Over his lifetime in rodeo, Jesse Knudsen has worn many hats. His forte is as a music director and announcer, and he’s where he flourishes.
(PHOTO BY DAVE McKISSICK)
Wisconsin man takes a different approach to the rodeo road
MANAWA, Wis. – Deep in the chest of Jesse Knudsen sits the heart of a cowboy.
He may wear trucker hat a lot of the time, and his saddle involves a couple of laptops and a sound board, but that’s for comfort. He can handle himself astride a horse or nursing a sick momma cow back to health. Rodeo is a lifestyle for Knudsen, but it’s also a livelihood. He takes to the game much differently than his younger years, when he was a competitor, a stockman, a bullfighter … you name it, and he’s probably done it or at least tried it.
These days, he’s a music director and announcer, lending his voice and his talents to help keep audiences entertained. In fact, he was selected to be the music director at the Clem McSpadden National Finals Steer Roping for the second time and the Prairie Circuit Finals Rodeo for the second straight year.
“My job as an announcer is a lot of storytelling, and I guess a little of that is involved in being a music director,” said Knudsen of Manawa. “The crowd believes whatever we say, so when you tell a story about a contestant where last Saturday, he was in Okeechobee, Florida, and today he’s riding for you in Los Fresnos, Texas, that instantly adds credibility to that contestant we’re talking about.”
It’s not just a belief; it’s a mindset he hangs his hat on, and it’s just one of many reasons why others in his line of work have asked him to be the group’s representative on the Contract Personnel Executive Council, a post for which he is now serving a fifth term. With that task, he serves as the voice for others, then passes along their thoughts to Josh Edwards, the PRCA board’s personnel director.
It’s just one of many hats he wears. He has them in a variety, from cowboy hat to ball cap, of which most proudly display “920,” a tip of the hat, if you will, for the area code to his hometown. No matter where he is in the world, he always has home on his mind.
That’s where his passion for rodeo began. His father, Don, was heavily involved in the sport, serving on the Little Britches of Wisconsin board and being the livestock director and flank man. The bucking bulls found a home at the Knudsen house. Don Knudsen was also flankman for Rodeo’s Incorporated, which was owned by ProRodeo Hall of Fame member Mel Potter.
Knudsen was 8 the first time he entered a rodeo, but he had already spent his early life around it. He rode saddle broncs and bulls through high school, college and early in his professional career. He fought bulls, was a pickup man, worked the back pens and pulled gates. He’s even been a rodeo judge.
“I think all of that helped me do what I do today,” Knudsen said. “I’ve been in the position those contestants have been in. I know what it’s like getting on an 1,800-pound bull, and I know how music can help influence my attitude. I know how the announcer can help instill confidence in me the way he is building you up or by the way the music’s playing.
“I know I enjoyed hearing what the announcer is saying and what music is being played, so I try to translate that into my experiences.”