Local singer and songwriter Pat Garrett — who helped steer a young Taylor Swift to Nashville, performed for vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin, and made sheepskin coats for Kevin Costner — has died at 84.
Garrett died Monday evening, an employee of his Sickafus Sheepskins shop near Strausstown confirmed.
Garrett was born Pat Sickafus and grew up in Bethel Township before adopting his stage name.
He became one of Berks County’s most famous entertainers, while also founding the Pat Garrett Amphitheater, as well as his sheepskin shop and gas station, all located just north of the intersection of Interstate 78 and Route 183 in Upper Tulpehocken Township, a few miles from the Schuylkill County line.
The amphitheater has hosted country legends, including Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Loretta Lynn and Charlie Daniels, and it remains an active concert venue.
As a singer, songwriter and guitarist, Garrett grew from playing shows with his band at local fire halls and at Kutztown University, where he was a student, to getting several recording deals and recording seven albums, according to a Reading Eagle article.
He moved to Nashville for his music career before returning to Berks, and through the years a number of his songs gained widespread popularity.
That included several songs that represented his conservative political views, including “Moose Shootin’ Mama” about Palin, “I’ll Stand,” which addressed NFL players kneeling for the national anthem, and “The Monica Lewinsky Polka” about President Bill Clinton and a scandal involving a White House intern.
Garrett went on Fox News to talk about and perform his songs, which he called “country-versial” songs, and which he performed during campaign rallies for Palin during Sen. John McCain’s presidential run.
One of his songs, “Bad Woman,” was covered by the British rock group Arctic Monkeys.
Country singer-songwriter-guitarist Pat Garrett has died at 84. (FILE)
Garrett spoke often about his influence on Swift’s early career, saying in a CBS News interview that when the Berks County native was 11, she won a karaoke contest for adults at his former roadhouse next to the gas station. That earned her a spot opening for Garrett, and she played for his band at fairs and country music festivals.
Garrett said Swift’s father, Scott Swift, who managed her, asked him for advice for his daughter, and Garrett recommended that he “take her to Nashville,” recognizing her stage presence and drive.
When Swift’s father told him a few weeks later that they actually were moving to Nashville, Garrett said he was surprised.
“Nobody even listened to me before,” he joked.
Garrett was the longtime husband of Suzy Dalton, who helped him run the amphitheater and played bass guitar while he performed.
The venue was closed from 2005 to 2015 while Garrett focused on his music career, but he gave Flagship Music Productions the rights to reopen and operate it for the last 12 summers.
“We thank Pat Garrett for allowing us to share such a beautiful and special venue with Berks County and beyond, and we look forward to continuing to honor his legacy,” the company posted Thursday after his passing. “Our thoughts are with his family, friends, and fellow musicians. Thanks for everything, Pat.”
The sheepskin shop also continues to operate, selling coats, jackets, vests, slippers, seat covers and motorcycle gear nationwide. Costner wore custom shearling coats from the shop on his show “Yellowstone” and in the movie “Let Him Go.”
Garrett also owned and operated the classic country radio station WWSM-AM (1510) in central Pennsylvania and previously owned the former classic rock station WTPA-FM (92.1) before selling it in 2017.
Longtime friend and retired Reading Eagle journalist Dave Kline spoke about Garrett a few years ago in a Philadelphia Inquirer article, calling him “a genuine hustler,” but “in the best possible way.”
“Pat is really the last of a generation,” Kline said. “He’s not just a singer-songwriter. He’s an entertainer.”