Greg Herman brings familiar songs to WSCH seniors

By Joan Janzen

Seniors at the Western Senior Citizens Home in Leader were singing along to familiar tunes as they enjoyed a performance by musician Greg Herman on the afternoon of July 8.

The concert was organized by the Leader and District Arts Council before Herman headed to Millennium Gardens later that evening for a free community performance.

SINGING ALONG: Musician and songwriter Greg Herman of Medicine Hat performs for residents at the Western Senior Citizens Home in Leader on July 8. The afternoon concert was made possible through a partnership between the Leader and District Arts Council and the WSCH Ladies Auxiliary. Herman later performed a free evening concert at Millennium Gardens, sponsored by the Town of Leader and the Leader and District Arts Council. PHOTO BY JOAN WAGNER

The Town of Leader helped sponsor the event, while the WSCH Ladies Auxiliary partnered with the arts council to make the afternoon concert possible.

A musician and songwriter from Medicine Hat, Herman is known for writing songs inspired by life on the Prairies. During his 90-minute performance, he shared nine of his original songs focusing on the land, family and local history.

He also treated the audience to classics by artists including Don Williams, George Strait, Willie Nelson, John Denver, Elvis Presley, Marty Robbins, Merle Haggard, Ian Tyson, Vince Gill, Ricky Skaggs, Brad Paisley, Dolly Parton, James Taylor and Jackson Browne.

The afternoon concluded with a request session as Herman switched between guitar and mandolin, performing audience favourites while residents happily sang along. After the concert, he stayed to visit with residents before leaving for his evening performance.