Advertising executive Don Michalik went on a quest for the perfect pair of cowboy boots. He’s a north Texas native, and grew up near the region’s large ranches. He was a hippie growing up and was never interested in cowboy boots.
Years later, the boot bug bit him.
The charm of the shoes, the art of making them, it all caught up with him and he had to have a pair. But, not just any pair.
It took years, but he finally stumbled upon a pair of red-and-white beauties. They had originally been made by M.L. Leddy, the legendary Texas boot-maker from San Angelo. He made the pair for himself in the ’40s, so the store would not sell those boots. But they offered to custom-make a pair for Michalik.
As Michalik got measured, the salesman casually said that country singer Trisha Yearwood also had a custom-made pair. Michalik asked the salesman if any other men had ordered this particular pair of boots.
“Nope,” he told Michalik. “Just you and Trisha Yearwood.”
The mystique of the “Trisha Yearwood” boots continued to follow Michalik: He saw them in a photograph one day when he was riffling through a book at a bookstore in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
The boots inadvertently have connected Michalik to Trisha Yearwood. Although she does not know it.
Now, every time the Country Music Awards come on television,Michalik pays attention to see if – by chance – Trisha Yearwood is wearing his boots.
Now, Texas, it’s your turn. Tell us a great story about your boots so we can share boot stories from across the state. You can get in touch by emailing texasstandard@kut.org.
Written by Caroline Covington.
