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PERFORMANCE REVIEW:
Please accept this letter of recommendation for TJ Casey and the Rough Riders. TJ and the guys performed this past August at the Tumbleweed Festival here in Garden City, Kansas. They did a great job, bringing their own
talents to our stages with a blend of Western and Folk music that exemplified the hard working root from which they came. The group was easy to work with and exemplified a degree of professionalism not always found among
today's performers.
The commitment of TJ to the preservation of the root of music was evidenced both in his conversation and in his performance. He is a traditionalist who feels and projects his obligation to pass on the essence of music to those who come after him.To him the music is not solely about the performance but more importantly about carrying the messages of life from generation to generation.
I would recommend TJ Casey and any of his musical endeavors to all of you who may be seeking a pure talent, filled with a genuine desire to contribute to the preservation of music in its purest forms.
Willis C. Pracht - Tumbleweed Festival - Garden City, Kansas
Influences
Roy Rogers, Gene Autry, Marty Robbins, Merle Haggard, Eddy Arnold
Webster defines “soul” as “. . . credited with the functions of thinking and willing, and hence determining all behavior”. He also calls the soul “the moral or emotional nature of man.”
That deep part of T. J. Casey is pure cowboy – and it clearly determines his behavior.
The soul of T. J. Casey was shaped in him by the precepts of his mama and daddy, by his childhood in Montana’s beautiful but harsh and remote Pryor Mountains, and by close association with horses and cattle before he can even remember. Living primitively (by today’s standards), with no electricity, telephone or indoor plumbing taught him just how unimportant money and possessions really are in life.
Mentored by old cowboys and old horses, T.J. learned honesty, humor, respect, trustworthiness, and strength of character. Wild cattle and younger horses taught him mental and physical brawn and agility, and developed in him a good measure of toughness and tenacity.
Interwoven with these forces was the powerful oral history of the cowboy, which T. J. was steeped in through poems, stories and songs, passed down from those who’d gone before. That culture became woof and warp of his soul, so that the songs and poems spawned there today bear witness of and are true to his cowboy heritage.
Spending two thirds of his life so far in a saddle, working with cattle and horses on ranches across the West, gives T. J. Casey and his words and music an authenticity impossible to manufacture . . . they are truly “of the land. “
Being onstage as an entertainer nationwide across the last three decades gives T. J. Casey and his words, music, and presentation a polish and presence impossible to manufacture . . . they are truly “for the audience.”
When this larger-than-life artist steps under the spotlight, looks you in the eye, strums the strings on his guitar and opens his mouth to sing, the cowboy from his soul communicates with you . . . you live the song, the poem, the story. You smell trail dust and campfire smoke, feel sweat and grit on your brow, taste the blessed refreshment of clear spring water after a long, hot day of work….
Experience T. J. Casey, Cowboy from the Soul, at your next event. Solo, or as a duo or trio with his cowboy friends, this many-faceted entertainer will pack the house and send them home satisfied.
Thank you so much for the awesome job you did with the horsemanship clinic T.J.! I'm sure you're used to dealing with much bigger crowds, but I thought it went well nonetheless. It was such a pleasure to meet you. Hope we cross paths again someday. I will get the pics e-mailed to you real soon. Hope your travels across South Dakota went smoothly. Good luck with your future endeavors T.J. and thank you kindly for the CD's! I'll keep my eyes open for your next CD in the works!! Thank again for everything!! Keep in touch Cowboy;)
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