Acoustic performances of traditional songs from the West, and original songs about the history of the West.

14 MP3 Songs
COUNTRY: Western, COUNTRY: Country Folk



Details:
John Bergstrom
Western State Oâ Mind

Iâm a child of the west⦠the far west⦠Los Angeles. Iâm a city kid who has always loved the open spaces. I was raised on cowboy movies and western displays at museums wherever I could find them.
A few years ago, I attended a concert performed by Michael Flemingâs group, New West. There began my journey with the WMA. I was invited to a Sunday jam and I began to learn and write western music.
Iâve been involved with music all of my life and have touched western music at various times. Itâs been these last few years, however in which I focused on this form of traditional music to the exclusion of others. During this time, I played with two or three groups and began to write and work on my own CD, âWestern State of Mind.â I look forward to the days ahead and plan to continue writing and performing and spreading the good news of western music.
âWestern State Oâ Mind,â is a combination of original and traditional songs.
I included in the traditionals, Old Paint, Jesse James, The Yellow Rose of Texas, Dogiesâ Lament, Streets of Laredo, and Red River Valley. These six are just about my all time favorites. I wrote the other eight cuts.
"Tiburcio Vasquez" was a real California bandito in the mid 1800s. His most famous exploits happened in whatâs now the northern part of Los Angeles County up to Monterrey County. He viewed himself a revolutionary according to most sources I read. This colorful figure needed a song.
The poem, â1876â comes from a remarkable and important year in U.S. History. A bunch of events took place in the year of our national centennial.
"Western State oâ Mind," the title song for this project reflects my pleasure at driving through the Southwest. Yes, I was driving East, but I was still hunting my Western State of Mind.
The growth of Los Angeles has always been fueled by the need for water. The "St. Francis Dam" north of L.A. was intended to save several months worth for the city. When the dam collapsed, about 500 people died.
Col. Goodnightâs cattle trail through west Texas ran close to the home of my wifeâs family in Childress. Iâve always thought it a neat thing to be connected to a piece of history. Hence, "Springtime in Texas."
T.C. Schnebly is credited founding Sedona, Arizona. We should all be grateful that it isnât named Schneblyville. It was a wise thing to name the new town after his wife, Sedona. This beautiful area has a colorful history in the "Red Rocks of Sedona."
"Latchkey Cowboy" celebrates my childhood watching my heroes on TV. If youâre baby boomer enough, you might relate.
Finally, "Cowboy Waltz" tells my appreciation of the Cowboy Way. If we donât watch out, we might lose itâ¦
Enjoy⦠John Bergstrom

WSOMmusic@AOL.com