Dreaming of a cowboy Christmas

Dec. 2—It took Texas-born singer-songwriter Michael Martin Murphey only 16 album releases, from 1972 to 1990, to find his cowboy calling. That word didn't appear in any of his album titles until the latter year, when he released the heralded Cowboy Songs. It would become the theme of numerous post-1990 releases, including 1991's Cowboy Christmas: Cowboy Songs II, which spawned several sequel albums and DVDs.

But perhaps that album's greatest legacy is the Christian-based concert series it has inspired, Michael Martin Murphey's Cowboy Christmas. The annual event features Murphey performing songs from his Christmas and greatest hits albums, the Rio Grande Band, the Rocky Mountain Vintage Dancers, videos, and cowboy poetry. Of interest to New Mexicans: Murphey released the album Land of Enchantment a year before Cowboy Songs. It features songs such as "Route 66" and "Land of the Navajo."

7:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 3, $45 to $65, St. Francis Auditorium, 107 W. Palace Ave., redziaevents.com