Music of the West
By Hugh McLennan
October - November 2008
 Remember Me
Alan Moberg
Alan Moberg has been described as “an enduring artist gifted with a beautiful, natural tenor voice.” He crosses all the genres: country, cowboy, folk, gospel and Western roots. This musician writes wonderful originals and also sings cover songs by heroes like Johnny Cash and Guy Clark. The first time I heard his voice was about 37 years ago when Alan dropped into CFJC Radio in Kamloops where I was the Program Director. He was promoting his first single, Walk in His Moccasins, which become a hit. Later that year, he recorded his best-known song of all, The Williams Lake Stampede.
It was great to see him at the 2008 Kamloops Cowboy Festival. While his hair is now silver, a few miles show in his face and his voice has taken on a mellow quality, he still caresses those high notes with the clear pure tone I heard back in the early ’70s.
His latest CD features a mix of the songs of West Coast fishermen, personal inspiration and cowboy-flavoured pieces. The new arrangement of the songs – Ashcroft Stampede and Salt Water Cowboy – are the ones that fit the criteria for The Spirit of the West playlist. If I push the envelope a little, Red Man Plays the Blues could be included; it’s a neat duet Alan does with the eighth wonder of the music world, Ed Peekeekoot.
By the time you read this, Alan will be inducted into the B.C. Country Music Hall of Fame. It’s great to see this deserving artist get the recognition he’s earned.
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