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Juni Fisher's Web Site and Contact Information
2005
2006
2007 |
About Juni Fisher
official biographyIn the central San Joaquin Valley of California, a horse crazy kid to grew up in a farming family, with a grandfather and father whose sideline of selling cavalry remounts was two decades past. But between school and countless singing performances with her two sisters, Juni found a way to have her first horse, and 4-H and FFA honors followed her throughout her school years.
While studying Equine Science at the College of the Sequoias in Visalia, she rode some young horses for neighbors and worked gates at the sales yard. A good "catch rider," she rode through college, with top honors at Intercollegiate and Quarter Horse shows. Meanwhile, she was earning horse show entry money singing big band standards in a dance orchestra. She trained cowhorses from snaffle bitters to bridle horses, winning her first Snaffle Bit Futurity (IARCHA) in '81, her first Bridle Horse Championship in '83 (Monterey Classic) while working on a cow calf operation, and running a roping arena.
If there was a campfire gathering with music, Juni was there with her guitar, singing the songs of the west she'd learned from her father. In 1984 she moved to Santa Ynez, California, to train cutting horses. It was then that she really started to write songs. A local band was quick to ask her to play rhythm guitar and sing leads and backups. Members of the noted Rancheros Vistadores, an elite group of ranchers from across the nation, noticed her singing around town, which led her to working L.A. area clubs with a popular country band, which was also playing western and cowboy music. Continued below...
Selected Lyrics
An "Irish Trilogy" of songs from Tumbleweed Letters:
I Will Miss Ireland Forever
We buried me mother when I was seventeen,
Said good bye to County Kilkinney
Them me brothers and me sailed for America
When I left Ireland behind me.
Galen and Sean were fightin' Irish lads
They joined the horse soldier's army
I did the laundry for the officers and cads
When I left Ireland behind me.
Don't take me wrong, I left Ireland by choice.
But I miss the bloom on the heather,
And too-ra-loo-ra-loo-ra in me mother's sad sweet voice,
Oh, I will miss Ireland forever.Galen died of fever when he was off at war,
Sean married a floozy called Meggy
He works on the railroad now, I don't see him no more
Since I left Ireland behind me.
Don't take me wrong, I left Ireland by choice.
But I miss the bloom on the heather,
And too-ra-loo-ra-loo-ra in me mother's sad sweet voice,
Oh, I will miss Ireland forever.
I married a soldier, he seldom is around.
I bore him a red-headed daughter.
She stands by the river and wonders where it's bound
While I wash his clothes in the water.
Don't take me wrong, I left Ireland by choice.
But I miss the bloom on the heather,
And too-ra-loo-ra-loo-ra in me mother's sad sweet voice,
Oh, I will miss Ireland forever.
I will miss Ireland forever.
© 1999, Juni Fisher/Red Geetar Music ASCAP
from Tumbleweed Letters
These words may not be reprinted or reposted without the author's written permission.
Chinaman Jack
Here's the story of Chinaman Jack.
Lived all alone in a tin roof shack.
Grew red poppies down by the creek.
Did a little laundry where the water ran deep.
The boys went to see him when they got paid.
Light up and sleep it off in the shade.
One gold dollar at the Chinaman's shack
Bought a yellow smoke from Chinaman Jack.
He'd go into town when the weather was nice
Bought a little salt and a big sack of rice.
Nod and smile, lay a gold dollar down;
Jack never spent a lot of time in town.
Sean Malone was a simple man,
Back like a bull and big strong hands.
He could swing that hammer and drive that spike,
Where Jack was gentle and his touvh was light.
Sean had a wife, name of Meggie Malone.
Good little woman when her man was home
But when he worked on the railroad track
She'd go out and see Chinaman Jack.
They say Sean would'a never known
He came home early and Meggie was gone.
Went for a smoke at the Chinaman's shack;
Caught her there with Chinaman Jack.
Sean stood there lookin' big and dumb,
That gave Jack a little time to run.
He his in the woods till he saw Malone
Walkin' back to town...all alone.
There lay Meggie in the Chinaman's bed.
Warm to the touch, but she was dead.
Jack got scared 'bout what he saw,
Ran into town to find the law.
Malone had got to the lawman first,
Told him a lie, oh he said the worst
They grabbed Jack at the lawman's door,
Tied his hands, threw him on the floor.
They said, "Man, who we gonna believe?
Sean Malone or this heathen Chinese?"
Cut his pigtail short with a knife,
Hung him for killin' the Irishman's wife.
