Singer • Songwriter • Novelist

 

Mike Blakely By Annie Thompson Mike Blakely gives life to words — sung and written. His sincerity comes through clearly in the original lyrics he writes and the way he sings the songs. The stories on the pages of his books convey a depth and heart few can express. The singer/songwriter and novelist baffles the minds of many with his varied talents and ability to accomplish so much in two different realms — simultaneously.

He’s “just plain brilliant,” according to John M. Greenberg, singer/songwriter and Blakely’s friend of 13 years. “…He is as gifted of a novelist as he is a songwriter. You just don’t see that combination very often. Most storytellers can either do one or the other well with the other being secondary or merely a hobby. With Mike, you’d have to flip a coin to which of the two he does better.” At age 52, Blakely has written 16 novels and released 11 albums of original TexAmericana music. For about six years, the Buchanan Dam, Texas, resident has performed three musical gigs a week, or roughly 150 per year. He plays mainly in Texas but has ventured to Europe with his lead guitar player, Larry Nye, and bass player, Donnie Price, 12 times in the last 13 years. This year, Blakely released a new album, “Homemade Serenade,” and is working on two novels. He has a contract for another after that.

Blakely’s new songs include “If Love Was a Pawn Shop,” “Coming Home to You” and “Homemade Serenade,” which have become new favorites among fans. He describes the new album as simple and acoustic, emphasizing his original lyrics.

Blakely draws on his own experiences, other people’s stories, or even just the twist of a phrase to fuel his songwriting.

“I find inspiration in all kind of places,” said Blakely, who plays guitar and mandolin.

For example, his most-requested song, “In the Dust,” was inspired by “Wash Me” graffiti written in the filth of a bypassing vehicle.

Blakely co-wrote his most recent book, A Tale Out of Luck, with Willie Nelson. It received good reviews, even before it came out, he said. Blakely’s work on that title led to a new project he’s working on with Kenny Rogers: A novel that will feature the music business in the 1970s. It’s expected to be published in 2011.

“So finally the music career and the books are going to overlap for the first time in a significant way,” Blakely said.

Sticking Close to His Roots

Blakely grew up in Wharton County, Texas, where he learned cowboy ways while helping his dad tend to the family’s cattle on land they leased. He began playing guitar as an 8-year-old, a skill also learned from his musically inclined father.

Blakely’s father, Doc Blakely, (www.docblakely.com) is a nationally known humorist, speaker, author, and musician. Together, the father-and-son duo has teamed up for the past 18 years to perform cowboy music laced with down-home humor “coast-to-coast and border-to-border” as The Swing Riders. They perform mainly at conventions in front of large audiences.

“Cowboy music comes to us honestly,” Mike Blakely said, “as we both still live on ranches.”

These days, on his Seven Stars Ranch in Llano County, Blakely still clings to his country roots. He has always wanted to live in the country, have his own place, be his own boss, and hunt and fish.

“I’m living the dream,” he said. “And I get to do two things I love to do to make a living.”

Blakely occasionally opens his quiet ranch to fans for concerts in his barn, which he calls the Tin Roof Tavern. The rustic, outdoor setting is an enjoyable way to hear Blakely’s pure, Texas music, and share a potluck meal in the country. (Tin Roof Tavern shows are open only to recipients of Mike’s e-newsletter. Sign up here http://www.mikeblakely.com/newsletter.shtml.)

It’s at a laptop in his modest home on the shores of Lake Buchanan where the calm-natured Blakely writes books in the company of his Labrador Retriever, Golden Retriever and tabby cat. His fiancee, Annie, helps maintain his quiet workspace as she cares for the home and prepares food for the busy artist.

The books Blakely is most proud of are Shortgrass Song, Comanche Dawn and Moon Medicine, all of which have been nominees for the Western Writers of America Spur Award for Best Western Novel. He won that award in 2000 for Summer of Pearls. He also won the Spur Award for Best Western Song in 2007 for “The Last Wild White Buffalo.” That was the first time WWA gave an award for songwriting.

TexAmericana Tuesdays

Every Tuesday for more than eight years, Blakely has performed alongside Greenberg at the River City Grille in Marble Falls for TexAmericana Tuesday. The duo hosts a guest artist each week beginning at 7:30 p.m. in the restaurant’s bar with no cover fee charged.

Julie Mercier of Granite Shoals attends the show almost every week. She values “the chance to hear a new-to-me singer/songwriter in an intimate setting.”

Marble Falls Optometrist Dr. David “Doc” Weber has sponsored TexAmericana Tuesdays for nearly seven years. Weber has also read all of Blakely’s books.

“There’s very, very few artists these days that write in true Western flavor. He’s one of the last,” Weber said.

Summer of Pearls is his favorite book. He appreciates Blakely’s “trademark” twist endings.

“Very few books bring a tear to my eye, but that one brought a tear. I could barely put it down,” he said.

A Writer in the Making

As a boy, Blakely often jumped out of bed in the middle of night to write down ideas. He said he needed to see the words on the page and —worried he’d forget them— couldn’t sleep until he did.

Even from a young age Blakely wanted to be a fiction writer, but he didn’t hold a lot of hope for being an author of books. He believed that title was reserved for people who lived in New York City, not Wharton, Texas.

“Gradually I began to understand that anybody can write,” he said.

Blakely credits “a very encouraging English teacher” with helping grow his love of writing. “In school, the only class I really liked was English.”

After serving four years in the Air Force as a helicopter mechanic, Blakely attended the University of Texas at Austin on the G.I. Bill and earned his journalism degree. During college, he wrote articles that he sold to magazines. At 29, his first book, The Glory Trail, was published.

As a blossoming author, Blakely drew inspiration from J. Frank Dobie, whose writing style he described as “very engaging.” Later influences include the late Elmer Kelton of San Angelo and the late Norman Zollinger of New Mexico, who became his friends.

Kelton called Blakely “a fine spinner of tales.”

Leaving a Legacy

Blakely recently received an e-mail from a wounded Gulf War veteran who suffers from chronic pain. He commented that the only time he experienced the absence of pain was when he read one of Blakely’s books.

“That’s a pretty powerful motivator to keep writing,” Blakely said. “I want to leave behind novels and songs that people still enjoy after I’m gone.”

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