Montana based cowboy songwriter and performer packs historic venue
Mike Beck poses in front of the Liberty Theatre, and an old wagon owned by Rod McGuire with hand painted sign by Jannie Allen.
Mike Beck told stories of his younger years as a cowboy and as a horse trainer. His stories and songs engaged the audience, who chanted "encore" and got a final song on request.
Mike Beck performs at the historic Liberty Theatre in Condon, Oregon on May 18. The Condon Arts Council hosted the event.
Rod McGuire of Parade Rose Chuckwagon served up pulled pork sandwiches, beans, and potato salad prior to the concert.
Montana based cowboy, horse trainer, songwriter, and storyteller Mike Beck performed at the Liberty Theatre in Condon last Saturday. More than 120 people attended the concert, and rave reviews were heard in the days that followed.
The concert is the latest event for the Condon Arts Council, which purchased the Liberty Theatre in 2022 and has worked to bring more music and entertainment to Condon.
Beck grew up in California and was influenced by the old California lifestyle of the early cowboys.
For many years, Mike Beck has lived in Manhattan, Montana – a town of 2,000 people on I-90, about 30 minutes from Bozeman.
Beck told stories of how he fell in love with the cowboy culture, and how he became immersed in it.
As a young man, he took a job in Nevada and helped to work one of the largest ranches in the West. Over the years, he became an accomplished rider and horse trainer. He also honed his skills as a songwriter.
Beck's adventures have taken him to Norway several times to lead horse training workshops. He shared several stories about Norwegians and his adventures there.
He also shared tales of his times with some of the greatest
With food provided by Rod McGuire of Paradise Rose Chuckwagon, people from Gilliam County, Wheeler County, Sherman County, and beyond streamed into the century-old theatre. There were times that you could hear a pen drop, as the audience listened intently to Beck's entertaining and meandering stories.
In recent years, younger artists have taken note of Beck's songs – including Canadian Colter Wall. Beck said that he is happy that his songs are reaching a new generation.
For many years, Beck toured with Ian Tyson, the great Western singer and songwriter. Beck is also close friends with Ramblin' Jack Elliott. Recently, he performed at a tribute concert to Ramblin' Jack with the likes of Joan Baez, Jackson Brown, and a who's who of folk and rock musicians.
Beck thoroughly enjoyed his stay in Condon and enjoyed the Liberty Theatre, which he called a "Western vaudeville theatre."
After playing and speaking for nearly two hours straight, Beck prepared to go and thanked the crowd. But calls for an encore, and a request to play his song "Patrick" brought him back to the microphone. After telling the tale of Patrick and singing his song, Beck left the stage to rapturous applause.
The concert came about when Clara Steward, who lives with her husband and family in Lost Valley, made the connection and invited Mike to come out for a concert. Clara Steward is from Nevada and saw she saw Beck perform at the Cowboy Poetry Gathering in Elko, Nevada.
This month, Clara Steward joined the board of directors with the Condon Arts Council.
Beck said that he would look forward to returning to Condon and thanked everyone who turned out for the show.
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