the award honors those who live and promote the Western way of life. Evans was the first recipient.
New Mexico Agriculture Secretary Jeff Witte presented the awards.
“I am proud of the legacy Max has left in Western culture, and this year’s Rounders Award recipients definitely live and articulate the Western way of life. Max would be proud,” Witte said. “Jim Keith and Randy Huston have built remarkable careers that honor our ranching traditions and Western heritage.”
Evans passed in 2020, but the Rounders tradition continues. This year’s honorees join 38 previous recipients.
For a list of past Rounders Award recipients, visit the New Mexico Department of Agriculture website.
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