Then they put a torch to the tin roof shack,
Burned ev'ry trace of Chinaman Jack.
Nowdays Sean never gets no sleep
Wakes up scared 'fore he gets too deep.
Ev'ry time the wind blows through the cracks,
He smells the smoke ... of Chinaman Jack.
© 1999, Juni Fisher/Red Geetar Music ASCAP
from Tumbleweed Letters
These words may not be reprinted or reposted without the author's written permission.
The Same River
I saw a woman across the river
Her dress was buckskin, her hair was black
She kept a small child close beside her
And had a baby strapped to her back.
I've heard her people have no honor.
I hear they murder, they say they're thieves.
But I can see she loves her children
She is a mother, just like me.
I saw a woman across the river
Her hair is yellow, her dress is blue.
A red haired child played close beside her,
Carried another inside her too.They say white people will steal our children
Kill for no reason, they say they're thieves
But this one only smiled and watched me
She is a mother, just like me.
We washed our hands in the same river.
Nothing was stolen, no one died.
We washed our hands in the same water
In the same river, on diff'rent sides.
This Indian woman did some washing.
She cleaned some buckskins made for a man.
Hung them to dry there on the branches,
Then looked at me, and raised her hand.
This white woman did some washing.
She cleaned her man's clothes, and used no stones.
I've seen those leggings worn by soldiers,
Surely this woman knows none of those.We washed our hands in the same river.
No one was frightened, no one died.
We washed our hands in the same water
In the same river, on diff'rent sides.
And now I stand here one year later
The river's clear now, where it ran red.
They say my husband died with honor,
Died for his people, is what they said.
I see that woman across the river
I know her sadness, the way she acts,
Like mine her husband died in battle.
Like me she cannot bring him back.
We washed our hands in the same river.
So many fought here, so many died.
The river's deep and wide between us.
Fed by the million tears we've cried.In the same river, on diff'rent sides.
I saw a woman, across the river.© 1999, Juni Fisher/Red Geetar Music ASCAP
from Tumbleweed Letters
These words may not be reprinted or reposted without the author's written permission.
Read Juni Fisher's song, Goodnight Good Pony, written for Joelle Smith and included on her Cowgirlography CD.
Gone for Colorado
Sedalia Colorado was the birthplace of Juni's maternal Grandmother, and the scene of successes and heartbreaks for her Grandmother's father, John E Overstreet. Juni set out to uncover a long-kept family secret, about John's first family: his wife and child who shared a ranch and life with him.
From his birthplace in Missouri, to long cattle drives as a a teenager, to his first marriage and child on a historic Colorado ranch, John Overstreet lived his dream as a cowboy, leaving an indelible and still-present mark on Sedalia. Songwriting legend Ian Tyson sent Juni his "Range Delivery," and writer of "Old Double Diamond," Gary McMahon contributed "Waitin' For Spring." Top Producer Rich O'Brien added incredible guitar and mandolin, as well as his keen ear for production. Patty Clayton's beautiful harmonies are perfect throughout. If you love storytelling through song, and want to experience a classic journey, buy this for yourself and your family members.
All songs by Juni Fisher except where noted
1. Sedalia Colorado: Never Knew
2. Gone For Colorado
3. Goin' Somewhere
4. Long Way From Missoura
5. Railroad Corral (*traditional)
6. Sedalia Colorado: Family Secret
7. Lilac Blue Eyes
8. Sedalia Colorado: On Jarre Creek
9. Emma
10. Sedalia Colorado: Ada Dow
11. Waitin' For Spring (*by Gary McMahon)
12. Colorado Trail (*traditional)
13. Wild New Mexico Cowgirl
14. Range Delivery (*by Ian Tyson)
15. Sedalia Colorado: The Story That I Tell
16. Whippoorwill
$17.00 postpaid
To order by mail, send check or money order to:
Juni Fisher
Red Geetar Records
2105 Granville Rd
Franklin, TN 37064or order on line:
[See some photos and read more about Juni Fisher's ancestors in a Picture the West entry here.]
