In this article:
Jewel and Murray on bull riding
Ranch life together

Jewel's diamond in the rough

He's a lot country; she's a lot rock 'n' roll: the unlikely pairing of folk's sweetest singer and bull riding's toughest champion.

By Dennis McCafferty

She's a pop singer whose ethereal style strikes that elusive balance between artistic and commercial success. He's a legend in the most rough-and-tumble of worlds: professional bull riding. Is this the stuff of lasting romance? Apparently so. Recording artist Jewel and nine-time pro rodeo/bull riding champion Ty Murray have been together for more than three years now - a long time for a young celeb couple. But beyond impressions of disparate universes, the couple has much in common. Both grew up with an appreciation of hard work: Jewel survived a hardscrabble upbringing in Homer, Alaska, then lived in her van as she pursued her musical career; Murray lived the genuine cowboy's life, helping his dad break colts on their Arizona ranch. And both are published authors, with Jewel's A Night Without Armor (HarperCollins, $11) being one of the most popular books of poetry ever, at more than 800,000 in sales, and Murray capturing his reflections on rodeo in the recent Roughstock: The Mud, the Blood and the Beer (EquiMedia, $29.95).

And both are busy these days. Jewel's new CD, "This Way," was out Tuesday. Next Sunday, Murray will star in a rare major network broadcast of pro bull riding, as NBC presents the Bud Light World Challenge, pitting the world's top 45 bull riders against the top 30 bulls. Murray, widely considered the Michael Jordan of rodeo, will be the biggest star there. Between recording and bull riding sessions, Jewel and Murray recently shared their thoughts with USA WEEKEND on the finer points of rodeo, ranching and Songwriting 101.

With the national TV exposure, pro bull riding is making a splash. Must seem like a long way from the days when people joked that you get a free pack of chewing tobacco with the price of admission, huh?

Jewel: Some think it's just about some dumb guys getting on the bull and hanging on. They don't see the athletics involved, the smarts these guys have. You have to anticipate every move the bull makes. People who just look to "hang on" get killed. Now, it's getting huge. It fills 18,000 to 20,000 seats on a weekend night. It appeals to all kinds of sports fans: the skateboarders, the snowboarders, the NASCAR people.

Murray: There are athletics involved, like she says. I did most every sport you could think of: football, baseball, basketball, wrestling. I even got into gymnastics because I thought it would improve my balance and coordination. When it comes to the stereotypes, there are still a lot of misconceptions. Bull riders are real honest people. What you see is what you get. But people who aren't familiar with rodeos think we only listen to country music, which isn't true. I'll listen to anything: Springsteen, Tina Turner ... ... and Jewel, of course.

Murray: Yeah!

To the point where you've co-written a song with her that appears on the new CD called Until We Run Out of Road?

Jewel: Yes. We wrote it from his perspective. Rodeo and rock 'n' roll are similar - a lot of guys just beating their brains out, barely making a living at it. Few make it big. So we wrote about it, and he's a songwriter now.

Murray: It was fun. At first, we figured the two of us would be the only people to hear the song. I have a little cabin down by the river, and we stay there a lot. We were just sitting around the fire on New Year's Eve, and she always has her guitar with her and she's always writing poems and songs in her notebook. So she goes, "Why don't you and me write a song so you can see the process?" I didn't think I was cut out for that, but she said, "Let's just do it, just for fun." At first, it seemed like just goofing around. But we really tried to write a good song after a while, and we worked on it all night.

So, is this your second career?

Murray: I don't think so! It was hard. The only reason we were a good team is that she knows how to write songs and I knew what we were writing about.

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Jewel seems to be fitting just great into your ranch in Stephenville, Texas, and the cowboy life.

Murray: Yeah. The second time we got together, I took her on a camping trip with an old friend of mine. I had no idea about her growing up in a rugged place in Alaska. So we packed way up in the Sierra on horseback and slept by a stream and fished. The way she grew up, she made that look like a Sunday afternoon picnic. Same with the ranch. I have friends in New York who think they're on Mars when they get there. She can relax there with the grass and trees and the stream and write songs.

Jewel: It's a lot of work at the ranch, but it's fun. You have to earn your respect there. It's not just given to you. They don't let you be a brat there. I help build fences or weld pieces of pipe together. He has 2,000 acres. The truth is, rodeo cowboys aren't necessarily good at ranching or training horses. He's been teaching me to heel calves, which is unusual for guys in his profession.

Really? You'd think that would be right up their alley.

Jewel: That would be like saying an editor is good at writing. Many aren't.

Hey, no argument there! Sounds like you're ready to ride a bull, Jewel. Have you ever given one a spin?

Jewel: No. I would be killed instantly. He wouldn't let me if I wanted to.

Murray: That's not me being a chauvinist. It's just a fact. Saying a woman can ride bulls is like saying a woman can play linebacker in the NFL. It's as dangerous a thing as you can do.