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NEWS and ARCHIVES OF RECENT EVENTS
Shamrock, Texas school administrator, Wes Beck, is shown here in his "John Wayne Office". Michael Martin Murphey recently played a concert in Shamrock at the High School Theater. When he was invited into Wes' office, he was impressed with Wes' use of the John Wayne Theme to communicate the right values to his students, teachers and staff. Wes told Michael, "There is no better way to talk about courage and determination than to express it through the words, actions and professional choices of John Wayne !" Wes Beck grew up on a cattle ranch; his father was an innovative rancher and hard worker, living up to the Code of the Cowboy that John Wayne so often portrayed.
Fred Hargrove is originally from Kansas, but moved to Colorado to be near the mountain area where his dad took him on fishing and camping outings as a boy. Fred and Murph once ran Texas Longhorns as partners on land in New Mexico, Colorado and Kansas. The partners sold the cattle when Fred decided to move back from Kansas to Colorado a few years ago, but are keeping the option open to raise Texas Longhorns in Colorado again someday. Murph has recently founded a special ranching venture called "American Prairie Partners" ( www.americanprairiepartners.com), which has affiliated ranches in South Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa and Wisconsin. Fred and Murph have considered the idea of starting an affiliated ranch near Monte Vista. Fred's new CD is "Cowpoke Folk", and is available at all of Fred's shows. Fred helps to entertain the crowd during supper prior to Michael's concerts for The Rio Grande Scenic Railroad that runs from Alamosa, Colorado to La Veta, Colorado: www.RioGrandeScenicRailroad.com
Michael is scheduled to perform at the Stagecoach Music Festival
CRS Spells Success for Michael Martin Murphey Speaking of appearances, Murphey is among the lineup of star-powered concerts at the Greased Lightning Daytime Stages during the CMA Music Festival (set for June 5th-8th). He’s scheduled to perform on Saturday, June 7th at 5:00 p.m. Murphey, the world’s top-selling cowboy music singer, will also greet fans in Exhibit Hall as part of the 4-day celebration. ORIGINAL WILD WEST REVUE WEB SITE IS NEW
Did you know Michael performs a horseback concert spectacular with the Original Wild West Revue™! Michael and the Original Wild West Revue™ performed at the John Wayne Centennial Birthday Celebration held in Winterset, Iowa in May 2007. You can watch a video clip of that performance on the Original Wild West Revue™ web site: www.originalwildwestrevue.com. Brian Downes produces the show and perhaps the most unique feature of the patriotic 2-hour presentation is the Original Wild West Revue™ notably because, not since the 1940s, has a major entertainer toured with such an aggregation of mounted western performers. You can book the Original Wild West Revue show for your next town event. Read the testimonials, story of the show, see pictures of the performers and watch the video clip on the web site. COWBOY SINGER MURPHEY SINGS "HAPPY RAILS TO YOU" Murphey played his solo acoustic "Lone Cowboy" show as the mighty engines and passenger cars of the Rio Grande Scenic Line hummed at the track siding, 10,000 feet in the Rockies- a wide-open Western vista under the stars, surrounded by towering peaks and pines. All the elements of this Wild West Train experience- the food, cooking equipment, sound and lights production, support team and gear, were brought in by rail. The electricity for the sound and light equipment was powered by the train generators, which were far enough away from the stage that the pristine acoustics of high-altitude mountain air was preserved. Murphey was wild with enthusiasm after the show, saying "This is the most scenic and exciting concert site I've ever played. I called up the owners of the train and proposed this concept, and they sure delivered. The smell of the pines and the wood-smoked BBQ, the cool mountain air, the sunset over the Spanish Peaks and the canopy of stars inspired me in an overwhelming wave that washed over my senses!" The following morning Murph was invited by the partners to ride in the steam locomotive with the engineers, as it pulled another group of passengers from Alamosa to La Veta. Murphey right in front of the oil-powered boiler, accompanied by three engineers: Earl Knoob, Mark Regan, and Steven Butler. When they blew the whistle and the big wheels started rolling, Murphey said, "The hair stood up on the back of my neck! It was a thrilling ride with vistas and scenes worthy of a postcard. But I was fascinated by the controls and switches in the old locomotive as much as the scenery; it's such a contrast to the computerized controls of modern transportation. It was extreme "hands on" technology, and the engineers kept talking about how much they could 'feel the steel'. " "One of the highlights of the trip was coming around the bend to see a bunch of big fat black bears who were hanging out by a batch of barley that had spilled out of a train car on a curve. The passengers were going wild with their cameras. "As the train neared the La Veta station out on the flats, the locomotive whistle startled six mature mule deer bucks; these were big boys with racks of antlers big enough to hang a lot of cowboy hats on! As the train approached, they all started bounding from the rich grass on the side of the tracks, right up over a pasture fence, clearing it by several feet. The vision of the most powerful buck, suspended in the air like a ballet dancer, will surely stay in my mind, like the image of a masterpiece painting that haunts the imagination forever!" The owners of the Rio Grand Scenic Railroad are meeting with representatives of Murphey's Wildfire Productions to develop a series of Lone Cowboy Concerts and Wild West Entertainment for the train passengers in years to come. More announcements about this will forthcoming on www.michaelmartinmurphey.com. Cowboy poets take hats off for humble storyteller
Sweeten also was a favorite of "singing cowboy poet" Michael Martin Murphey, who invited him to be his opening act every time the singer-songwriter's tour passed within driving distance of Sweeten's home.
Letter from Colorado Farm Bureau: We like to give this award in person at our annual meeting banquet. This year, our meeting and banquet will be held here in Denver on Saturday, November 17.
