Friday, November 5, 2010
7:30 PM MST

Michael Martin Murphey, "singing cowboy poet," is not only the number one, best-selling singer-songwriter of American Cowboy Music, he's one of the world's most respected singer-songwriters in the Pop and Country-Western field. Murphey is the world's most prominent musical representative of the Western horseman, the horse rancher, cattle rancher, and cowboy. He's also a lover of the outdoors, with a strong commitment to issues regarding farmers and ranchers, open space, and management of natural resources.

Although Murphey did have some love song-related hits, most of them were penned by other writers such as Rafe VanHoy's "What's Forever For?", Jesse Winchester's "I'm Gonna Miss You, Girl" and the Overstreet/Schuyler composition "A Long Line Of Love," most of his own work involves nature and his respect for all things living and the universe at large. And let's not forget that his biggest hit, "Wildfire", was about a mysterious dream horse on the vast American heartland prairie. While others sang about the urban street life and hip discos, Murphey was singing about the stark beauty of the "dark, flat land" of Nebraska.

In the early 1980's, Murphey recorded a watershed album called "Michael Martin Murphey" for Capitol Records, produced by fellow-Texan, Jim Ed Norman, architect of the cross-over country sound of the time. Murphey's self-penned "Still Taking Chances," released that same year, was, according to Murphey, one of the first love songs he ever wrote. It also went high on the charts, solidifying his relationship with country radio as a singer-songwriter, which exposed him to an entirely new audience. Ironically, 12 years after his first hit in Pop music, Murphey was awarded Best New Artist by the Academy of Country Music in 1983 (beating out George Strait!), and he continued to enjoy hits on country and pop radio throughout the decade. In 1987, his "A Long Line Of Love," reached No. 1. "I'm Going Miss You, Girl" (written by Jesse Winchester) and "From The Word Go," from his 1988 album River Of Time, both went to No. 3. His last single on the charts was "Cowboy Logic" in 1989.

Now you can enjoy Murphey's classic songs live when he performs at the Tuacahn Amphitheatre for one special night of down-home music.