Man Of The West (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9781456301286)

T.J. CASEY, COWBOY FROM THE SOUL Webster defines "soul" as ". . . credited with the functions of thinking and willing, and hence determining all behavior". He also calls the soul "the moral or emotional nature of man." That deep part of T. J. Casey is pure cowboy - and it clearly determines his behavior. The soul of T. J. Casey was shaped in him by the precepts of his mama and daddy, by his childhood in Montana's beautiful but harsh and remote Pryor Mountains, and by close association with horses and cattle before he can even remember. Living primitively (by today's standards), with no electricity, telephone or indoor plumbing taught him just how unimportant money and possessions really are in life. Mentored by old cowboys and old horses, T.J. learned honesty, humor, respect, trustworthiness, and strength of character. Wild cattle and younger horses taught him mental and physical brawn and agility, and developed in him a good measure of toughness and tenacity. Interwoven with these forces was the powerful oral history of the cowboy, which T. J. was steeped in through poems, stories and songs, passed down from those who'd gone before. That culture became woof and warp of his soul, so that the songs and poems spawned there today bear witness of and are true to his cowboy heritage. Spending two thirds of his life so far in a saddle, working with cattle and horses on ranches across the West, gives T. J. Casey and his words and music an authenticity impossible to manufacture . . . they are truly "of the land. " Being onstage as an entertainer nationwide across the last three decades gives T. J. Casey and his words, music, and presentation a polish and presence impossible to manufacture . . . they are truly "for the audience." When this larger-than-life artist steps under the spotlight, looks you in the eye, strums the strings on his guitar and opens his mouth to sing, the cowboy from his soul communicates with you . . . you live the song, the poem, the story. You smell trail dust and campfire smoke, feel sweat and grit on your brow, taste the blessed refreshment of clear spring water after a long, hot day of work....