Country and western musician Chris Guenther is on his way to Powell to perform an intimate solo concert at American Legion Post 26 Friday night. For many, it will be an introduction to his new album, “American Outlaw: Volume 1.” His focus on tradition will thrill those looking for authentic stories of the West.

Guenther’s style is good old-timey country music, rather than following recent trends toward country-rock music. 

“I think you get to a certain point in your life where you just want to start making music for yourself and quit worrying about the popular fads. I wanted to do something that’s true to itself,” he said. 

Guenther has been working on his new album for more than five years, dedicating the songs on his seventh album to outlaws and gunslingers of the old West. He said George Strait, Ennio Morricone and Marty Robbins were among his inspirations.

If you don’t know of Morricone, he is the Italian composer, orchestrator, conductor, and trumpeter who wrote music for “spaghetti westerns” classics like “The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly,” and “Once Upon a Time in the West.” 

Spaghetti westerns are a subgenre of western films termed “spaghetti western” coined by a Spanish journalist to describe the low-budget films being made in Italy during the 1960s and early 1970s.

Creating the album was important to Guenther due to his passion for the iconic ballads and music from the genre.

“I don’t really care what the mainstream is doing. I decided I was going to do something that’s been on my bucket list,” he said before performing a concert Wednesday night in Spearfish, South Dakota.

Back in Adna, Washington, Guenther’s hometown, he’s just a regular guy. He teaches agriculture at the community high school, is an adviser for the local Future Farmers of America chapter and is raising six children with his wife, Tiffany. He’s also a member of the American Legion chapter in nearby Chehalis and knows the importance of Legions to local communities.

Guenther is a member of the chapter’s Sons of the American Legion contingent and has dedicated a lot of time to raise money for the organization.

“I’m not a veteran but definitely have contributed a lot to the Legion and their programs.”

The Friday concert is a benefit for the Hughes-Pittinger Post’s community fund drive. Chapter member Monica Leahy said Guenther is coming through at a critical moment.

“He offered to do a benefit concert for us, being an American Legion member. He understands the need for fundraising, which is desperately needed right now,” she said.

The community fund helps support programs like food commodity distribution. The deliveries have slowed this year, forcing the Legion to supplement food stocks by purchasing supplies out of their own pockets. 

“With the holidays coming up, there’s an extreme need for money. It’s scary with everything that’s going on,” she said, mentioning inflation and recent post-pandemic economic woes.

She sometimes has a hard time explaining how the post helps the community.

“I don’t think people really understand what the American Legion does. They think it’s just for veterans, but basically it’s local veterans helping to help the community,” she said.

The Legion also helps buy school supplies for families in need, sponsors the Powell Pioneers, holds competitions for college scholarships, and supports scouting programs, among the many services they provide the Powell community.

“We try to see what the community needs and help support those issues,” Leahy said. 

Doors for the concert open at 6 p.m. Friday night. General Admission is $10 and VIP tables are priced at $50.

Leahy hopes the concert is a success and the organization will look into planning more concerts in the future should Friday night be a success. 

“Little things like this really make a huge difference for us,” she said. “With the community’s support, we really feel like we can make a difference.” 

Guenther hopes his music will be received well in Park County and he can travel to the Big Horn Basin again in the future — maybe to perform at the county fair. 

He has family in the area, including a sister, and would love to make Park County a regular stop on his tours of the West. “It’s interesting, you know, how many people I actually know there. It’s kind of unique that it turned out that way.”