Living in paradise: After the interview with Cowboy Brad, he takes time to pose for photos and to serenade the crowd at Coffee on the Rocks. PHOTOS BY OMAYRA ACEVEDO[/caption]

“He was born in the summer of his 27th year, coming home to a place he’d never been before,” these were the words I heard on the radio roughly 12 miles after crossing the Colorado border in 2007.

Seven years later, I heard about an Estes Park cowboy who was a John Denver tribute artist. On August 30, 2014, I was sitting inside the Estes Park Events Complex, clapping and singing to some of my favorite songs.

I laughed and even cried. It was magical! Immediately following the show, I bought my first Cowboy Brad album, Rocky. So began my support of the man who would become one of my favorite Colorado musicians, Brad Fitch.

Fitch, or Cowboy Brad, as some people call him, grew up playing in my favorite playground, Rocky Mountain National Park. As a young lad, he would hear Denver’s music on the radio and from records his mother bought.

During his teenage years, Fitch started his first band, “Fitch and Chips.” Funny and clever as the name was, it paved the way for a career as an incredible singersongwriter. The year was 2004 when friends approached Fitch about a Denver tribute concert and the rest, as they say, is history.

Roughly 500 guests were expected to attend Fitch’s first Denver tribute concert. More than 1,200 showed up. Need I say more? Aside from the pandemic, Fitch and the TropiCowboy Band have been performing Denver tribute concerts for the past 18 years.

One of these concerts is held annually in the stunning mountain town of Estes Park, Colorado. This year marked the 17th annual Denver tribute concert in Estes. It was the same day I began moving into my cabin in Allenspark. Yes, I attended.

It was the best home warming gift I received. On Saturday, September 3, 2022, I found myself, once again, smiling, clapping, and singing. It took everything out of me not to give a standing ovation after every song.

This was also the day I introduced myself to Fitch and asked him for an interview. Almost four weeks later, we met, and I discovered more reasons to like Fitch and his music. His other influences, some of whom he has paid tribute to, include Gordon Lightfoot, James Taylor, Jimmy Buffet, and John Prine, to name a few.

Fitch’s appreciation for tropical, salsa, merengue, and cowboy music inspired the TropiCowboy Band name. Inspirations for songs come while hiking and listening to the rhythm of his feet as they connect with the rocky ground. Something I can completely relate to. Though I’m not a singer, I am a writer, and I’m always my best when I’m in nature.

When Rocky Mountain National Park turned 100, Fitch was commissioned to write and perform the park’s anniversary song, by the same name. Music is the gift that keeps giving, which is why Fitch believes in keeping Denver’s songs, messages, and memory alive. I love that!

On Mondays during the summer, you can catch a free Fitch performance in Bond Park at the end of town in Estes, where you can purchase his music. You can also purchase his 27 albums on his website - a great holiday gift for anyone!

Since that glorious moment in 2007, I’ve never stopped listening to John Denver, and I can say with certainty that I will never stop listening to Fitch.

To learn more, order CDs, or book a performance, visit http://cowboybrad.com/. For a peak at Cowboy Brad’s songs, check out https://bandcamp.com/ or follow him on social media at: https:// www.facebook.com/cowboybradftich.