This is one of our favorite episodes because talking with Michael Martin Murphey is like sitting on a porch and having a chat with an old friend rather than working. He speaks as easily about cattle ranching and “the good book” as he does music-making; and while there’s much about him that is Texas proud and Grand-Ole-Opry-esque  he also surprises with his fondness for classical composers (i.e. Alexander Scriabin) and a soft spot for Smokey the Bear.

In this episode he sings several songs including his famous “Wildfire” and shares the back-story of writing it; an old song called “Spanish is the Loving Tongue” written by cowboy poet Badger Clark;  a song he wrote when he was 16, “What Am I Doing Hangin’ Round,” and a brand-new song that he wrote for his wife, Karen.

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