Almost 20 years ago, we had the great pleasure of first setting foot inside the Matthews Opera House in Spearfish. It was a special occasion, because South Dakota Public Broadcasting had multiple cameras and recorders in the building and was preparing to capture the performances of several cowboy poets and musicians.
The event was particularly memorable for Karen and me, because that's when we were first introduced to songwriter/performer Chuck Suchy. After being mesmerized by his songwriting and obvious talent as a guitar picker and singer, we bought one of his CDs. Thus began our long-standing fondness for the music of Suchy, who continues his day job as a working farmer on a spread south of Mandan, North Dakota.
When Karen and I moved to Mississippi in 1993 and then to Pennsylvania in 2001, we often turned to the music of Chuck Suchy to help us feel a bit closer to our high plains roots. His songs -- from West Dakota Breezes and Dreams to Saturday Night at the Hall -- vividly portray the rural lifestyle of America's heartland. Frankly, those frequent fixes of Suchy melodies helped lure us back to South Dakota in retirement.
The event was particularly memorable for Karen and me, because that's when we were first introduced to songwriter/performer Chuck Suchy. After being mesmerized by his songwriting and obvious talent as a guitar picker and singer, we bought one of his CDs. Thus began our long-standing fondness for the music of Suchy, who continues his day job as a working farmer on a spread south of Mandan, North Dakota.
When Karen and I moved to Mississippi in 1993 and then to Pennsylvania in 2001, we often turned to the music of Chuck Suchy to help us feel a bit closer to our high plains roots. His songs -- from West Dakota Breezes and Dreams to Saturday Night at the Hall -- vividly portray the rural lifestyle of America's heartland. Frankly, those frequent fixes of Suchy melodies helped lure us back to South Dakota in retirement.
The entire Suchy family seems endowed with great musical talent, and those talents are contained in many of Chuck's early recordings. His wife Linda and kids Andra and Ben are heard on many of them.
We were delighted to see that Chuck has appeared on Garrison Keillor's Prairie Home Companion radio program in recent years, as has his daughter Andra. We're lobbying to lure him back to the Black Hills for a performance one of these days. We're certain he'd win over even more fans.
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