Michael Martin Murphey brings his five-day WestFest music festival back to Red River

For more than 40 years, Michael Martin Murphey has been an indelible figure on the American West cultural landscape.

His music career began as an “outlaw” singer-songwriter in the late 1960s in Austin, which was a sleepy town back then and not the thriving music metropolis it is today.

The longevity of his music career has awarded him with many achievements and successes. But Murphey is not one to rest on his laurels; this cowboy’s got work to do.

Murphey has emerged over the years as an active environmental and cultural statesman. Dovetailed into his music career, he has created a nonprofit organization. The Murphey Western Institute (murpheywesterninstitute.org) is dedicated to the preservation of the arts, culture, history and legacy of the American West.

Bringing back WestFest to Red River fits right into his mission.

Tempo caught up with Murphey as he wrapped up a weekend of regional gigs. It’s been more than a decade since WestFest has appeared in Red River, so this native Texan and former Taoseño had plenty to say.

“WestFest is a festival about the continuance and the promulgation of the American West culture and all cultures and diversity that we experience in American West history. We’re a festival that’s about Native Americans, ranchers, cowboys and pioneers, and we’re about the arts of the West. Our exhibitors are fine artists and craftsman who sell authentic stuff. We don’t do it any other way,” Murphey said.

American WestFest is presented by the Murphey Western Institute. Running from July 4-8, the schedule of exhibitions occurs at Brandenburg Park and Red River Conference Center, 101 River Street. The festival is set up with a cowboy camp, Native American village, mountain men camp and numerous arts and food booths. This is an all-ages event with spontaneous performances by everyone involved, ranging from Native American dances to cowboy demonstrations as examples.

And, of course, there will be plenty of western music.

Scheduled on Independence Day weekend, during which Taos County’s Fourth of July parade takes place, WestFest is sure to be a hot ticket.

The performers for WestFest will appear at the Motherlode Tent Jam Dance, 406 Main Street. Ticket prices range from a $25 daily general admission fee to $110 for a 5-day pass. VIP upgrades are available, offering preferred seating and a chance to meet Murphey and other musicians.

The musical lineup was not yet announced as of press time. But Murphey points out the heavy hitters who have been a part of WestFest in the past: Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard, Toby Keith, Vince Gill, Suzy Boggus, Jerry Jeff Walker, Dixie Chicks, Brooks and Dunn, John Denver, Dwight Yoakum, Chris Ledoux and Clint Black. Some of these artists appeared at WestFest when they were at the beginning stages of their careers.

WestFest has been to Red River twice before, in the early 1990s and early 2000s.

“WestFest is 100 percent an event that supports my nonprofit. I don’t get any salary out of it. All of the ticket proceeds go to our programs. We are trying to establish a Murphey Western Institute in Northern New Mexico, to build a retreat center for all kinds of fine artists, music artists, western writers (fiction and nonfiction), and scholars. I’ve collected thousands of books on the American West, and I hope to put them in a library,” Murphey said.

Murphey started WestFest in Colorado in 1987. Some promoters in Copper Mountain, Colorado had approached him asking for his ideas to create a successful festival. Murphey recalled telling them, “Why don’t we just try a tribute to the American West?”

Murphey had the phenomenal good luck of announcing WestFest on the “Tonight Show with Johnny Carson” in front of a TV audience of 40 million viewers.

“When I got the idea for WestFest, simultaneously I had a hit record: ‘What’s Forever For.’ It was going great and I got invited to be on the ‘Johnny Carson Show.’ I showed Johnny all the posters for WestFest. He thought it was a fantastic idea. Carson was a Midwesterner and he loved the idea of celebrating the West. The response was just amazing,” Murphey said.

Not only is Murphey passionate about the West, he also has a deep love for Red River in particular. Some years ago he built his own venue in the small, mountain town. Beginning June 28, Murphey will be regularly appearing throughout the summer (one to two performances per week) at his Rocking 3M Amphitheater in Red River. To see that full calendar of dates, visit michaelmartinmurphey.com.

“WestFest is a celebration of what Northern New Mexico is all about: Western art, Native American culture, cowboy culture, adventurous westerners on mountain bikes and skis, that is what we’re all about in this area. With WestFest, we’re just centralizing this all as one big party to celebrate all that we are: the western culture in the American West. And it is a party. It’s fun. It’s not a history lecture. We have a dance floor,” Murphey said.