Area Entertainment: Michael Martin Murphey's famous ‘Wildfire’ song

As Elko, Nevada's, National Cowboy Poetry Gathering wrapped up on January 31, I was attending with the Sons of the Pioneers, and we had a chance to see and meet some of America's great Western performers, Michael Martin Murphey, Dave Stamey and R.W. Hampton, just to name a few. Several Western poets and Indian storytellers were also in attendance for the weeklong event. 

The sellout concert of over 900 was treated to an hour and a half of stories and songs, featuring Murphey and his Rio Grande Band. Murphey came onstage with just his guitar and told the audience about his beginnings in songwriting. He soon went into a detailed story explaining the American music scene in the early 1970s. "I felt that in the music world, Western had disappeared from Country and Western music, in a time where Pop and Rock had taken over. That was my inspiration. I wanted to change that," Murphey said.

In 1972, Murphey's first composition was recorded and released: "Geronimo's Cadillac." It would be his first album, an A & M Records release. The single made it to number 30 on the Top Singles Chart. It was really impressive seeing Murphey perform this before the crowd, just his voice and his guitar. For being almost 81 years young, his voice and playing are still very strong. 

Murphey went into another detailed story about his experience while driving a portion of Route 66 from Texas to California and how it inspired him. In 1989, he and his son Ryan wrote "Blues For 66." This song has won multiple awards and recently was awarded Best Original Composition in 2023 at Oklahoma City's Western Heritage Awards. Again, it was a wonderful moment, seeing this performed live without his band.

Murphey's Rio Grande Band then joined him onstage for the remaining hour, and their instrumentation is a formula that has worked well for so many in the business—two guitars, a fiddle and a bass. Murphey's bass player, Gary Roller, is one of the legends in the business. He's been by Murphey's side for over 40 years. His lead guitarist is a talented young lady, Carin Mari from Colorado, who has become very popular in Western music in recent years. His fiddle player, Leah Sawyer, is a young performer from Weatherford, Texas.

Murphey and the Rio Grande Band gave an outstanding performance and even included several of their tunes from the Cowboy Christmas Ball that they participate in each year in Anson, Texas. And, of course, a story behind all of that. He even sang one of the songs that John and I had at our wedding. 

They closed the concert with Murphey's iconic hit, "Wildfire," which was released 50 years ago. Murphey explained a circumstance at a sandwich shop in Austin, Texas, in 1975. The song was inspired by a story from his grandfather about a Cherokee Indian ghost horse. The release of the single would take Murphey's career to the top. The Grammy award winner would land at number 3 on the Billboard's Top Ten. Seeing this live, again was a special moment.

After the concert, we got to visit with Murphey and his son Brennan. They are both the real deal. We had our photo taken with them and while we were visiting, he signed the LP version of his Cowboy Songs album for us. Brennan and his son could just talk to you like they knew you for a very long time. What another dream came true to meet someone that I listened to for so much of my pre-teen years through today!

If you ever get a chance to see Michael Martin Murphey live in concert, GO! Also, try to attend the Elko Western Folklife Centre and the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering, all located in Elko, Nevada.