San Angelo Museum of Fine Arts

Rooster Morris

Reading, Writing and Art with a Music-Playing-Cowboy!

On January 21, 2006 at 2:00 p.m. the nationally known Rooster Morris will be performing an hour long entertaining program based on his books, The Gate of No Return and In Search of Barnsfoggon, free of charge at the San Angelo Museum of Fine Arts for kids ranging from kindergarten to the 6th grade. This interactive show is designed to instill the positive belief in children that they can write, make music, be an artist, and perform all while having lots of fun! Mr. Morris will also encourage the children how critically important it is for them to learn to read. After the exciting performance, art activities will be offered for the audience members in the Education Studio at the art museum!
Funded by Texas Commission on the Arts Cultural Connections Program.

The listening audience will sing along with, and be a part of the musical side that was especially created for the Axle Galench series. Mr. Morris will open the show with his fiddle and then will be accompanying himself on guitar and mandolin. The children will love hearing and watching as Mr. Morris makes his fictional characters from his books come to life with incredible voices!

Raised on ranches in Texas, New Mexico and Oklahoma, Rooster learned to play fiddle by emulating the old time cowboys' music. He taught himself to play the old style fiddle music and was performing ranch folk dances by the time he was 18. His fiddle music is featured as part of the Smithsonian Institute's historical recordings. Rooster has performed for over two million people in venues across the nation.

Rooster began writing the Axle Galench series of children's books in 2002. The first book, The Gate of No Return, was released in October of 2004. This series is based on a young manarkin boy from the neat, orderly village where he was raised. Now he is in the wild, unruly realm of Belam trying to find a friend of his father's who can help him read 'the book of Equates.' All this may sound easy until you get acquainted with Flobberjaw, a giant toad-like creature that eats anything and anyone. And then there's Grueloc and crabster that Axle encounters…..

This action packed adventure is sprinkled with funny, 'punny' wordplay and slapstick humor. Reviewers are calling it, "compelling, hilarious and a must-read."

Rooster Morris will also be making appearances at Lamar Elementary (1/17);Bonham Elementary (1/18); Reagan Elementary (1/19); Santa Rita Elementary (1/20); Fort Concho Elementary and San Angelo Catholic (1/23); and Goodfellow AFB (1/24).