Tim Leeds Havre Daily News tleeds@havredailynews.com
Blaine County rancher, writer, performer and general entertainer Ken Overcast will be in Havre Saturday performing with his usual down-home country wit and style as part of the H. Earl Clack Memorial Museum summer series. Overcast said he will probably perform his usual mix of songs, stories and poetry but he doesn’t know exactly what he will perform. “Every time I do something I just kind of wing it anyway,” he said. Both third-generation Montanans, Overcast and his wife, Dawn Overcast, ranch on Lodge Creek in Blaine County. Overcast, who has eight Cds, two books, a syndicated column and a nationally syndicated radio show to his credit, will perform at 1 p.m. in the Holiday Village Shopping Center Community Room. The performance is free, but donations to the museum foundation will be accepted. His eclectic style a live album includes what he calls “cowboy music,” some 50s rock ’n’ roll and a version of “I Left My Heart in San Francisco” leads to a variety in his live shows that mirrors his albums. Overcast’s first album, 1993’s “Silver and Gold,” is a collection of his original gospel songs; “Prairie Poetry” is a collection of poetry, and in 1997 he recorded a duet album with his daughter titled “Ken and Karlie” that included gospel and what he terms probably the most “current soundin’ country” he has recorded.” He is staying busy, and just returned Wednesday night from a trip that included performing in Saskatchewan over the weekend. He has shows scheduled at fairs around the state and performances set in South Dakota. He is also working on his third book, “Tradin’ Tales: Stories from a Montana Porch,” which he plans to publish this fall. Overcast publishes all of his own books and albums through his companies, Bear Valley Music, Bear Valley Records and Bear Valley Press. Overcast received state recognition and national press during the 2007 Legislative Session when the Montana Legislature voted to make his song “Montana Lullaby,” the official state lullaby. The story was picked up by USA Today. Overcast wrote the words to the song, setting them to a melody written by Wylie Gustafson. His work has received recognition from the music industry over the years, including The Academy of Western Artists awarding him the Will Rogers Yodeler of the Year Award in 2000, and was nominated for Male Performer of the Year by the Western Music Association and nominated for Cowboy Poetry Album of the Year by the Academy of Western Artists in 1999. His column, Meadow Muffins, is carried by about a dozen papers in and out of Montana and is sometimes picked up by magazines, and his talk show, The Cowboy Show with Ken Overcast, is carried by about 60 radio stations around the country, Overcast said. On the Net: www.kenovercast. com
