If water is the west’s new gold then COUNTRY SINGER PETE MARTINEZ is onto platinum
By Nancy Clark
In an era of bratty hip-hop celebs who defrock hotel rooms out of boredom and gain superstardom for their misbehaving ways, it’s easy to see why Pete Martinez flies under the radar. Impeccably mannered, starched and tucked in, he carries none of the self-absorbed bravado of a performer on the rise. Instead he holds doors open wide for the ladies. He makes a point of praising the server in the room who brings him a cold one and doesn’t recognize him. And he dives into genuine dialog with the menfolk about, well, manly things like river runs and Fourteeners.
All the while he’s carefully taking the pulse of the audience he’s about to play for. Are they ready for him to rock the room or in a mood for a ballad? His interest is in playing to engage them, whether it’s to a party of five or a throng of 5,000. When he finally takes to the stage, his Guild in hand and black felt cowboy hat tipped low, he’s got it locked down.
Martinez’s sound—somewhere in between a croon and a yodel—fixates the room. "He's a throwback to the 1940's movie idol genre,” says Lannie Garrett whose namesake is the Clocktower Cabaret in Denver where Martinez stars on occasion. “That gentlemanly soft spoken charm, the cowboy movie idol smile, he’s got that gentle demeanor offstage, and he's down home onstage with just enough sexy thrown in. His fans love him."
His style is as if he’s courting past fans and future-past fans. Indeed, when they hear “I Would For You,” (www.PETEMARTINEZUSA.com) his latest album including the title song of the same name, they’re fast converts to country.
In Martinez’ world, the relative distance between his version of having arrived (he dreams of playing the Grand Old Opry or Red Rocks Amphitheatre) and his hometown of Casper, Wyoming is measured over four-plus decades. He was only four years old when his father put his first guitar in his hands. Friends and family would gather round the living room to pound out their favorite tunes by country legends Merle Haggard, Hank Williams and Elvis. Martinez, who to this day cannot read music, showed his preternatural musical ability at an early age being able to play any song he heard first time out of the chute. And he made himself more than useful tuning by ear the guitars for everyone in the living room that were off by a fraction before the playing commenced.
At the University of Wyoming, mathematics fascinated mechanical engineering student Martinez who had already assembled his first three-piece band “Powder River,” highlighted by coming to perform in Denver for then-Mayor Federico Peña. He kicked off his post-grad engineering career with Greeley-based Hensel Phelps Construction Co., which took him to Fairfield, California for an eight month stint where he introduced his music to the West Coast rodeo crowds with kudos. When Martinez made it back to Denver in ’91, he placed a call to the Denver Buffalo Company where he auditioned with a broken string and a bout of the flu to win the role of house performer. He formed a band by the name of Way Out West with Bob Ake, setting attendance records all along the Front Range and today performs with co-producer and band leader, John Macy.
Music is just one of the natural resources Martinez plays in.
When he left engineering, he was immediately recruited by Greg Morris, CEO of Fuller & Co., to sell ranches in Wyoming and Colorado, making deals for spreads thousands of acres in size. He moved on to become an independent real estate broker which is where the parallel between his music and his life experience tuck in together. Recording his latest album in Nashville, he fielded more than 300 songs before choosing which ones he’d include on his label. “Bull Rider” is a first-person-confessional of his own experience as a bull rider of some repute. Martinez claims he quit riding bulls when “testosterone went down and wisdom went up.” He breaks into a gleaming smile.
Just as lyrics are an inextricable part of the country music message, water is essential to survival in the west. So four years ago, Martinez founded Teton Water Group with the purpose of assisting Front Range agricultural landowners and municipalities develop their water assets.
