A country artist from a small Wisconsin town has organized a charity concert in Whitefish. Having never visited the Flathead Valley before, he said the events that led him to the area "just happened."  

Roger Lee's concert was inspired by an experience spontaneously playing at a funeral for a man he didn't know while visiting Worland, Wyoming. He showed up in the same cowboy hat as the deceased, a man from Miles City. 

Lee played and shed tears with people he just met. And then he later concluded he ought to see what he could do for good up in Montana.   

"I'm just a conduit and it's falling into place," he said. 

Lee's concert is on Aug. 14 at the Whitefish Performing Arts Center. He'll be joined on stage by Will. J Burton of Boise, Idaho and Madison Grace of Kalispell. The show starts at 6:30 p.m. and doors open at 6 p.m. Tickets are $15 at the door. 

The concert is a benefit for four charities: Two Bear Therapeutic Riding Center, Flathead Warming Center, All Hearts Rescue and WINGS Regional Cancer Foundation.  

A Minnesota native, Lee resides in Winter, Wisconsin, a town of about 325 people.  

Lee describes his home as the middle of the woods, with a lot of loggers and lakes and "that's pretty much it."  

Lee never dedicated himself to music until a few years ago.  

"Here's the story," Lee said. "When I was 24, my wife gave me a guitar."  

Lee said he learned 10 songs, would play for a month or two, let it sit for a year, and so on.  

"And that's how it went for over 20 years," he said.  

When Lee was 47, he was diagnosed with stage 4 lymphoma and was told he had about a 50% chance of living. During chemo he didn't have much energy, so he picked up the guitar and this time, he never put it back down.  

As a lifelong machinist by stage, Lee is typically a left-brain thinker, he said.  

"When I'm practicing, I don't think about anything but what I'm trying to learn on the guitar, or the song I'm writing. 

"Rather than trying to figure it out, I'm more open to what I'm feeling, or what sound or word fits here. It's a different avenue for my brain."  

About seven years later, Lee played his first gig at a market in his town.  

"I got $13 in tips," he said.  

Now 12 years into remission, he plays at bars, churches, nursing homes, parks and other community events.  

"It's just been a blessing because I get to do something I love and people seem to enjoy my music.  

"I never had a plan. It just unfolded that way. And that's just how I ended up at this theater in Whitefish."  

Lee latched onto the idea of a charity concert and began calling venues, looking for a place, any place, maybe in Montana. He said he called the Performing Arts Center, and they said, yes, we rent. 

Lee reserved a date and then hand-picked four charities that he resonated with.  

Lee appreciates how a former vet tech takes a personalized approach to rescuing animals, how a shelter helps people recover in life, how a cancer organization supports people candidly, and how a riding center teaches people with disabilities to connect with animals. 

Lee's passions come out in his music, which has a strong foundation in 1970s and 1980s country.  

"If I do a Willie Nelson song and no one turns their head, it's time for me to go home," he said.  

His original music spans country, folk and alternative. His songs tend to be on the "serious side," he said.  

One song, "A moment in time," sings, "I came into the movie as I walked into the sunset, not knowing what happened, just the ending."  

Lee said, "We judge others on a moment in time, not knowing the burdens they carry or left behind."  

Editor Kelsey Evans can be reached at 406-862-3505 or [email protected]. If you value local journalism, pledge your support at whitefishpilot.com/support.

    A flyer for the concert Roger Lee organized in Whitefish on Aug. 14.
 Will Burton