"Michael Martin Murphey has teamed up with poet Michael Marks to create a unique recording of "A Soldier's Christmas".

Michael got the poem through a soldier in Iraq named Jeff Giles, and he immediately tracked down the author, Michael Marks, who gave permission for it to be set to music.

Michael has been performing the piece in his Cowboy Christmas shows. The response has been so overwhelming that Michael and the Rio Grande Band went into Don Caldwell Studios in Lubbock, Texas immediately after their show at Caldwell's Cactus Theater.

The musicians on the track are : David Coe - fiddle/ Paul Sadler- guitar/Gary Roller- Bass/ Herb Steiner- steel guitar/ Rocky Marvel- drums. The recording engineer was Toby Caldwell, assisted by Casey Jones.

The recording is available as a download, with every penny going to benefit our soldiers and their families."