The Friends of the Case Memorial Library will be celebrating another musical style at its July 13 Saturday program, where Marc Berger will be sharing his love of the Western US through his performance of “Songs of the American West.”
The American West has become enshrined in movies, television, literature and music. Cowboy ballads or Western ballads are a distinct genre of American folk music that emerged during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. These songs originated from the experiences and narratives of cowboys, outlaws and pioneers living in the frontier regions of the American West.
On his trips out west, Berger would gather as many stories as he could from “fellow wilderness junkies,” knowing that at some point he would put them all together. His career eventually became that of a singer, songwriter and storyteller.
Berger has performed at Austin’s South by Southwest music festival and The Kerrville and Falcon Ridge folk festivals, and has opened shows for Bob Dylan and other national acts. His song, “The Last One,” was a staple of Richie Havens’s concerts and has been quoted in the New York Times and featured on the CBS Evening News.
The program begins at 2 p.m. Reservations may be made by calling 203-891-2170 or by visiting casememoriallibrary.org.