Six decades of making melodies

After leaving home at the age of 14 in 1945, because he didn't want to be an extra mouth for his dad to feed with four other siblings, Sisters resident Oran "Mac" McCartney put himself through high school in Estacada, sleeping in the back of cars at night determined to get his high school diploma.

"The janitor would let me in every morning before school so I could take a shower in the boys' locker room," McCartney said.

McCartney had different odd jobs during high school, including firing the furnace in a nearby bar.

"When I was about 17 years old, I picked up my first acoustic guitar for a couple of bucks, a used Gene Autry," he recalled.

During his junior year he started dating Joyce Anders. They had been friends since the eighth grade. They married in 1950 and settled down to raise a family. Like so many other men living in Estacada, McCartney got a logging job.

For many decades, logging played a major role in the region. In the 1950s, as many as 200 to 700 log trucks could pass through Estacada on a given day.

Along with logging, McCartney found pleasure picking tunes by Jimmie Rodgers and Johnny Cash every night after work.

"I would play every honky-tonk and bar in the area to bring in extra cash for my family," recalled McCartney.

Because of logging cutbacks on federal lands due to the threat to the spotted owl, McCartney had to quit logging in 1975.

With their kids grown, the McCartney's decided to make a big move and buy a 158-acre ranch seven miles east of Bend.

"We raised cattle and had 28 horses. I rode all the time. We started a dude ranch for girls aged 10 to 14 and had a great time. In the evenings we'd all sit around a camp fire and I would play my guitar," said McCartney.

The economy got so tight that the McCartney's sold their ranch after three years. They decided to minimize their lives down to the bare necessities and travel and explore the country in a RV.

From Oregon to Texas and Tennessee to Florida, they explored the U.S. and made a few friends along the way.

"Everywhere we stopped for a while, I would look for places to play my guitar," McCartney said. "It was wherever we ended up, and sometimes good people would point us in the right direction. One of the most memorable times on the road was arriving in Nashville, Tennessee. You could hear music all day and night, my kind of listening."

McCartney and his wife met John and Lois Sheppard while in Nashville. The Sheppard's owned a bar and knew the area.

"They took us under their wing and showed us around," said McCartney.

"I got to play a few gigs in the Rhinestone Cowboy, a favorite bar on Broadway owned by John. It was situated right across from Ryman Auditorium. Ryman's famous stage is also known as the birthplace of Bluegrass. Then the Sheppard's showed us a little bar behind the stage of the Ryman called Tootsies; it's where Hank Williams got his start! I played there, too."

Nashville was the end of the line for the McCartney's after touring around the country for about 10 years; they headed in the westerly direction back to Oregon in 1992 and bought property in Sisters, but kept their motor home for road trips every winter.

McCartney decided to make his own CD's to sell wherever he performed.

"I went to a studio in Portland, Oregon and my son coordinated everything for the CDs," he said.

In the winter of 1995 the McCartney's took a road trip out to Tombstone, Arizona, a favorite place from their years on the road.

"Every winter we would go back to Tombstone. I played the guitar and sold CDs in every place you could think of every year for 10 years. I played the Crystal Palace Saloon, Big Nose Kate's and the Silver Nugget," McCartney recalled.

McCartney has played at some of the Oregon rodeos a time or two, St. Paul, Pendleton, Molalla, Prineville and Sisters Rodeo.

"I enjoy playing country music classics, like Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, George Strait, Merle Haggard, Johnny Cash and more."

McCartney shows no signs of slowing down at 83, although he was diagnosed with macular degeneration five years ago.

"I'm losing my eyesight gradually, so every day I spend three to four hours playing in my music room, so I remember every word. I will keep playing my tunes to let folks know that you can still keep on going no matter what your age. I want to be an inspiration to the youth to let them know, stick with what you love to do," he said.

McCartney recently made a special appearance at Art in the Park, and will be performing his country classics on June 28 at The Freedom Festival in Creekside Park.