PrintTempleton Thompson
Enlarge
Templeton Thompson wearing one of her signature tees. Photography by Sam Gay, courtesy Planet Cowgirl.
Life is good for Templeton “Tempy” Thompson, who, true to one of her songs, wakes up grateful and counts her blessings. On planet Earth, the singer-songwriter lives outside of Nashville in Dickson, Tennessee, but her creativity’s home base is Planet Cowgirl, where the words to live by are “Dream big, work hard, have faith.” And that’s just what Thompson’s been doing. She has released another album, Life on Planet Cowgirl, which she produced with husband and creative partner Sam Gay. She stars in her own Life on Planet Cowgirl show, which airs on YouTube. She has relaunched her own line of Planet Cowgirl tees. And she’s performing all around the country on her “baby girl,” Jane, a 9-year-old chestnut quarter horse.
Cowboys & Indians caught up with Thompson between road trips and baking batches of her favorite treat, oatmeal chocolate chip cookies.
Cowboys & Indians: You’re the epitome of the horse-crazy girl, and even titled your last album, Girls & Horses, after the title track. Have horses always been a part of your life?
Templeton Thompson: I grew up with them before I could walk. In Glen Rose, Texas, Mom, Dad, and I lived on 100 acres on what is now [the] Fossil Rim [Wildlife Center]. I had ponies and Mom rode like crazy, too. We moved to Meridian, and I was sweetheart of the rodeo and did 4-H, and then we lived in the Virginia and Maryland areas. I had the cowboy boots and the belt buckle, and they totally made fun of me, but it made me stronger. My sweet mama always made it possible for us to have horses, so even though school was awful, I always had the refuge of riding.
C&I: And the refuge of singing. When did you start singing?
Thompson: I always sang. As a girl, I’d get up on the fireplace and sing into a spoon. I was always a music girl.
C&I: But you majored in English at the University of Virginia ...
Thompson: I didn’t allow myself to think of what I was really passionate about. Then, when I was 21, I said, “Y’all, I’m moving to Nashville.” So I came here and had to wait tables and bartend, and I worked my butt off. Five or six years later, I got my first publishing deal.
C&I: Not for yourself, but for other people, right?
Thompson: Right. I had a song recorded by Reba McEntire and one by Jo Dee Messina, and in 2003, it all went away. Sam lost his publishing deal and I lost mine. I didn’t know what my next move would be, and I was scared. I wanted to learn about equine-assisted therapy and started training with EAGALA [Equine Assisted Growth and Learning Association, www.eagala.org]. One day, I was talking to Lynn Thomas, the executive director, and I was telling her about being a kid in Texas and what horses did for me, making me believe that I could do anything, and she said, “You need to make a record. You need to be making records.” That day, I went home and told Sam, and he said, “Well, let’s do it.” So we did.
C&I: Your single “If I Didn’t Need the Money” made it onto the Top 10 music chart in Texas, and then you made the Girls & Horses album, and now Life on Planet Cowgirl. ...
Thompson: Sometimes it feels like it’s been a lifetime. It kinda feels like forever. I’m a completely different person than the girl I was when I moved to Nashville.
C&I: What’s next on Planet Cowgirl?
Thompson: I’m working on the Life on Planet Cowgirl YouTube channel, and my plan is, wherever I go, do a Life on Planet Cowgirl miniepisode. I meet so many talented people — musicians and horse people — on the road. Some are people nobody knows about and others are super-famous. I want to ask people what their favorite song is and then pair them up with the creators of their favorite song. I want to do other stuff, too. The other day I was in Georgia and [a local drill team was] missing a member ... and they put me in the slot. It was a hoot and a half, and it was an experience. It was nothing like me. I never wear cowboy hats, and here I was in a hat and big old chaps, and I felt like I was 10 again. Doing things out of my element — that’s the journey.
See Templeton Thompson perform and check out her Planet Cowgirl apparel booth at the International Equestrian Festival September 25–October 10 in Lexington, Kentucky, during the World Equestrian Games. www.templetonthompson.com.
Wearable Cowgirl Chic
Templeton Thompson’s Planet Cowgirl universe has expanded to women’s fashion. She just launched a new line of tees, rib-knit tanks, thermals, and hoodies. Her designs are all Planet Cowgirl credos. There’s the Planet Cowgirl; Hippie Chic Cowgirl; and Peace, Love and Horsiness. And last, but certainly not least, is Thompson’s signature saying: Dream Big, Work Hard, Have Faith.
The vibe is vintage groovy. Colors range from cool blues and greens to weathered pink and deep purple. Tanks and short-sleeve fitted tees are $17.95; short-sleeve casual tees, $21.95; burnout short-sleeve tees and long-sleeve tees, $26.95; long-sleeve thermals, $29.95; and pullover hoodies, $48.95. Get them at www.planetcowgirl.com. —E.P.
