San Angelo Rodeo Manager Josh Hilton Named Music Director for NFR

SAN ANGELO, TX – In the thrilling world of rodeo, where dust, adrenaline, and pure cowboy spirit collide, one man has been orchestrating the symphony of sound for two full decades. Josh Hilton, the San Angelo rodeo manager, has recently scored a major coup in his impressive career. He's been officially anointed as the 2023 Music Director for the Wrangler National Finals by the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association.

Josh Hilton's journey into the rodeo realm began a whopping 20 years ago. He's a name synonymous with the rhythmic pulse of the arena and is celebrated as a two-time PRCA Music Director of the Year. Now, he's added another feather to his cowboy hat by securing the coveted role of Music Director for the pinnacle of rodeo events, the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo (NFR). It's a role that only one other person has held for the past 22 years, making Josh Hilton's appointment all the more remarkable.

He is also the Music Director at the San Angelo Rodeo and has been for over a decade, Hilton made the transition to a full-time role with the San Angelo Stock Show and Rodeo Association team in 2020. Including San Angelo, Hilton contracted to perform the sound for 144 performances across approximately 27 rodeos in 2022. He has hit his stride.

Nicknamed "Hambone," Hilton's roots in rodeo sound production came on the heels of the transitioning of the rodeo show from traditional brass bands to sound systems and rock and roll music. Hilton credits the work of Mack Altizer who headed Bad Company Rodeo out of Del Rio who was a pioneer in modernizing the rodeo show.

"Heck, he named his bulls after rock and roll songs," Hilton said.

While Hilton noted that the NFR is the crown jewel, he is particularly proud of the work he has accomplished at storied "Top 50" rodeos across the country. In particular, Hilton mentioned his work at the rodeos in Houston, Denver, Prescott, Ariz., Sikeston, Mo., and of course San Angelo. Hilton said his commitment to San Angelo has forced him to sacrifice other Texas rodeos he admires like San Antonio's and Fort Worth's.

Over the years, Hilton worked with rodeo legends who offered their mentorship, including Boyd Polhamus, the former Bad Company Rodeo horseback rodeo announcer who today, like Hilton, homesteads the production of the San Angelo rodeo, and Bob Tallman, renowned as "the voice of professional rodeo."

At the NFR, Hilton has shoes to fill. He follows decades of work by renown rodeo music producer Benji Bendele who was also a Bad Company Rodeo alum. 

"He paved the way for the kind of work we do. And he did it on a big stage, at the NFR," Hilton explained.

For Hilton, San Angelo holds a special place in his heart. Reflecting on his journey, he said, "San Angelo is everything to me. It's a top rodeo and has been for a long time." Hilton said he isn't leaving San Angelo, either.

Whether you're at the San Angelo rodeo, a myriad of other modern rodeo performances, or the NFR, the next time you hear that stirring rodeo anthem or the beat that gets your heart pounding , remember the man behind the music, Josh Hilton, the true maestro of rodeo's sonic spectacle.