AFP Guest Artists
Jon Messenger has played the Arizona Folklore
Preserve numerous times, as a solo act and with a bluegrass band "Raw
Deal." He is very much at home on that stage, whether he's singing
his original songs, reciting classic cowboy poetry, or telling stories. A
favorite of AFP audiences has always been "Roses
in the Yard," about a cowboy
whose wife lived a very hard life, following him from camp to camp, but somehow
always managed to plant roses wherever they lived. It's a tear-jerker,
but one can get a little comic relief when he counters with "Welcome
to the Romance." That autobiographical song is about a green
cowboy who gets paired with a horse that's a bit too spirited on the cowboy's
first time out.
Jon clearly has a great sense of humor,
and is also one of the most articulate of storytellers.
Well known for his work in the Cowboy/Western
genre, Jon brings a unique approach to today’s Cowboy and Western Music - his vocal and acoustic
guitar stylings blend together to bring to all his audiences a haunting and
authentic portrait of cowboy life, past and present. Jon’s writing
has been favorably compared to the outstanding works of several remarkable
contemporary Western singer/songwriters, such as: Don Edwards, Jack Hannah,
Michael Fleming, Dave Stamey, Curly Musgrave, Bob Wagoner, and Douglas Green
of Riders in the Sky.
The love and appreciation of the Western way of
life is in every tune he writes; Jon has earned his spurs among true cowboy
poets and musicians. He writes some of the most hauntingly beautiful songs
of our time and has found a way to express insights into the livestock
community that most people simply overlook. He’s become an integral
part of the Western Music community, and is well respected as a performer
and songwriter by all.
Jon has been playing at gatherings, fairs, festivals,
and churches for a dozen years. Mostly, he plays Western music. If
you need a definition of Western music, Jon, a former president of the Western
Music Association who still serves as an advisor for the group, can help
you. Jon likes to
clarify the difference between Western music and country music. For
one thing, he will tell you that the cadence of a Western song is that of
a galloping horse. And
for another, the lyrics in a Western song are about cowboys or ranching or
simply love of the land.
Jon usually plays solo, but lately he has teamed up
with a pair of Oklahoma musicians who winter in Arizona, Jeanne Cahill and
Jerome Campbell. They appeared with Jon several times during the 2004-2005
season, including the Cochise Cowboy Poetry & Music Gathering and Tucson's
Trail Dust Days. Jeanne and Jerome also collaborated with Jon to
create his wonderful "Ponydance" CD. The
CD includes several of Jon's original songs and a uniquely clever arrangement
of "Ghost Riders." The title cut charted in the top ten of
Western Music tunes for several weeks this year, and is considered to be
a must have recording by western music aficionados.
Several years ago, Jon was a founding member of the
Western trio, Rimfire. He also plays Western Swing music occasionally,
and although he doesn't spend a lot of time at it, Bluegrass music is also
a specialty of Jon's. He played guitar with the very popular Raw Deal
Bluegrass Band, including several appearances at the Arizona Folklore Preserve.
You can check out more info on Jon on the
performer's page at www.westernmusic.org,
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