In the central San Joaquin Valley of California, a horse crazy kid to grew up in a farming family, but between school and countless singing performances with her two sisters, Juni found a way to have horses, and 4-H and FFA honors followed her through out her school years.
While studying Equine Science at the College of the Sequoias in Visalia, she rode young horses for neighbors, worked gates at the sales yard, and helped local ranches. A good "catch rider", she rode her way through college, with top honors at Intercollegiate and Quarter Horse shows. Meanwhile, she was earning horse show entry money singing big band standards in a dance orchestra.
She trained cowhorses from snaffle bitters to bridle horses, winning her first Snaffle Bit Futurity (IARCHA) in ’81, her first Bridle Horse Championship in ’83 (the Monterey Classic) while working on a cow calf operation, and running a roping arena. Her bridle horses did day work on the ranch, and competed weekends with much success. If there was a campfire gathering with music, Juni was there with her guitar, singing the songs of the west she’d learned from her father. In 1984 she moved to Santa Ynez, CA, to train cutting horses, taking her blossoming songwriting skills with her.
A local band was quick to ask her to play rhythm guitar and sing leads and backups. Members of the noted Rancheros Vistadores, an elite group of ranchers from across the nation, noticed her singing around town, which led her to working L.A. area clubs with a popular country band, which was also playing western and cowboy music.
Juni’s ability to ride at speed across the hills found her working as a foxhunting professional, and she accepted a one year position with a hunt club in Tennessee. Point to point racing, steeplechasing, and horse trials took the place of cowhorses, while she honed her songwriting skills amongst some of Nashville’s finest, managing a saddlery during the day. She and husband Rusty, who works for Purina Mills as an Equine Specialist, keep two favorite horses these days, living near Franklin, Tennessee.
She recorded her first Western release, "Tumbleweed Letters" in late 1999. Monterey Cowboy Poetry and Music Festival director Gary Brown heard her first album, and hunted her down to perform at the 2004 Festival. He shared Juni’s music with other promoters and artists, and started the wheels turning, allowing Juni to shift her profession to the music she loved most. Juni released a second album, "Sideshow Romance" in the summer of 2004. Her third release, "Cowgirlography" featured a duet with Sons of the San Joaquin's Joe Hannah, and recieved rave reviews, multiple nominations and a WMA Song of the Year award. The start of 2008 marked the release of her historic "Gone For Colorado", an album that brought forth Juni's own family history in song.
Fisher is a lot easier to find these days, performing at venues like the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering in Elko, NV, the Heber City Cowboy Gathering, Monterey Cowboy Festival, Santa Clarita Cowboy Festival, the Colorado Cowboy Gathering, Spirit of the West Festival, Cochise Cowboy Poetry Gathering, Salinas and Big Bear Lake gatherings, radio shows, Folk Festivals, and many more venues. From her appearances, and by word of mouth, the bookings and the kudos keep rolling in, including:
Juni Fisher is Western Music Association's ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR for 2011, Female Performer of the Year, and Writer/Performer of Song of the Year... it's a triple crown!
Just named True West Magazine's Best Solo Western Musician for 2011/2012
2009 - WMA Female Performer of the Year
2009 - WMA Traditional Album of the Year - "Gone for Colorado"
2008 WMA Songwriter of the Year
2007 WMA Song of the Year Songwriter
2006 WMA Female Vocalist of the Year
2005 AWA Western Female Performer of the Year
2005 WMA Crescendo Award