The Black Irish Band, also known as the Hooligans of Jamestown, have a musical style that is as timeless as the rugged landscape of the west, a tribute to the people whose lives were spent building the world we now take for granted. The band has a large compliment of traditional maritime and railroad music, as well as ethnic tunes in their repertoire. They commonly play Irish, Italian, and American folk music with an assortment of original songs and traditional western ballads.The bands musical style captures the spirit of the immigrants of this land, the men and women who tamed the Wild West. John Wayne Celebration huge success.
The John Wayne Committee issued this thank you to Michael for going above and beyond the call of duty performing to the large crowds and accommodating fans.
THANK YOU FROM JOHN WAYNE COMMITTEE:
Michael says "Thanks Fans!" for the great time in Winterset, Iowa celebrating the Duke's 100th Birthday.
The web site www.HorseTradeShow.com has streamed video of the Michael Martin Murphey Wildfire Horseback Spectacular and Wild West Revue.
WASN'T IT EXCITING TO WATCH MICHAEL PERFORM LAST NIGHT ON THE LATE SHOW! Michael Martin Murphey guest on the David Letterman Late Show
The Late Show has been playing Michael's Song Wildfire off and on since the end of March. David Letterman likes the lyrics in the song where it says "We are going to leave sodbustin behind." But David does not know what the word 'sodbustin' means. Michael has gotten so much exposure on the Late Show that now Michael will be a guest on the show to talk to David about the lyrics to his hit song Wildfire. MICHAEL'S TV DATE COULD CHANGE SO KEEP CHECKING OUR WEB SITE TO MAKE SURE YOU DON'T MISS MMM ON THE CORRECT NIGHT. Susan Davis Michael Martin Murphey acknowledged by Texas Music Awards Legendary Country recording artist's project walks away with multiple accolades. Nashville, TN - WestFest recording artist Michael Martin Murphey was a recipient of the 5th Annual Texas Music Awards on March 24, 2007, for his latest album "Heartland Cowboy/Cowboy Songs Vol. 5". Nods included Michael receiving his award for Song of the Year ("Close to the Land") along with co-writer Rob Quist. Al Perkins was named Musician of the Year for his part on Michael's current project. Michael, who is a previous Grammy nominee, is also a past recipient of the Wrangler Awards. With his most current release on WestFest Records, Michael was thrilled to be recognized by the Texas Music Awards organization. Michael can also be seen as the host of "The Best of the West" hunting show on the Men's Outdoor Recreation Network (channel #218 on Dish and Direct TV). The Texas Music Awards are presented by MyTexasMusic.com with this year's event being hosted by country music recording artist Sonny Burgess, held at the historic Music City Texas Theater in Linden, Texas.
March 29, 2007 CLICK HERE to go to the Pueblo Chieftain web site and read the article and see pictures. Pass the article link on to friends and the media, as it's not too late to donate to the cause. A PBS special will run on this in Colorado, and perhaps nation wide. It was a whale of show! TO DONATE: www.blizzardbenefit.org Colorado Blizzard Disaster Benefit - March 18, 2007 Michael Martin Murphey is organizing a major benefit for the Colorado Cattlemen hurt by the recent Blizzard Disaster. The event is presented by the Colorado Farm Bureau, the Colorado Livestock Association and the Colorado Cattlemen's Association and will be held at the Colorado State Fairgrounds Events Center, Pueblo, Colorado on March 18, 2007. Michael Martin Murphey and friends will entertain the crowd with the Pueblo Symphony Orchestra. Other entertainers will be named here soon. Ticket information and time of the event will be posted here soon as well. The event has a web site for futher details: www.blizzardbenefit.org Murphey Song wins Wrangler Award for Best Original Song Michael Martin Murphey's song "Long and Lonesome Road to
Michael Martin Murphey Entertainment for John Wayne Celebration
Michael Martin Murphey will be the head lining entertainment at the John Wayne Celebration to be held in honor of the actor's 100th Birthday. The event will be held with the Centennial Celebration in Winterset, Iowa, on May 25-27, 2007, featuring stupendous events including Wild West Spectaculars (featuring a stagecoach pulled by a matched team of six galloping horses, a genuine mounted U.S. Army Field Artillery unit, professional trick riders and more), a Cowboy Symposium, concerts by America's #1 selling cowboy music singer Michael Martin Murphey, and many other events! Michael toured Winterset, Iowa and met with the John Wayne Committee just this week to map out details of the performance. |
Fred Hargrove, Michael's co-performer on a select group of tour dates, and one-time partner in the cattle business, got some good news recently. A panel of judges has chosen the lyrics to Fred's song, " A Monte Vista Moon", to be displayed at the Denver International Airport! The song is part of an Art Exhibition called, "Colorado-See the West Like a Local". 
Colorado Farm Bureau to Award Murph with Excellence in Ag Award for 2007 
The John Wayne Celebration held over the memorial weekend was a huge success. Large crowds attended the many events during the weekend. 
MAX REYNOLDS RIDES HIS "SILVER BULLET" HORSE TEAM DURING MICHAEL MARTIN MURPHEY'S WILDFIRE HORSE SPECTACULAR AND WILD WEST REVUE FOR THE JOHN WAYNE 100TH BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION 
Here is exciting news. Michael will be a guest on the David Letterman Show May 22nd.. 
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Here's an update on what happened in Pueblo at OPERATION:BLIZZARD BENEFIT. The Colorado Pueblo Chieftain Newspaper printed a front page article on the concert. 
Dalhart (Winter Ground)", from the Heartland Cowboy/Cowboy Songs Vol. 5 Album has been awarded the Wrangler Award for Best Original Western Song from the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum and Cowboy Hall of Fame. 