A History of Truckee Seen Thru the Words and Music of Richard Blair

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Richard Blair, singer-songwriter and Truckee resident for 30+ years has recorded two CDs (third in the making) about Truckee’s early history in the late 1800’s.   The songs are the “old” stories put to “modern” folk-roots/Americana melodies.  The show performances are a combination of music and theater.  Between each song, the actors in authentic 1800’s period costumes, act out the character or events celebrated in each songs with a humorous twist and relevancy to how we haven’t really changed that much.

 

“The Russell Valley studio has been the perfect place to write, record and preserve some of Truckee’s often overlooked heritage”.  Inspiration for the songs come from Truckee’s unique past and the influence of the gold rush and the westward expansion of the railroad.  “With hundreds of melodies in my head and the unlimited stories about Truckee, it made the perfect combination for keeping the stories and history of Truckee alive and remembered.    The audiences at sold out shows learn something new about Truckee and leave with a sense of local pride.

 

Writing songs about early life in Truckee, and then singing and sharing them with others in Truckee, is truly “Truckee Home Grown”.   Tourists and locals alike all know about the Donner Party, but names like Shaffer, Judah, Jibboom, Greenwood, Trokay and Boca, grace local housing developments, reservoirs and streets that are only the names behind stories and people that shaped Truckee.  And of course, there is a song about how Truckee got its name from Chief Trokay.

 

These songs are Richard Blair’s effort to celebrate Truckee’s past alive one song at a time.