What does a cowboy hat say about the buckaroo wearing it?

We asked Gerry Abrahamson of RCC Western Store and Bruce Lander of Stockmen's Supply in West Fargo what they thought of some singers and their hats.

George Strait

Both men agreed Strait's style, called a "cattleman's crease," is a classic look for the singer, who has his own line of Resistol hats.

"He puts his name on it, it sells," Lander says.

Michael Martin Murphey

"Very traditional," Abrahamson says, adding this style is often seen in old cowboy movies or at quarter horse association shows.

Or the 1989 mini-series "Lonesome Dove," where Robert Duval's character, Gus McRae, wore what is now called a "Gus crease" hat, featuring a steeper slope from front to back.

The show made the style popular again.

"What's old is new," Abrahamson says. "Everything comes back around."

Toby Keith

Abrahamson says these floppier, worn-in hats are the type you'd see at WE Fest or out at the bars.

"I call them gas station hats," Lander says, also calling them "crunchers" because they're cheap and disposable.

"Strictly WE Fest hats," he says.

Eddie Montgomery

This flat-top, broad-brimmed, pencil-rolled-edge hat is the kind you might find at a Single Action Shooting Society convention, Abrahamson says.

Lander calls it a gambler's hat and says it would be more popular in the South than around here.

Jason Aldean

A palm-leaf hat is heavier, more durable than straw and more likely to stay on in winds, Abrahamson says.

"They can take a pounding," Lander adds

1/3: 

2/3: 

3/3: