“Carin Lechner is far more than an attractive, ‘cute little girl’ act. She is that, but she is far more. This young lady      has authentic ability and quality about her and with her youthful beauty and charm comes a wonderful energy deep down inside her soul. Since I first met her and heard her sing, she has impressed me with her uncanny ability to absorb, learn and grow. And she’s always had a kind of dignity about her that makes you respect her even more. I predict that Carin will be a great artist throughout all the seasons of her life.

      Right now it's Spring for Carin Lechner, but she's going to make all of the seasons of her life just as beautiful as her Spring.  I hope to live to be a hundred, so I can see her go through all of the phases of what is going to be a stunning artistic career.  Carin's genuine love of traditional Western music is proof that this important American cultural "torch" has been passed on to a vibrant young generation of performers by their mentors.  There's no telling the full range of music she'll end up performing, but I'll always be happy in the thought that Western Music was her launching pad!"

- Michael Martin Murphey
"Singing cowboy poet", and the number one, best-selling singer/ songwriter of
American Cowboy Music.

(From an E-mail sent to the Academy of Western Artists)
Dear Friends:

This past Labor Day Weekend I was honored to be a featured performer at Cheyenne's Cowboy Symposium. While there, I encountered a little 12 year old girl that was on the open mike stage. As I was walking by, she took the stage in her little Wranglers, a little guitar strapped on, and her 14 year old brother by her side with his mandolin. As she started to sing, I was literally stopped in my tracks. She could not only sing like I'd never heard, but could play that guitar, and then belted into some of the best yodeling I had ever heard.  Her name was Carin Lechner and hails from Colorado. Later, I visited with her parents who told me that Michael Martin Murphey had also heard Carin and had sorta taken her under wing, gave her his first guitar (which she was playing) and had been putting her on stage with him at many venues. (Hats off to Michael!)

Yvonne Hollenbeck,  Award-Winning Poet