Texas thrush Kristyn Harris rocked the Michael Martin Murphy hit “Wildfire” as the opening act for singer/songwriter Billy Dean at the three-day Cache Valley Cowboy Rendezvous this past weekend at the Cache County Event Center.
LOGAN – Local county fans jammed the Cache County Event Center to see headliners Jim Curry and Billy Dean perform at the Cache Valley Cowboy Rendezvous this weekend.
But many of them missed dynamite performances by regional artists on the venue’s other stages earlier on Saturday.
Event organizer Dale Major led off that talent parade with his son and daughter performing as the Major Family Band.
He’s a gifted guitar player who is a big favorite with the rendezvous crowd and Major played the audience like a fiddle, with jokes and clever asides that gave the brief show a loose, feel-good vibe.
Major was accompanied by his son Jake Major on bass guitar and his daughter Erin Major Shott on fiddle and vocals.
With a lyrical, ethereal voice reminiscent of bluegrass singing sensation of the 1990s Alison Krauss, Ms. Shott harmonized with her father on a deeply personal, lovely song about a wedding dance; a comic tune about shoveling snow; and others.
Texan Kristyn Harris brought down the house with a bluesy version of an old Roy Rogers favorite, “Along the Navajo Trail.”
The diminutive Ms. Harris has a great, big voice and knows how to use it. That was clearly demonstrated when, as the opening act for Dean later in the day, she rocked the Michael Martin Murphy hit “Wildfire.”
Hailing from Idaho, a set by the “Fall River Boys” featured a haunting rendition of “Oh, Shenandoah.” That traditional folk song was performed with a distinctly western flavor thanks to the guitar artistry of Scott Glen Lambertsen and a touching harmonica solo by Mark E. Seeley.
Also in the running for the rendezvous’ best surprise was “Carter Junction,” a husband and wife duo combining the unlikely but winning sounds of a guitar and a standup harp.
If county music with a Celtic flair sounds odd, you’ve obviously never heard Clinton and Sarah Carter play and sing beautifully.
Later in the afternoon, the professionals took over.
Curry delivered his trademark John Denver tribute, which proved to be a crowd-pleasing heavy dose of nostalgia combined with a multi-media travelogue.
Curry was joined by songsmith John Chandler from Colorado and Oregon storyteller Tom Swearingen.
Saturday evening it was finally Dean’s turn to take the stage, performing his stable of 1990s hits – included the familiar Gulf War anthem “Only Here for a Little While” – as well as some more recent compositions.
Also opening for Dean was Andy Nelson, a western humorist who combined stand-up comedy and cowboy poetry.
Other performers during the cowboy gathering were musicians Tony and Carol Messerly as “Manystrings & Co.;” the father-daughter duo David Anderson and Jenny Lynn Bradford; balladeers Chris Mortensen, Clive Romney and Dough Fliggs; and funny lady Kristen Lloyd, AKA Krazy Ani.
Cowboy poets appearing at the rendezvous included Thatch Elmer from Herber City; local favorite Colt Blankman; Jo Lynn Kirkwood from Sevier County; and Mark Munzert from upstate New York.
Thanks to a generous grant from the Sorenson Legacy Foundation, many of those musicians and poets had spent the previous week here providing educational outreach to Cache County schoolchildren in the form of high-quality western music and poetry sessions.
The three-day Cowboy Rendezvous ended Sunday with a western-themed church service.