Lots of cowboys have nicknames: Buck, Tex or maybe Slim, but Zen Cowboy? In the Zen spirit, maybe it’s best to just go with the flow on that one.

That’s what the guitar pickin’ Chuck Pyle decided to do many moons ago when a reviewer stuck him with the oxymoronic moniker.

The name refers to his trademark philosophical wit and humor, a uniquely high-spirited combination of the Far East and the Old West.

As Pyle likes to recount, he just decided to “ride the horse in the direction it’s going.”

The nickname has stuck, and May 19 the Zen Cowboy is the featured performer at Collective Visions Gallery in Bremerton.

Pyle doesn’t look or sound quite like your conventional cowboy singer, with a shaved head under his 10-gallon hat, purple cowboy boots and songs that blend upbeat spirituality with “horse sense.”

In 30 years on the performing trail he’s had his songs recorded by artists from John Denver to the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band.

Country fans may recognize his song “Cadillac Cowboy,” recorded by the late Chris LeDoux or “Jaded Lover,” recorded by Jerry Jeff Walker.

Pyle is a native of the flatlands of Iowa, but headed for the hills of Colorado in 1965 “when Boulder was mostly gravel streets.”

He’s been called “as Colorado as the Rockies,” and he’s credited with penning the unofficial Colorado State Song, “Spirit of Colorado.”

He’s recorded nine albums over the years, including a live album in 2005, “Romancing the Moment,” and “True Unity,” recorded this year with a variety of musicians. The result is a collection of swing, folk, Cajun and pop, flavored with Pyle’s intelligent lyrics.

Chuck “Zen Cowboy” Pyle performs 7 p.m. May 19, Collective Visions Gallery, 331 Pacific Ave., Bremerton. Tickets are $13 advance, $15 at the door. Advance tickets available by phone at (360) 377-8327.