Saturday, July 5
The Center for the Arts presents
America's #1 Selling Cowboy Music Singer
Michael Martin Murphey
TWO SHOWS! 3:00PM and 7:00PM, $25

"Michael Martin Murphey is one the main influences on my career. He is among America's best songwriters" - Lyle Lovett

On the strength of his first album alone, Michael Murphey is the best new songwriter in the country" - Rolling Stone Magazine

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. Though he's remained a lifetime resident and loyal son of Texas, he's a man on mystical, spiritual quest to try capture the soul of the deserts, plains and mountains in the soul of America.

 Murphey is the world's most prominent musical representative of the Western horseman (Richard Farnsworth, legendary Hollywood stunt man and Western actor once called him a "master 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. 

Wildfire on youtube.com

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.

Michael has received awards for his accomplishments in many fields. The award for which he is most honored is the Golden Smoky Award , given to him by the Department of Interior for his tireless work in conservation and wildlands fire awareness. Other awards in include: Gold Albums for COWBOY SONGS VOL. I, BLUE SKY NIGHT THUNDER, WILL THE CIRCLE BE UNBROKEN, Charlie Russell Award for Western Heritage, 5 "Wrangler" awards from the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum and Cowboy Hall of Fame, Academy of Country Music, Rock Music Awards, Academy of Western Music Award for Best Album and Song, Governor of New Mexico's Outstanding Achievement Award, Honorary Lifetime Membership in the American Quarter Horse Association, Honorary Paul I. Harris Award from Rotarians International, Outstanding Citizen Award by the Town of Taos, New Mexico, Outstanding Son of Texas Award by the Texas Legislature, BMI Awards for Radio Airplay, and special citation for Outstanding Contribution to the State of Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources for his work on public awareness of Wisconsin Trails.