It was Martinez who helped the City of Aurora find a location for its $754 million Prairie Waters Project which will pull from the river near Brighton, send it 34 miles south to Aurora, and treat it in the 40-day, six-step process. Martinez, wearing his black hat and riding in his red truck with his Blue Heeler, Sadie, and Border Collie, Princess, was the sole negotiator between the farmers with qualified land and water rights and the city. His composure and sincerity won over any objections paving the way for water filtered through the project to ultimately be blended with mountain water, increasing Aurora’s supply by 20 percent upon completion in 2010. The Prairie Waters Project, created when the city faced the risk of running out of water in 2003, is the first large-scale water-reuse project in Colorado, the state's first big water project in 40 years. His role in the deal earned Teton Water Group an invitation to become an associate member of the Denver Water Authority.
“Mostly,” says Martinez in his inimitable steady way, “it was the ability to create lasting and quality relationships. I love the balance of being able to work with agriculture, engineering, and water.” There’s a little bit of Casper in him yet. And there’s a viral quality to Martinez’ appeal. His renaissance talents have recently been tapped to play the Democratic National Convention to be held in Denver in 2008. Twice last year he played for Vice President Dick Cheney as a dinner guest in their Washington D.C. home as well as performing the last Presidential Inauguration Ball in Constitution Hall, D.C. Vegas is in his repertoire too. His last stay there was to play the 2006 Wrangler National Finals PRCA Rodeo.
Martinez has a gig to get to, this one a weekday night charity event, one of many for which he's donated his performance for a good cause adding $3,000 to the evening's net at the live auction. Chances are, he'll walk his audience through a few stories of his growing up years, creating the intimacy that audiences yearn for. Maybe he'll even tell the story of growing up in an era when chores were done with no questions asked and adages were a routine part of everyday life. Then he'll likely break into a chorus off his new album, "Don't Start Something...You Can't Finish." The moral? Well, if it's Country, there's got to be a moral.
The MAVERICK is chosen as a feature in the Business and Technology section of the Frontier Airlines in-flight magazine, Wild Blue Yonder. This article appeared in the magazine during the months of September and October 2007.
Wyoming Native Pete Martinez Stays True To Rodeo Roots Closing Out 2006
With Performances at PBR World
DENVER, COLORADO_ On the back of a bull or at the front of a stage, Pete Martinez is no stranger to the rodeo scene. The native Wyoming country music recording artist will stay true to form when he closes out the year with performances at the PBR World Finals in Las Vegas and the World Championship Ranch Rodeo (WRCA) in Amarillo, Texas in November, and the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas in December. He will be the featured performer throughout the WRCA event, and will headline the PRCA Stock Contractors Luncheon and perform in a series of special appearances from the U.S. Smokeless Tobacco stage at the NFR.
Performance Dates:
PBR World Finals November 3-4 Las Vegas, NV
WRCA November 8-12 Amarillo, TX
Wrangler NFR December 8-10 Las Vegas, NV
A native of Casper, Wyoming, Martinez credits the values and traditions of his musical and agricultural upbringing in the Rocky Mountains, and later experience as a rodeo bull rider, as the foundation for his music today.
Martinez has become a recognizable name on the rodeo music circuit and is gaining a broader recognition in the Country Music industry. Earlier this year, he headlined the opening ceremonies of the College National Finals Rodeo (CNFR) and was honored to award a custom Pete Martinez Fender guitar to the Best All-Around Cowboy and Cowgirl at the conclusion of the event. This was a repeat performance for Martinez, who was chosen to headline the event in 2005 with a special tribute to Chris LeDoux, a fellow Wyoming rodeo cowboy and country music performer who died in March 2005.
Pete Martinez performs regularly throughout the Rocky Mountains and around the country and is currently planning his Coming Home Wyoming Tour for Spring 2007 (check website for updates). In June, Martinez released his second Nashville-recorded studio album I Would For You. His first studio album, Changes was released in 2002.
For more on Pete Martinez and a complete performance schedule, visit www.PeteMartinezUSA.com.
