SMITH CENTER–Western crossover artist Michael Martin Murphey had been singing the popular “Home on the Range” in concert for years before he learned that the cabin where the iconic song was written was still standing — barely — in Smith County, Kansas.
“That song is part of who we are as a country,” said Murphey, who will perform a “Home on the Range” benefit concert at the nearby Smith Center High School auditorium (300 Roger Barta Way) on Sunday, June 14, at 2:30 p.m. Tickets for the event are $20.
“I don’t known anyone who doesn’t know at least the first verse,” he continued. “When I found out there was an effort underway to restore the cabin, I had to get involved.”
That was in 2011. Two years later and more than $120,000 raised, the home of the song’s author, Dr. Brewster Higley VI, was authentically restored. Ongoing work at the site is in progress and includes furnishing the cabin with quality replica or restored furniture such as a single pioneer doctor would have had in 1872. Work is also in progress to create walking trails and information stations along the West Beaver Creek.
Murphey’s appearance will help raise money to fund those efforts. Specifically, proceeds from the performance will go towards the purchase and installation of two KDOT signs, designating the 16 mile stretch of KS Highway 8 as “The Home on the Range Highway”.
The Home on the Range Cabin is listed on the National Historical Register. The Home on the Range site is 240 acres in Pleasant Township, Smith County, and consists of range and cultivated land formerly owned by Pete and Ellen Rust. This special acreage includes 13 acres devoted exclusively for use by the Higley/Home on the Range Cabin and associated events. The entire site is privately owned and managed by the Peoples Heartland Foundation, a 501c3 charity, who received it as a gift from the Trustees of the Ellen Rust Living Trust.
Tickets can be purchased online by visiting:
http://thehomeontherange.com/michael-martin-murphey-benefit-concert/
A true genre-busting artist, Michael Martin Murphey has enjoyed success on the pop charts (“Wildfire,” “Carolina In The Pines”), the Country Music Charts (“What’s Forever For,” “Long Line of Love,” “I’m Gonna Miss You Girl”) and the Western Music Charts (“Cowboy Logic). American Cowboy Magazine recently called him one of the top 50 Best Country and Western Singers of All Time (along with Willie Nelson, Roy Rogers, Johnny Cash & Dolly Parton) and he is a member of the Western Music Hall of Fame.