Chris Sayre
Singer - Songwriter - Musician
About Chris Sayre
A native of Lincoln, Nebraska,
Chris Sayre has dedicated more than 30 years to the performance and promotion
of both traditional and contemporary folk music. Self-taught on over a dozen
instruments, Chris takes audiences on a musical journey through history by
exploring the songs and dance tunes of our common experience.
From slide guitar blues to rollicking
jigs played on the English concertina, Mr. Sayre expresses his love of music
with unabashed enthusiasm. This has included stints as the front-man in the
popular western swing band, "The Midwest Ramblers", as well as, the Celtic
group, "Paddywhack." He has also pursued a successful solo career.
Chris has been recognized on numerous
occasions for his talents. He was awarded "First Place Male Singer"
at the Nebraska State Country Music Championship in Springfield, Nebraska in
1982. That same year, he earned first place in both folksinger and
miscellaneous instrument categories at the Westfair Championships held in
Council Bluffs, Iowa. In 1984, he contributed to the soundtrack of the
nationally aired Public Broadcast System, PBS, documentary, "Plowing Up a
Storm." During this period, he was also part of the Nebraska Arts
Council's touring program, both with the group "Northwynd" and the
duo "Newton and Sayre."
Between 1988 and 1992, Chris performed
nationally at over 1,000 schools. In 1995, he contributed both to the
soundtrack of the Nebraska Educational TV documentary on the life of George
Norris called, "The Fighting Liberal", and then the nationally aired
PBS documentary, "In Search of the Oregon Trail." In addition to
being a sought after performer with the Nebraska Humanities Speakers Bureau, he
is currently in his 22th season in the Artist in Schools/Communities Program,
cosponsored by the Nebraska Arts Council.
In 2000, Mr. Sayre was honored to receive
the KZUM Members Choice Award for "Artist of the Year." In 1999,
2000, and 2001, he was also awarded Members Choice Award for "Folk Artist
of the Year." His group Paddywhack also won the award for "World
Artists of the Year" in 2000, 2001, and 2002. The summer of 2002, Chris
received a 'Bitsy' award from the Nebraska Arts Council for his many years of
service to the arts. He was also the first inductee into the new KZUM Member's
Choice Awards Hall of Fame. KZUM, the community radio station in Lincoln,
Nebraska, has been at the forefront in supporting innovative music for over 25
years.
Chris has two solo recordings available.
"Falcon Rust" includes 14 of his own songs in a variety of styles
from folk to country blues. Also available is "Tunes From Along The Way." This
long awaited CD features many of the instruments that Chris uses in his
programs. Twelve of the 14 tracks are instrumentals. Six are original and two
of these include vocals. Chris also appears with the Celtic group Paddywhack
on two recordings: "Whacked Out" (2001) and "Something Old, Something New" (2006).
For more information, contact:
Chris Sayre
834 S 36thth Street / Lincoln, NE 68510
402-477-6777 / cksayre@windstream.net / www.chrissayre.com
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