MARTINEZ HEADLINES THE CNFR FINALS IN HOMETOWN
By SALLY ANN SHURMUR Casper Star-Tribune staff writer (Casper, Wyoming)
Casper, Wyoming
Casper native Pete Martinez has been lots of places since he last performed in his hometown.
He returns Sunday, June 11, to sing during opening ceremonies for the first event of the 2006 College National Finals Rodeo, and then he'll do a mini-concert that day at intermission between the 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. runs of Broncs 'n Bulls at the Casper Events Center.
In November, he had dinner at Vice President Dick Cheney's house.
"That was cool," he said this week. "But I'm the only one who didn't get to eat dessert. I just picked up my guitar and started singing for them while they were having dessert."
Martinez attended Fort Casper and CY schools and graduated from Natrona County High School in 1979. He then graduated from Casper College and attended the University of Wyoming.
He has released two CD's on the Rodeo Records label, "Changes" and "I Would for You." His single, "Bull Rider," has become a rodeo favorite nationwide.
Martinez said this week that in addition to his appearance at Bulls 'n Broncs, he has another surprise in store for two CNFR contestants.
"The all-around cowgirl and all-around cowboy on Saturday night will receive a Fender guitar trophy with my logo, provided by Art Guitar and local sponsors," Martinez said.
The CNFR performance will kick off the "Coming Home Wyoming" tour this summer and into the fall for Martinez, with stops in Jackson, Gillette, Cody, Sheridan, Riverton/Lander and Cheyenne. It will be his first multi-stop tour in his home state.
Specific tour dates will be announced on his Web site, petemartinezusa.com.
Martinez was in Casper twice last June, first to participate in a tribute to Chris LeDoux and sing at the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association Fashion Show and Luncheon during the CNFR and then as part of the free River Days celebration to dedicate Platte River Commons and the Three Crowns Golf Course.
But it's clear that the former professional bull rider is most comfortable in an arena full of rodeo fans -- as long as he can take his guitar.
"As a former contestant, I feel a closeness to the competitors," Martinez said. "I want to be a part of the CNFR. I really want to help in any way I can, and if that's by simply sharing my music, I'm glad to be able to do it."
NIRA Commissioner John Smith appreciates what Martinez has to offer.
"Pete is a talented individual, and we couldn't be more pleased to have him come and perform at our marquee event," Smith said.
MARTINEZ TO PERFORM AT COLLEGE NATIONAL FINALS RODEO
June 2006
Casper, Wyoming
CASPER, WYOMING–Sitting on top of 2,000 pound bulls is a thing of the
past for Casper native Pete Martinez. But that does not keep the talented cowboy from reminiscing about his experiences in the rodeo arena.
"As a former contestant, I feel a closeness to the competitors," says Martinez, a Nashville recording artist who has just released his second album to audiences nationwide. That closeness shows in more than just his music. It shows in his support of the up and coming rodeo athletes of the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association.
"I want to be a part of the CNFR. I really want to help in any way I can, and if that's by simply sharing my music, I'm glad to be able to do it."
At the 2005 CNFR, Martinez performed for the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Foundation style show. This year, his show will make the trip up the hill to the Casper Events Center where he will kick off the 2006 CNFR during the Sunday Bulls and Broncs compeition. His song, "Bull Rider", will be featured in the opening ceremonies. In addition, Martinez will put on a half hour concert during the intermission between the two Sunday performances.
NIRA Commissioner, John Smith, appreciates what Martinez has to offer. "Pete is a talented individual, and we couldn't be more pleased to have him come and perform at our marquee event," says Smith.
In addition to his performance, Martinez will also be donating a custom-designed electric guitar to the national All-Around champions upon the CNFR's completion.
According to CNFR Openings Production Manager, Marty Campbell, "Pete is an extremely talented individual. I discovered that last year when he did our tribute to the late Chris Ledoux. I was glad to be able to secure him for this year's CNFR, and I really look forward to the opening and concert in which he will be performing."
The College National Finals Rodeo will kick off on June 11 at the Casper Events Center.
