ALMEDA BRADSHAW

Produced in 2010, Voices from the Range was Almeda's first full-length project. Adapted from the poetry of pioneer ranch woman Rhoda Sivell, these ten songs of soothing melodies and simple acoustic instrumentation served to heal Almeda's wounded heart during a painful time of change in her life. The liner notes read:

This is the poetry of Rhoda Sivell (1873 - 1962)

Rhoda's poetry expresses her love for the ranch life she lived along the South Saskatchewan River in Canada.
Images of range sights and sounds run constant through her verses, but it's the sounds of the range,
the voices she heard, that stand out. I believe Rhoda Sivell's sensitivity to "the music of unshod feet" is what
lends her poetry so naturally to song.

Rhoda Sivell was born near Dublin, Ireland in 1873 and in 1881 immigrated to Whitewood, Saskatchewan, 
Canada, with her family where they homesteaded growing grain and raising cattle. Rhoda married
Charles Sivell in 1899 and in 1902 they took up ranch land on the South Saskatchewan River about 25 miles
North of Medicine Hat, Alberta. Rhoda published her volume of poetry Voices From The Range in 1912
 

This is the music of Almeda Terry.

There is melody in every person's soul and a time in everyone's life when certain songs are sung.
When I discovered Rhoda and began adapting her poetry to music, the love and longing she expressed for her
"little lonely ranch so far away" became my own. In late 2007, I left my Big Sandy, Montana, ranch life behind and the
"one you loved so well, but now has gone away" rang painfully true. Singing these songs over the past year
has been my catharsis.

I'm so grateful to Rhoda Sivell for writing her beautiful volume of poetry, 
Voices From The Range.

Thank you

A lifetime of people, places and experience have preceded this project, but in particular,
I would like to thank God for the life He gave me and for loving me in spite of my many failings;
Merritt Bradshaw for his unwavering support as my truly kind and caring Montana Man;
Williams Sivell for permission to use his grandmother's poetry; Junie Fisher for her willingness to answer
my pesky questions as a good friend would; Gary Mcmahan for his interest and honesty in
challenging me to write a better song; Chris Cunningham for his patience while walking me through the
recording process, his beautiful harmony, cool accordion and great engineer's ear; Britt Smith and Ric Steinke
for their excellent musical contributions; my mom, Jean, for putting me in the elementary school
string program instead of band; Roger Terry for my freedom and our ranch life together;
and to the rest of my family, friends and fans, your love, encouragement and support means so much to me.
Thank you.