By MICK HOLIEN
From the smoke-filled reservation barrooms first entertaining with his grandpa Vic as a 5-year-old on the way to a successful Nashville collaborative and single song writing career in Tennessee back to sporadic summer Montana appearances sometimes joining the Mission Mountain Wood Band, it’s been quite a journey for Tim Ryan Rouillier.
But his lifetime trip is about to reach a pinnacle in gigantic proportion this summer in Missoula.
Rouillier, who recently collaborated with Phil Vassar on the No. 1“Last Day of My Life,” looks to culminate one career by inaugurating if you will a second day of his.
Play My Montana, A Symphony Memoir, was described recently by Tim as the project he’s always wanted to do.
And bringing the inaugural presentation to the Dennison Theater stage June 17 to be accompanied by the Missoula Symphony Orchestra presents a perfect scenario.
Written by Rouillier, it is a young Tim’s story of playing shows with his Salish grandpa until he died on the stage during a performance and traveling the state he so dearly cherishes talking to Montanans in order to musically collaborate on their stories with Hall of Fame writers Charlie Black and Alex Harvey.
Among the 140 stage performers will be an all female Native American choir and an Arlee Children’s choir.
Some Nashville headliners will also be on hand and Rouillier hinted about surprise musical participation.
Described by those in the know as an incredible display of dance, theater, recording, film and musical entertainment, the 90-minute show will be taped in the hope of attracting PBS with the additional possibility of taking the show on the road.
The musical is already recognized as Grammy worthy and a project with the “greatest of possibilities.”
Two different levels of tickets ($70 and $100) are now available at www.griztix under Play Me Montana.
Rouillier has recorded for CBS, RCA and Warner Brothers records and is recognized as an award winning writer of No 1 hits, platinum records, and a Song of the Year written on a song-writing bus trip with Vassar.
He also wrote and produced the Reboot CD for the Mission Mountain Wood Band.
Like many in the Mission and Missoula valleys, I share a long friendship with Tim from my KGVO days spinning country tunes in the mid eighties.
Thus I can personally attest to the professionalism and talent involved in this production.
Just sayin’
