Western songwriter Kerry Grombacher will bring the spirit of troubadours to the home of Barbara Richhart in Mancos in a concert Saturday.Grombacher's songs tell fascinating stories and paint vivid pictures of the territory he travels, from the bayous of Louisiana to the Hi-Line of Montana, and from the desert Southwest to the forests of the Northwest. His workshop guides participants through his artistic process and shows them how to unleash their creative talents through observation and description.
On Friday evening, he also will present his "Jump Start Your Creativity" workshop at the Cortez Culture Center.
"I'm really looking forward to returning to the Four Corners area," Grombacher said. "The sky is magical, the vistas are stunning, and the people's stories are intriguing. It's the best kind of place for a songwriter, and I find inspiration every time I visit. It's an honor to be asked to lead a creative-writing workshop at the Cortez Culture Center, and a real pleasure to return to the Western Belle's House Concert series."
Grombacher plays guitar and mandolin, writes contemporary folk and western songs, and tours nationally for concerts. His songs have been featured on the ABC-TV adventure travel show "Born to Explore" and on the Putumayo World Records CD "Cowboy Playground," which was released in over 60 countries. In the course of his national tours, Grombacher has sung on stages at the Newport Folk Festival in Rhode Island, Cowboy Songs and Range Ballads in Cody, Wyo., the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, and the Durango Cowboy Poetry Gathering. He has released three CDs of original songs, and several of his tunes have been recorded by other artists.
A well-known writing instructor as well, Grombacher has been a judge for the Texas Literary Society's annual awards. He has conducted creative-writing workshops for libraries and arts councils across the nation and presented songwriting workshops for the Louisiana Folklife Festival, the Buffalo Bill Center of the West in Cody, Wyo., Three Rivers Folklife Society in Richland, Wash., and ArtCoreWyoming in Casper, Wyo.
Nalini Jones, of the Newport Folk Festival, says "Kerry Grombacher is the best kind of songwriter, with lyrics that take us on journeys to places we've never visited before, and melodies so pure and true that they seem to rise up from the plains."
Originally from Kansas, Grombacher lived in Austin, Texas, for almost 30 years. He now lives in New Orleans, where he refurbished his flooded house after Hurricane Katrina.
The Cortez Culture Center is at 25 N. Market St. in Cortez. The workshop "Jump Start Your Creativity" will be held from 5:30 to 7 p.m., and is open to anyone who is a writer, or who wants to write songs, stories, novels, nonfiction, or poetry. For information and workshop reservations, call 565-1651.
The Western Belle's House Concerts are at the home of Barbara Richhart, 32229 Road P, Mancos. There will be a potluck supper at 6 p.m. Saturday, and the concert will begin at 7 p.m. For information, call 882-1413 or email bfboston@fone.net.
