Acclaimed music artist to perform

Western singer/songwriter Joni Harms will perform at a pre-rodeo party at Cowgirls & Indians consignment store in Town Square on Friday, June 10, from 4 to 6 p.m.

"I'm friends with Joni," proprietor Kate Aspen said. "She's one of my consignors and she called and said, "You want me to come over and play?' and I said "Yeah!'"

"Rodeo, cowboys and the ranch way of living shows through a lot in my music," says Harms, who lives on a family ranch in the Willamette Valley, homesteaded by her great-great-grandfather in 1870. They raise quarter horses and Christmas trees.

In 2003, Harms was named Female Vocalist of the Year and accepted the award for Song of the Year from the Western Music Association. She is also a multiple winner of Academy of Western Artists Awards, including the top honor of Entertainer of the Year for 2002.

"Growing up, I learned to sing and write songs by listening to Emmylou Harris, Dolly Parton, Merle Haggard and George Strait," says Harms. "I remember seeing Emmylou Harris, and, after playing a while with the famous Hot Band, she came out on stage with just her black Gibson guitar, and showed that she really is an artist. That's what I try so hard to be able to do. You shouldn't need all that electronic computerized stuff to make your voice perfect. You just need your heart."