Speaker Sessions: Lisa Sorrell & The Malpass Brothers on Boots, Costumes & Creative Expression
The Birthplace of Country Music Museum is inviting everyone to a Virtual Speaker Session with Lisa Sorrell and The Malpass Brothers on Tuesday, Feb. 10, at7 p.m. EST for a discussion about the inspiration and innovation behind bootmaking and the creativity that artists express through their songs and stage wear, including boots. This Speaker Sessions, which is free and open to the public, is complementary programming for the current special exhibit Boot Scootin’ History: The Craft & Stories of Cowboy Boots on display through April 6. Registration is required to attend on Zoom and can be found at BirthplaceofCountryMusic.org. Interested individuals can also learn more about the terminology of bootmaking with a special behind the scenes look on the website.
Lisa Sorrell established Sorrell Custom Boots in 1996 in historic Guthrie, Oklahoma. Sorrell is a master bootmaker and fine artist whose canvas is the cowboy boot. Every boot she builds is custom fit and handcrafted for each client. Inspired by the art of the cowboy boot, its heritage and tradition, Sorrell’s work has been featured in several books, numerous magazines, and the PBS series Craft in America. Distinguished by intricate leather inlay, overlay, and topstitching, Sorrell Custom Boots has a reputation of pleasing the most discerning clients with boots that invite investigation and tell a great story.Â
The Malpass Brothers, Chris and Taylor Malpass, studied the brother-harmony bluegrass duos of Jim & Jesse and the Louvin and Wilburn Brothers and bathed in the sounds of Hank Williams, Lefty Frizzell, Charlie Pride, and Merle Haggard after finding their grandfather’s LP collection in their youth. It was musical Manna to the boys — there was nothing in the marketplace that fed The Malpass Brothers’ soul more than the music of this bygone era–and they would stay true to it.
Best known as modern-day troubadours who carry the torch for traditional country music, The Malpass Brothers began singing and playing together professionally at a very young age. Alongside their dad, Chris Malpass Sr., the siblings performed at churches all over the southeast, but they continued to hone their traditional sound by working alongside and amongst the legends.
Every month the Birthplace of Country Music Museum welcomes a variety of engaging and thought-provoking guests for its free Speaker Sessions program. If you are interested in attending, please pre-register through the Events page at BirthplaceOfCountryMusic.org.
