Mylinda Farr, a wife and mother of three, grew up in a small Texas Panhandle farming community. She has lived in Jerusalem, several southwestern states, and Dallas. Mylinda met her husband, Paul, in graduate school at Texas Tech University. She now devotes her time to homeschooling their children, teaching piano, and pursuing her passion for both art and history. They currently reside in rural East Texas, enjoying God’s nature, horses, and other animals.

On my new CD, Cowboy Songs on Heaven’s Trail, I borrowed historical cattle-drive trail songs and old cowboy tunes and simply refreshed them. I now sing these melodies with words about Jesus, my Lord and Savior! I want to thank my family for their many words of encouragement. My parents are big fans of these songs that I have re-worked, and it has been very rewarding to see them enjoy my recordings. I am also amazed that God sent me my husband with such a wonderful voice to harmonize with me and to give me moral support for whatever I take on. I cannot thank Paul enough for helping me with so many ‘behind the scene’ details. These last five years have been difficult for me physically because I have been plagued with many days of migraine headaches. Many thanks go to my children who have helped me in so many ways, always standing beside me, lifting me up in their prayers, and pleading to the Lord for my healing. The Lord has daily built up my faith when I sing songs to Him. I have asked Him every day to fill me with a new song, and He has done that!

-Mylinda Farr

I am a child of God, put on this earth to love Him and to love others.

I love to share new and vintage songs with others. Music to me is inspiring and refreshing. The piano is like a magnet to me – it pulls me in. I can sit for hours, singing and writing songs. You can ask my family; sometimes they have been known to say, “Mom, we’re hungry; stop playing,”or “Mom, stop playing; we’ll be late!” or “Okay, we’re going on to bed; how much longer are you going to play?” Does that give you an idea of my love affair with music?

Well really, I must say… the piano truly gives me a beautiful and fulfilling way to express my love to my Creator, the Lord of All, the One True God, Jesus! Growing up, I was inspired by the music of Andraé Crouch, Leslie Phillips, Keith Green, Janny Grein, Matthew Ward, Russ Taff, Mahalia Jackson and the band, Petra. Recently, I have enjoyed playing the piano and singing during our church’s prayer times, and this is where I want God to use me more. I truly feel God’s presence while lifting my voice to Him.

I teach piano once a week, and these students of mine bless me with their love for music. Teaching beginner piano is very fulfilling; some of my students see that reading the notes on the page is exciting, like a code to figure out. Taking the mystery out of chords and showing my students how to sing while they play the piano is also very rewarding. I relish the opportunity to teach a child with a lot of energy, making games up and experimenting with fun sounds on the keys keeps them entertained; many times, I have them do jumping jacks in between their songs.

Most cowboy music is accompanied with guitar and other stringed instruments; however, for live performances, I prefer playing the piano along with the cowboy ballads I sing – a few cowboy artists before me did the same.

– Photo from True West magazine

I have a passion for art, and I grew up seeing my mother work on many craft projects. She owned her own arts and craft store, like a small Hobby Lobby, in a building behind our house providing classes on restoring antique trunks, tole-painting, decoupage and creating feather flowers and resin grapes. She is a true artist and continues to win many hand-quilting awards for her lovely creations. I am proud of her. The year I lived in Jerusalem as a teenager also exposed me to many various artists and their creativity expressed in batik, tile work, mother-of pearl and sterling silver.

Currently my focus with art is on wildflowers, with many of my inspirations coming from the creeks and ditches of our homeplace.

I am drawn to first-hand accounts and memoirs. I continually search for the stories of people’s struggles and determination to survive whether as a slave, a victim of the Holocaust or a woman traveling west in a wagon to a new territory. My favorite books that are not autobiographies are David Copperfield, The Good Earth and Roxy by Edward Eggleston. When I discover a great autobiography, I share them with my parents; my dad reads aloud to my mother almost every day. They have especially loved Sand In My Eyes by Seigniora Russell Laune. I guess you could say that they have become the founding members of my book club.

Silhouette of my family          

“Give ear to my words, Oh Lord. Consider my meditation. Harken unto the voice of my cry, my King and my God. For unto Thee will I pray. My voice shalt Thou hear in the morning. O Lord, in the morning, will I direct my prayer, unto Thee and will look up.”

-Psalm 5:1-3