New book/CD to be released March 18
Raton, New Mexico -- Beloved Texas Poets Laureate Karla K. Morton and Alan Birkelbach announce the forthcoming release of their latest collaborative work, a limited-edition hardbound book and CD titled Santa Fe Trail: Chasing the Big West. The book/CD will feature poems and song lyrics written by Morton and Birkelbach, art by Bob Boze Bell and a music CD with nine new songs recorded by legendary singer-songwriter Michael Martin Murphey. Published by Madville Publishing, Santa Fe Trail: Chasing the Big West will be released on March 18, 2025. Pre-orders are available now at www.madvillepublishing.com.
Morton and Birkelbach wrote this book as they road-tripped a quarter-million miles to visit all 63 U.S. National Parks during their four-year trek, which culminated in their award-winning poetry and photography book The National Parks: A Century of Grace (now in its second printing, published by TCU Press).
“A quarter-million miles creates a lot of hours to fill,” said Birkelbach. “As we visited each National Park, we wrote our poems about that park, but we also wrote about other things we had seen, experienced, felt or imagined, many of which were inspired by the Santa Fe Trail region. Sometimes, driving to a park took two to three days, so we wrote. One person drove, and the other captured the syllables. Out of that came this book.”
The Santa Fe Trail began in 1821 when William Becknell headed west with a wagon full of goods. While voyageurs and American Natives had used this trail for years, Becknell’s trip opened the American West. Pioneers headed out with stories and songs and learned new ones along the way.
Santa Fe Trail: Chasing the Big West aims to preserve the 200-year history of the trail by culturally carrying it into the future with the words, music and art by Morton, Birkelbach, Murphey and Bell. Some of the poems and songs are about the Santa Fe Trail itself, some are about searching for or paving new trails (real and metaphoric). All are about exploring.
Murphey, who wrote the foreword for Morton and Birkelbach’s National Parks book, is a prominent musical voice for the Western horseman, rancher and cowboy.
Alongside his ACM (Academy of Country Music) new artist of the year award, Grammy nominations, and multiple musical hall of fame inductions, Murphey was also recently awarded a lifetime achievement award at the Western Heritage Awards, which celebrated his more than 50 years producing impactful Western music.
“In the Old West,” Murphey said, “songs were shared by pioneers, cattlemen, ranchers, painted ladies, and even gunslingers as a way of keeping the West alive. I have always been drawn to songs about the love of the land, the strength of the prairie folks, the dusty trails, the mythic tales, and the legends of a bygone era. I have always admired Westerners for their stubborn determination and deep love of life. That’s what I celebrate in my music and why I was drawn to this collaborative work with Karla and Alan.”
Artwork from the celebrated Western artist and historian Bob Boze Bell is featured throughout the book. Known for his commitment to historical accuracy, a flair for dramatic storytelling and a deep passion for the American West, Bell’s work adds an important visual window to Santa Fe Trail: Chasing the Big West.
To learn more, visit www.kkmorton.com.
To order the limited-edition book/CD, go to www.madevillepublishing.com.
