Singer-songwriter credits her musical path to growing up with horses

Ollie Reed Jr., Albuquerque Journal, N.M.
·2 min read

Jul. 20—Kristyn Harris is one of the most celebrated performers on the Western music scene.

The 28-year-old Texas singer-songwriter was named International Western Music Association entertainer of the year four consecutive years (2016-2019) and has been honored as IWMA female performer of the year five times. In 2021, her CD, "A Place to Land," was awarded the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum's prestigious Wrangler Award for outstanding traditional Western album.

But none of that may have come to pass if it had not been for horses and old singing-cowboy movies.

"I grew up on small farm," Harris said during a phone interview from her home in Burleson, Texas. "My family was not musical. They played classic country music on the radio."

The family kept dairy cows and chickens, so Harris grew up milking and gathering eggs. But she loved horses and got her first when she was 11.

"Because I had horses, I started watching those old black-and-white Western movies on TV, Roy Rogers and Gene Autry," she said. "That's initially where I heard Western music."

It was enough to get her hooked and blaze her trail in the world. By the time she was 14, she was singing and playing guitar. Harris has pursued a variety of musical styles through the years, but mostly Western and Western swing. She can yodel the spots off an Appaloosa horse.

At 7 p.m. Saturday, she will be the headliner at a National Day of the Cowboy program at the Best Western Plus Rio Grande, 1015 Rio Grande Blvd. NW.

Harris has written more than a few cowboy songs in her blossoming career, but, considering her ongoing affection for horses, her choice of a favorite may seem odd. It's "The Mule Song."

Now I ain't sayin' I'll be tradin' horses in

But if I could have both now would it be a sin

'cause when I'm low and need to go where the air is thin

Here's a clue for you, I need a mule.

"It was the first song I wrote in a minor key," Harris said. "It's kind of quirky, kind of fun to sing. And I always get a good reaction to that one."

Kristyn Harris

With Kacey and Jenna Thunborg

WHEN: 7 p.m. Saturday, July 23

WHERE: Best Western Plus Rio Grande, 1015 Rio Grande Blvd. NW

HOW MUCH: No cover charge but tips appreciated. The performance is part of the National Day of the Cowboy program sponsored by the New Mexico Chapter of the International Western Music Association.