Cheyenne, Wyoming — Singer and songwriter Michael Martin Murphey performed before a few hundred fans for two hours September 5 at the Cheyenne Civic Center. Michael Martin Murphey performed different kinds of music including country western, bluegrass, folk rock, and cowboy music before a crowd made up of mostly middle aged people, many of whom were attired in Western garb. Here’s more about the Michael Martin Murphey performance over Labor Day weekend at the Cheyenne Civic Center. His voice sounds really smooth and seasoned.

The 64-year-old has performed professionally since the age of 17, where he performed at a Texas ranch and then clubs in the Dallas area according to his biography at Wikipedia. He’s also starred in movies like Hard Country and Take This Job And Shove It, according to The Billboard Book of Top 40 Country Hits. Michael Martin Murphey has collaborated with the “Who’s Who” of country music, including Garth Brooks, Johnny Cash, Randy Travis, Faith Hill, and many more.

Michael Martin Murphy at the Cheyenne Civic Center.

Michael Martin Murphey Performs at the Cheyenne Civic Center, Extolling His Cowboy Values Quite Candidly

Michael Martin Murphey enthralled the ears of pop music lovers with his #1 Adult Contemporary hit song from 1975 Wildfire, but he’s also composed other pop songs such as What Am I Doing Hangin’ ‘Round for The Monkees, as well as all 19 tunes for Kenny Rogers amp; The First Edition’s 1972 album The Ballad of Calico, which is about a ghost town in California, according to the biography at his website.

But his career has been more than that. As a matter of fact, Michael Martin Murphey was introduced at the Cheyenne Civic Center as “America’s singing cowboy poet”. He lived up to that Saturday night, wearing a cowboy hat, bandana, and Wranglers as he sung several cowboy-themed songs during the second half of his performance along with his back up band made up of three talented musicians who played a fiddle, acoustic guitar, and a base guitar. The renditions included the reflective When The Work’s All Done This Fall and Marty Robbins’ smash hit from roughly 50 years ago El Paso, which was performed with crispness and conviction. Between songs, Michael Martin Murphy talked about his love for trains and the values of cowboys, even admonishing single men to find a wife who can “run a Bobcat and back a trailer.” He told the Cheyenne Civic Center audience that “You (Cheyenne, Wyoming) do more to keep Western heritage alive than any other city on earth.” The candid performer even quipped about politics, “I’m a right wing conservative son of a gun.”

Michael Martin Murphey Performs Wildfire Awesomely at the Cheyenne Civic Center

Wildfire Michael Martin Murphey.No Michael Martin Murphey concert would’ve been complete without him singing one of the defining songs of the 1970’s, that being Wildfire, which he did to close the show (before the encore). The guitar play for that rendition was beautiful. He also sang three of his other hits What’s Forever For (a Number 1 country hit in 1982), Carolina in the Pines and What Am I Doing Hangin’ ‘Round, with the latter two really emphasizing his and his band’s skill at capturing the bluegrass sound.

Michael Martin Murphey received a standing ovation from the Cheyenne Civic Center crowd, then went on to perform two more songs, dedicating his final number Boy From The Country to John Denver, who he called “the greatest singer and songwriter of the 20th century”, praising the late music icon for inspiring people to love the land.

He stayed after to interact with the fans as well as to sign autographs. This Cheyenne Civic Center performance was opened by another cowboy singer named Jon Chandler, who sung about Frank and Jesse James as well as Geronimo, among other subjects.

Sources:

Michael Martin Murphey: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Martin_Murphey, Wikipedia

Michael Martin Murphey Bio: http://www.michaelmartinmurpheymusic.com/cms/index.php?page=extended-biography, Michael Martin Murphey Official Website

Joel Whitburn, The Billboard Book of Top 40 Country Hits, Updated amp; Expanded Edition (2006)

Joel Whitburn, The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits, 8th Edition (2004)

Joel Whitburn, Joel Whitburn’s Top Pop Albums: 1955-1996 (1996)

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