to view. - The Roundup

30 Ag Roundup August 2012
Pony Express Releases Debut Album
By Lois Kerr
The four man band Pony
Express, headquartered in
Grassy Butte, ND has released
its debut album 'Delivering
God's Mail to You'.
Lead singer Nikki McAlpin,
who ranches in the Grassy
Butte area, wrote all the
songs and sings them on this
Country Christian CD. A
song from the CD, "God's Always
There", was released
nationally in May to Country
Christian stations and within
two weeks reached the Top
100. This song will also be
released on Country stations
across the nation in early
August.
"We sing upbeat, Country
Christian songs," says
McAlpin. "I share the stories
behind the songs of my life
in rodeo, training horses,
ranching, and just sorting out
life with God holding the reins.
Our purpose with our music
is to introduce people to
Jesus and to deliver messages
from God to our listeners."
The band, its music, and
its origins trace its roots back
to a very special horse named Ticket. McAlpin grew up on a
ranch in Colorado, and horses and rodeo became a burning
obsession. "I was a rodeo kid, and I didn't figure I was worth
much," she comments. "I thought that if I could win that
silver buckle, I could be someone. Rodeo consumed my
life. I bought a horse I named Ticket because I thought he
would be my ticket to winning, and he was. We were in great
rodeo condition, and we won barrel races."
Tragedy struck when Ticket's larynx collapsed and paralyzed,
leaving the animal with very little ability to breathe.
Of course this left him useless for completion. After an unsuccessful
surgery, veterinarians assured McAlpin that
Ticket would never run again. However, a miracle occurred.
"I didn't know God real well at that point in my life,"
McAlpin remarks, "but I prayed to the only source I knew of
that could produce the miracle we needed. We found a new
hospital, a new set of superb surgeons who really doubted
that they could correct the problem. They told me prospects
were dim and that Ticket would never run again, but my
heart told me prognosis was incredibly positive. I just had a
Pony Express: (L-R) Mark Entzi - sound, Valerie Entzi -keyboard, harmonies, Nikki
McAlpin - lead vocals, song writer and Kurt Rockeman - guitar.
feeling of belief that God would allow Ticket to run again."
She continues, "God guided the surgeons' hands. Even
the surgeons told me that they had never had an operation
go so well and they had never seen anything like it. A year
later, a horse that people said would never run again did so,
and we won. It was a miracle."
This incident and a few significant encounters with Christian
people led McAlpin to the strong beliefs she has today.
Ticket, however, was only the first miracle. The second involved
her music career. "The only singing I ever did was in
my truck with the windows rolled up," she says. "I never
liked being in front of people. So when the Lord put me in
front of a microphone in 2004, I said 'Lord, I think you have
the wrong girl'. However, by the summer of 2005, I had a
band and we were singing at events."
She continues, "My song writing is about the same. I
had never written a song in my life. Then one day in 2005 I
wanted to write a song about forgiveness and the freedom it
gives a person. The Lord literally handed me the song "What's
in Your Saddlebags." Two more songs followed. And although