New for 2006! "Cowgirlography" describes this new Juni Fisher release to a
TEE! Swing your saddle on a westward wind and enjoy the ride as she takes you from a county fair race track to the work pens and a lady vaquero's way of training, from a dying wrangler's last request to a rollicking celebration of the Cowgirl and the ways of the West. Dedicated to the late great Western Artist, Joelle Smith, this celebration of the Cowgirl is a must have!All songs by Juni Fisher except where noted
Wayfaring Rider intro
The Race Call
Little Red Horse
Silver Music (In the Bridle)
Wayfaring Rider continued
To Remember the Alamo (by Lisa Aschmann & Juni Fisher)
Cowgirlography
Bring My Fiddle
Wayfaring Rider continued
The Brazos (traditional)
The West (by Jack Hannah & Baxter Black)
I Hope She'll Love Me (duet with Sons of the San Joaquin's Joe Hannah)
Wayfaring Rider continued
Ballad of the Runaway Horse (by Leonard Cohen)
Wayfaring Rider continued
Goodnight Good Pony Goodnight
Wayfaring Rider outro
$16.00 postpaid (any 3 CDs for $40)To order by mail, send check or money order to:
Juni Fisher
Red Geetar Records
2105 Granville Rd
Franklin, TN 37064or order on line:
Sideshow Romance
Includes:
Sideshow Romance
Teddy O'Neill
Oh Galveston
Raglan Road
The Sky
Raven's Wing
Wish I'd Never Had That Kid
The Dog and The Pig, Ike and Betsy and Me
Blue Eyed Saddle Tramp
Ghost of del Cielo
He'd Be Home By Now
Well Traveled Trail
$16.00 postpaid (any 3 CDs for $40)To order by mail, send check or money order to:
Juni Fisher
Red Geetar Records
2105 Granville Rd
Franklin, TN 37064or order on line:
You can listen to tracks and also order from:
Sideshow Romance is also available from California Classics
Tumbleweed Letters
Includes:
Red Velvet Slippers
Me and Martha Jane
I Can't Complain
Jersey Lilly
Sierry Boots
I Will Miss Ireland Forever
Chinaman Jack
The Same River
Just Doin' My Job
If This Ain't Jesse James
Tumbleweed Letters
$16.00 postpaid (any 3 CDs for $40)To order by mail, send check or money order to:
Juni Fisher
Red Geetar Records
2105 Granville Rd
Franklin, TN 37064or order on line:
You can listen to tracks and also order from:
Tumbleweed Letters is also available from California Classics
photo by Janet Hopson
More About Juni Fisher (continued from above)
Juni's ability to ride at speed across the hills found her working as a foxhunting professional, and she accepted a position with a hunt club in Tennessee. Point to point racing, steeplechasing, and horse trials took the place of cowhorses, while she honed her songwriting skills amongst some of Nashville's finest. She and husband Rusty Bane, who works for Purina Mills as their Equine Specialist, keep two favorite horses these days, living in Franklin, Tennessee.
She returned to her Western roots in 1999, with her first album release, Tumbleweed Letters, whose title track features a sweetly rendered duet with Ranger Doug of Riders in the Sky. The attention she grabbed with the cutting edge program director, and DJ of the popular "Opry Star Spotlight" on the famed radio station WSM landed Juni on the Ryman stage for the Opry's 75th Anniversary show, and a regular spot on the live radio show.
Monterey Cowboy Poetry and Music Festival director Gary Brown heard her first album by chance, and though it took him a while to find her, he hunted her down to perform at the 2004 Festival. He shared Juni's music with other promoters and artists, and started the wheels turning for this remarkably talented lady. Juni released a second album, Sideshow Romance in the summer of 2004. Her third release, Cowgirlography, in 2006 features a duet with Sons of the San Joaquin's Joe Hannah, and has received rave reviews (and the 2007 Western Music Association Song of the Year award). Her most recent album is Gone for Colorado.
Fisher is a lot easier to find these days, performing at venues like the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering in Elko, Nevada; the Monterey Cowboy Festival; the Santa Clarita Cowboy Festival; the Colorado Cowboy Gathering; the Spirit of the West Festival in Washington; the Cochise Cowboy Poetry Gathering; radio shows; The Riverbend Music Festival; and many more venues. From her appearances, and by word of mouth, the bookings and the kudos keep rolling in, including the 2005 Academy of Western Artists Western Female Vocalist of the Year, 2005 Western Music Association Crescendo Award, and 2006 Western Music Association Female Vocalist of the Year.
photo by Buzz Fisher Burtner
Juni Fisher's Web Site and Contact Information
Visit Juni Fisher's web site for more about her and her music, to order CDs, and more.
Juni Fisher
Red Geetar Records
2105 Granville Rd
Franklin, TN 37064
photo by Buzz Fisher Burtner
Molly and her short-eared friend, Juni Fisher
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