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“Cowboy-ography” Mc Niven Style

	By Catherine Ellerton Moapa Valley Progress With a twinkle in his eye, Kevin McNiven let the audience know that the way to liven up an evening around the campfire was to ask the question, “Which can you find first a good horse or an honest woman?” McNiven answered that question during his concert held at the Ron Dalley Theatre on Monday, February 11. McNiven’s songs: “This Place Needs A Woman’s Touch” and “One More Waltz”; were very touching and showed the inner man.	Terrell McNiven performs with this father Kevin McNiven at the Ron Dalley Theatre on Monday, February 11, 2008.
	Now this man, Kevin McNiven, is the singing ambassador for the State of Wyoming, is a Yodeling Champion at the 1998 and 2001 Western Music Festival in Tucson, Arizona, and wrangles horses for the movie industry. As you listened to McNiven’s easy banter and laid-back Classic Western singing style, you just knew that he enjoyed being a real cowboy telling life’s stories through his songs. He paints a beautiful scenic canvas when he sings of places he’s been such as “Canadian Pacific” and “Got Wyoming On My Mind.”
	Moapa Valley Arts Council President, Ned Solomon, performs a cowboy yodel of his own at the Kevin McNiven concert held on Monday, February 11.	Whether he is singing a cowboy love song as “The Navajo Rug” or a sad song as “Meet Me Tonight In Laredo,” the listener is drawn in by McNiven’s simplistic style and his heartfelt interpretation of the words. McNiven even had a willing audience taking on “Betty’s Bitter Butter Made Batter Bitter” tongue twister as an intro to “The Auctioneer.” Throughout his performance he shares the stage with family members TeAnna, Tyler and Terrell. TeAnna is a dancer and adds the “rhythm”
	section to several of McNiven’s songs. Tyler (the elder) is a singer (a good job of “Ghost Riders In The Sky”), a yodeler and a guitarist who can hold his own against his Dad’s flying fingers. Now Terrell (the younger) is, perhaps, all of 12 years old. He’s a classical pianist, a dancer (Elvis, move over), and a singer who gave a very clever interpretation of a drunk mouse in the song “Bring On The Gosh-Darn Cat.” Get them all together and you have a wonderful evening of entertainment – Country-style. If you have ever wondered, as I have, why a cowboy still rides for money, McNiven answered that question and made you a believer with his lyrics, “You’ve never seen a hawk on wing – never seen the Northern Lights – never seen the spring hit the Great Divide- never heard the Cowboys sing.” Kevin, you ride our way again and bring your family with you. The Moapa Valley Arts Council brings these varied programs to the Valley. Their efforts are supported by grants from: Nevada Arts Council, Clark County Park & Community Services, and Board of County Commissioners, Westaf and the National Endowment For The Arts. They also receive very generous support from local donors and volunteers. The next program will be March 3 - 8 with the Missoula Children’s Theatre’s production of “The Little Mermaid.” This creative group is always a crowd pleaser. See you there. PS I suppose Moapa Valley Arts Council’s President, Ned Solomon, is going to get all uppity now that he is a “professional singer/yodeler.” (Reportedly, Kevin paid him 25 cents to sing/yodel a clever introduction and a duet with him.)