BERKS COUNTY, Pa. – Berks County singer, songwriter, and business owner Pat Garrett died at 84 on Tuesday, according to the man’s family.
The local icon gained recognition as a country singer-songwriter with his five-piece music group, the Pat Garrett Band, but his impact proved to be far greater.
Garrett, of Strausstown, built the amphitheater bearing his name in Upper Tulpehocken Township in 1994. It hosted such legends as Johnny Cash, George Jones, Billy Ray Cyrus, Charlie Daniels, and Willie Nelson. Garrett stopped booking acts at the amphitheater in 2005 so that he could focus on other ventures, but the venue reopened in 2015.
Before she made it big, Berks County native Taylor Swift competed in karaoke contests at the amphitheater when she was 11 years old. Garrett previously told 69 News that he gave some music business advice to Swift’s father.
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“He came to me and said, ‘What am I gonna do with this kid?’ I said, ‘Well, Scott, in Hershey, they make bars, in Detroit, they make cars, and in Nashville, they make stars. Move to Nashville,'” Garrett recalled. “Three months later, we’re standing in my sheepskin shop, and he said, ‘Well, we’re going.’
Garrett also ventured into the radio business, buying a classic rock station that served central Pennsylvania in 2012. He went on to sell the station to Educational Media Foundation in 2017.
Throughout the years, Garrett wasn’t shy about politics when it came to his music. In 2008, he wrote and performed “Moose Shootin’ Mama” as a tribute to Sarah Palin, who was then the governor of Alaska and Republican John McCain’s running mate in the 2008 race for the White House.
In 2010, at the request of the Berks County Patriots, Garrett wrote and recorded a song about the Tea Party, called “The Tea Party Song.” During the 2016 presidential election, he also recorded the song, “I’m Voting for Donald for President.” Some of Garrett’s other “countryversial” tunes, as he called them, include “Bailout,” the “Monica Lewinsky Polka,” and “The Saddam Stomp.”
Garrett’s passion wasn’t limited to music, though. He also developed an interest in coats — sheepskin coats.
“Started out just selling the skins,” Garrett explained in 2022.
His longstanding shop, Sickafus Sheepskins, off Route 183 in Upper Tulpehocken Township features a sweeping sea of sheepskin coats, some of which were featured in the hit show “Yellowstone,” starring Kevin Costner.
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Costner wasn’t the first big star to wear one of Garrett’s sheepskin coats. They’ve also been worn by some country music luminaries.
“Years ago, when I played with Shorty Long, I made coats for Conway Twitty and also Loretta Lynn, and later on, I made one for Charlie Daniels and George Jones and his wife,” Garrett previously told 69 News.
For longtime friend Rob Hunt, Garrett’s impact was about more than the music and businesses he built. Hunt remembered Garrett as an outgoing person who loved meeting people and would “do anything for anybody.” He said Garrett will be “dearly missed by a lot of people.”
Hunt reflected on Garrett’s life inside Sickafus Sheepskins, a place that had been part of Garrett’s family for decades. According to Hunt, the property was once his parents’ gas station before becoming the sheepskin shop. “If you can’t find something in here in sheepskin or leather, you’re not looking,” Hunt said, describing the shop as packed into “every nook and cranny.”
In 2013, a dinner at The Bridge Inn on Route 73 in Oley Township led to the restaurant becoming part of his family. During that dinner, Garrett’s son, Dan, mentioned that the owner was looking to sell the restaurant. After a few discussions, Garrett said they decided to buy the restaurant, where he and his band performed many times throughout the years.
Most recently, Garrett spoke with 69 News after the death of country star Dolly Parton.
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He recalled meeting Parton years ago while she was recording at a studio in Nashville.
Garrett says he watched part of her recording session, but it’s what happened as he left that he still remembered.
“I looked back in time to see her standing on the back porch, waving goodbye, with that big blonde hair and the warmest smile I’ve ever seen,” Garrett said.
Garrett’s friend says he is leaving behind plenty of stories of his own. One that Berks County Commissioner Christian Leinbach still remembers happened about 30 years ago, when Garrett stopped playing during a show, got down on one knee, and proposed to Suzy Dalton.
Hunt says they plan to keep holding events at the amphitheater and keep the sheepskin shop running.