Saturday, July 24th • 12pm • Main Stage
Jessie Veeder has been a symbol of folk music in the badlands of Western North Dakota since she released her first original album when she was only sixteen years old. It was an effort that sparked the interest of music enthusiasts and took her from performing at fairs and festivals around her home state to managing a national tour, recording her fifth original album in Nashville in 2015 and publishing a collection of ranch stories, photographs and recipes called “Coming Home” in 2017.
With unique and interestingly beautiful vocals, Veeder’s lyrics swell with references to her own life experiences growing up on a working cattle ranch in the rugged land of Western North Dakota. Veeder’s ability to captivate audiences with stories of her love for the landscape, the culture and the people of small town America is what pulls at the heartstrings of audiences across the globe and made her original music such a success.
Jessie’s nationally acclaimed song “Boomtown,” a folk ballad about life for people in the oil fields and wheat fields of Western North Dakota has been featured on area news programs, national and international documentaries and put her on the frontlines of telling the story of community in oil country and Western North Dakota.
But it’s not just the music that has gained Jessie followers. Since 2010 she and her husband, Chad, have worked alongside her father as the fourth generation stewards of the Veeder Ranch where she chronicles life on the land as a weekly columnist for state-wide newspapers, as a commentator on Prairie Public Radio and on her popular blog titled “Meanwhile, back at the ranch…” She and her husband are now raising two young daughters and work to teach them about their heritage and value of taking care of the land and animals on the ranch.
Jessie’s currently touring on behalf of her fifth studio album, Playing Favorites, a collection of folk, traditional and country songs she grew up singing alongside her father and neighborhood musicians.
Jessie has been a featured artist at the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering in Elko Nevada. She was named North Dakota’s Favorite Folk Artist is a recent recipient of the North Dakota Ambassador Award and the North Dakota Governor’s Award for Individual Achievement in the Arts. Her story has been featured on a variety of news, documentary and travel programs. She has shared the stage with Dan Seals, Bobby Vee, Black Hawk, Sammy Kershaw, Corb Lund, Joe Diffie, The Wilkensons, Brenn Hill, Martha Scanlan, among others.
Jessie’s skill as a heart wrenching songwriter soars in work that remains rooted in the stories of the people and landscape of her home. Listeners can expect to be transported with relatable stories and compelled to sing along to classics.
Website: www.jessieveedermusic.com