HOLDING ON FOR DEAR LIFE: Canyon’s Musical Memories & Fiddle Favs Playlist

In Holding on for Dear Life by Dusti Bowling, Canyon Cress is a thirteen-year-old bull rider whose passion for the rodeo might just be the ticket to bring his fractured family back together, but it’s also the thing that might break him entirely if he’s not careful.

Canyon has been bull riding almost his entire life, following in his dad’s footsteps and bonding over their love of the sport and competition – until the tragic car accident that changed everything. Losing his mom caused a ripple in their family dynamic, as his grieving dad started drinking more, missing work, forgetting to buy groceries, and leaving Canyon to care for his younger sister, Josie, often on his own. Bull riding is pretty much the only thread connecting him and his dad these days, so when the opportunity to compete in the Junior World Bull Riding Championship arises, Canyon is eager to qualify and compete, hoping the prize money might be the thing that makes his family whole again.

Canyon may be hurting over the heartbreak of losing his mother, but his heart isn’t the only thing in pain. Unfortunately, bull riding is risky and dangerous. Canyon struggles with horrible headaches and dizziness caused by all the concussions and falls he’s endured over the years. He doesn’t want anyone to know he’s struggling, though, so he keeps his home life and his pain a secret, feeling the need to “cowboy up” and do everything he can to keep his family together. But when an accident sends him to the hospital with a warning from the doctor that any more head traumas could have serious consequences for Canyon, threatening his chances to compete and his plans to fix his family.

Canyon isn’t only a bull-rider, though. He’s a talented fiddle player just like his mother, who was a violinist in the Phoenix Symphony before the accident and many of his favorite memories are soundtracked by music. Throughout his journey, Canyon is encouraged by his music teacher to focus more on his fiddle playing and even uploads a video of himself playing for the American Superstar competition. Torn between continuing bull riding and the healing effects of music, Canyon isn’t just choosing his path, he’s figuring out who he truly is, what he needs to survive, and shaking off the notion that being tough and brave means taking the most challenging path – sometimes it’s admitting when it’s time to let go and that sometimes dreams can change.

Holding on For Dear Life will lasso your heart and bring you along for the emotional, empowering, and hopeful ride that Dusti Bowling is known for in her storytelling. Even though it might not always seem that way, Canyon has some pretty supportive people in his corner who are always looking out for him, whether it be his grandma always showing up for his events, his spotter who is spotting his life in more ways than one, and a few loyal friends who are always down for a wild ride!

Want to know more about Canyon’s life? He’s sharing some of his favorite music-tinted memories and his favorite fiddle tracks with our readers with the help of author Dusti Bowling.

Canyon Cress Shares His Best Musical Memories:

One of my earliest memories is of my mom playing the violin to help me fall asleep. People say you can’t possibly remember something that happened when you were just a baby, but I do. She played this one song all time that she called Canyon’s Song, and as far as I know, it was the only song she ever wrote herself while she was still living on this earth.

Mom was a professional violinist, and boy she could play anything if you put a piece of music in front of her. Grandma even likes to say she could read music with her eyes closed. When Mom played at Symphony Hall, we’d all gussy up in our best clothes and head over there. Even Dad would dust himself off and put on a tie, but he’d only do that for Mom. Some nights the symphony would play Mozart, and other nights it was Beethoven or Bach. I loved all of the music so much, but I also really loved the country music Dad always played in the truck.

One day, on the way to watch Dad ride bulls at a rodeo, I told him, “I love Mom’s music, but I really like this music, too. I don’t know which kind I like better.” Dad grinned at me and said back, “You don’t have to choose one or the other, Canyon.” And then he’d put on a song that absolutely knocked my socks off. I shouted, “A violin can be played like that?” And Dad said, “When the violin’s played like that, Canyon, it’s called a fiddle.” 

The song Dad played for me that day in the truck was Jerusalem Ridge, and I knew right then and there, that was what I wanted to play. After that, I listened to every bluegrass fiddle song I could find, and Dad would always let me stay late at the rodeo when he knew a good fiddler was playing afterward. Even when he was all beat to pieces and wanted nothing more in the world than to take a hot shower and ice his sore knees, he’d stay with me so I could hear the fiddle.

Now that Mom’s gone, my little sister, Josie, says she can’t go to sleep at night unless I play the fiddle for her. Some nights I play Josie a song I wrote myself. Some nights I like to play her Ashokan Farewell, one of my all-time fiddle songs. Other nights I might play Margaret’s Waltz or just a good old-fashioned hymn like Amazing Grace. Grandma really likes that one.

Josie’s all-time favorite fiddle song, though, is Daddy’s Old Fiddle. It’s too lively to play for her at night, but I might play it for her after school or on the weekends if I’m not busy riding bulls. Dolly Parton sang that one with The Charlie Daniels Band. In case you don’t know who they are, Charlie Daniels is a great fiddler. He played The Devil Went Down to Georgia, the very same song my mom played out in the middle of the desert the night she met my dad. He’d ridden a bull earlier that night, but she shook him up with that song more than that bull had.

But of course I don’t just play the fiddle for Josie. I play it for myself. I play it because it calms me down and makes me feel good. Some days, after a bull has stomped my legs and kicked my arms and thrown me on my head, it’s the only thing that helps me feel better. When I was little and I’d get hurt, Mom would always be there to give me a hug and wipe my tears and put a band aid on my scrapes. Then she might play her violin for me. I suppose I can imagine she’s playing it for me still when I’m hurt. Maybe that’s why it helps me so much.

And just as Dolly Parton sings about Daddy’s old fiddle being handed down hand to hand, my mom’s violin had been handed down to me by my grandma, and it truly is now my greatest treasure. And just how Dolly sings about missing her daddy, I sure do miss my mom. But when I play her violin, I know she’s there inside it, guiding my fingers to the music. Sometimes it feels like the songs I write actually write themselves. Like I’m just along for the ride. But I know they’re not writing themselves. I think my mom is writing them.

Canyon’s Fiddle Favs Playlist:

If you’re interested in checking out some country and bluegrass music that features wonderful fiddle playing, here’s a playlist for you (some of these songs are mentioned in the book):

🎻Ashokan Farewell

🎻Jerusalem Ridge

🎻Blackberry Blossom

🎻Margaret’s Waltz

🎻The Devil Went Down to Georgia

🎻Daddy’s Old Fiddle

🎻Ten Feet Tall and Bulletproof

🎻Fiddlin’ Around

🎶MORE MUSIC: Need another book playlist to pair with your reading? Zadie Drake from Dad Rock Dragon Quest shared her classic rock favs HERE!