ALAMOSA — It isn’t every day that four truly amazing singer-songwriters, each with their own style and collection of remarkable songs with an impressive collection of accolades and awards among them, get together on one stage to give a concert.

But that’s exactly what is happening on Sunday at Society Hall where audiences will be  treated to the music of Don Richmond, Susan Gibson, Walt Wilkins and Pat Byrne – all in one place on one night.

The concert is a gift to those who appreciate truly fine music in exchange for supporting Howlin’ Dog Music Group (HDMG), an Alamosa-based 501(c)3 non-profit, formed by Don Richmond, Teri McCartney and a coalition of some well known, experienced and beloved people in the music industry.

HDMG, which has already awarded more than a dozen grants in its short existence, was created to support singer-songwriters in an industry that has become joined at the hip with internet sites like Spotify, making it difficult for as yet unknown but truly outstanding singer-songwriters to be heard.

The concert is also a reminder of why an organization like HDMG is so critically important. Without groups like HDMG supporting the continued viability of modern day troubadours, there is no telling what musical geniuses will never be able to make a recording, never be heard and forced to abandon their music, robbing people of the chance to hear and grow to love music that, otherwise, would be lost.

Likely to define the word “memorable”, Sunday night’s event is happening in support of making sure that events – like this – continue in Alamosa and elsewhere.

Those gracing the stage on Sunday night includes Pat Byrne, an Irish singer-songwriter whose style has been described as “Roots Americana with an Irish twist”.  With a rich and soulful voice and lyrics that are hard to forget, it’s been written that “[Byrne’s} unmistakable voice and cinematic lyrics continue to touch our universal humanity."

Byrne’s come a long way since his first deal with Universal. In late 2017, he began his migration to Austin, Texas. In 2019, Byrne took the US by storm with breakout performances at the 30A Festival, SXSW, Kerrville Folk Festival and the Americana Festival. Being immersed in the Texas music scene, Pat's sophomore US release, Into the Light, has an edgier feel underscoring both emotional depth and greater confidence, while blending new influences with his rich Irish heritage. Byrne will be starting a new album project at Alamosa's Howlin' Dog Records the week after the concert, partially funded by his 2025 HDMG grant.

A description of Walt Wilkins is best found in Wilkins’ own words. “Songwriter, singer, traveler, troubadour - the calling I answered, the life I chose, the way I make my way. I chose to go full time on this road 30 years ago. It's been a spiritual quest, an amazing trip, at turns heartbreaking and transcendent. In that time, I've made twelve solo records, four records with The Mighty Mystiqueros, one with my wife Tina, and a live record with my friend, Kevin Welch.  I've had 100 or more songs recorded by other artists, traveled a fair part of the world, and had some very, very large times.”

As those who attended his recent concert can testify, Wilkins’ music is so genuinely good that he’ll break your heart in one song, inspire you in the next, take you on a journey into your past after that and then throw in a couple of lines that will make you laugh.

“I know a wide, beautiful variety of mighty poets, pickers, philosophers, artists, and wild spirits,” he writes. “I am a most fortunate man. Mostly, I drive, play & sleep & dream. It's a rich experience, a wild ride, and the way I make my way. I hope to meet you if I haven't. If I have, I hope to see you again soon on this path.”

Susan Gibson is no stranger to Alamosa and the San Luis Valley, having recorded her EP “Remember Who You Are” with Don Richmond at Howlin' Dog Records just outside of Alamosa. She has also played Alamosa several times – in local house concerts, as a featured performer at Adams State, and previously at Society Hall, both solo and with the Red River Songwriters traveling show.

Anyone who’s attended one of her concerts will testify that Gibson gives her all to the audience, taking people on a journey that not only reveals her remarkable talent and lyrics that grab you but also the depth of her heart and an outlook on life that is honest and genuine and full of wisdom born from experience.

Gibson is best known for writing the CMA Song of the Year and smash hit for the Dixie Chicks “Wide Open Spaces”, which, along with 24 other songs, was recently inducted into the Library of Congress' music registry as one of the “defining sounds of history and culture” in the United States. She has released more than a half dozen CDs and traveled hundreds of thousands of miles taking her music to her many fans throughout the country.

She said she’s very much looking forward to reconnecting with her many fans in the area. And it goes without saying that the feeling is mutual.

It is no exaggeration to say that the “amazing Don Richmond” – as he is always introduced – is not only a musical genius but also deeply loved by the community where he lives and those who are followers of his music. Quiet and truly humble, Richmond has been a professional performing musician for more than fifty-five years often blowing people away with his ability to play along on songs he’s never heard before.

In a more structured setting, he regularly performs and records on more than a dozen instruments including electric and acoustic guitars, mandolin, violin, viola, dobro, pedal steel guitar, banjo, harmonica, accordion, trumpet and percussion and is an award-winning songwriter. He has released seven solo CDs, four other albums with the Colorado band Tumbleweed earlier in his career, three with the Taos, New Mexico based group Hired Hands, seven with the New Mexico based group The Rifters, 3 as a duo with David Clemmer, and 2 with his older brothers as the Richmond Brothers.

There are times that people think about doing something and then, at the last minute, decide to give it a pass.  Sunday night should not be one of those times. Not just done for a really good cause, the concert at Society Hall is guaranteed to be one that will stick with you long after the Hall is silent.