Prairie Rose in the 80s; Prairie Rose and the Home Grown Sidekicks in the early 90s and now, Prairie Rose and the Sidekicks.

Prairie Rose, (Cathy Mack Unterseher), started out as a solo act back in the late 80s and had won numerous awards with her songwriting, including, hearing her songs played throughout the country. She sang with Dale Evans and Roy Rogers and shared stages with Baxter Black and many cowboy/cowgirl artists. And she appeared in a number of state, national, and international magazines, including on the cover of “Country Woman” magazine, with Sidekick, Slade, sitting on her lap.”

She was a solo act envying the beautiful harmony that she heard at many gatherings, but in the l990s; her solo act was gone. One by one her children joined her on stage, her own Sidekicks, and now like a Prairie Rose opening it’s blossoms, Prairie Rose has her own harmonizing group.

Cathy, daughter to Tony and Doris Mack of Pettibone, and wife to Wade Unterseher, (deceased Dec 2007), of Bowdon, N.S., started after a dream of songwriting many years ago. She read once that it takes the average songwriter 19 years to break into the business. I’m not sure how many years she’s been at it, but she has seen a lot of dreams come true in the past 2 decades.

Slade, age 21; Cheyenne, 18, and Cassidy, 16., started singing on stage when they were between 3 to 5 years old. Cheyenne heard mom practicing in a Yankton SD motel, and asked if she could join mom on stage the next day. She was 3 years old.
The kid’s first debut on stage, was riding stick ponies. Now, they are the show, and mom is just the guidance, manager, and support.

One evening back in l999, Cathy, alias, Prairie Rose, remembers her husband telling her to enter a contest through KFYR. She hated contests and didn’t plan to enter, but Wade said, “What have you got to lose?”

“I remember it so well. I threw a package together to send in, and I remember thinking, “What song do I place first?” I knew my favorite song was “Grandpa’s Eyes,” but my heart was saying, “North Dakota, USA.” So, “North Dakota, USA” was the opening song.

A day or two later, the phone rang. A lady by the name of Marion Higgins, said she heard Cathy’s tape, and wanted to let her know she was now officially in the North Dakota Home Grown Talent Contest. After a discussion with Marion, and looking back., she “knows” that someone had taken over her music and the direction that it was to go. Cathy, had said a prayer that year., “Lord, I surrender my music to you. If you have any plans with this musical family, you need to guide me, you need to open the doors, because I no longer know where to start, or where to go.”

Cathy, feels the Lord led her to place “North Dakota, USA” first on that recording.

And Marion Higgins said that “that” song caught their attention, because it was “Homegrown Talent” for the state of North Dakota. That year, Prairie Rose and her Sidekicks, became the 1st Annual KFYR Home Grown Talent winners., and since that time, they’ve experienced things they will never forget.

They’ve appeared on KFYR television, and sang live. They were featured two consecutive years in a row at the Cody Stampede in Cody, Wy, along with singing for many in state organizations. They have been repeat performers for the Lewis and Clark Wagon Train, North Dakota Auctioneers Convention, along with performing at the REC State Banquet, North Dakota Farmer’s Union, North Dakota Farm Bureau, and many other organizations. They were a featured act to a series of concerts held in sales barns, called, Crossfire Concerts, in the late 90s and since then they've opened a Fargo/Moorhead Redhawks Game, UND Hockey Games, with the National Anthem.
While the kids were in school, they sang their rendition at numerous local sports events.
They have performed in churches throughout the state, and in the winter of 200l, they took their first musical tour and spent about a month on the road., singing in churches from North Dakota to Florida, and back up from Arizona. Reba McIntire’s brother in law called her and gave her some support and contacts., and while in Nashville Tn., they sang at Cowboy Church, where Johnny Cash’s brother in law was the pastor, and Johnny’s sister shared a stage with them.

The winter of 2000; Prairie Rose competed in Mrs. North Dakota Intl. She had been asked to run twice that summer and kept saying no. She had some discouragement from people, but every time she thought about saying no to the pageant., this inner voice kept saying, “you will.”

Cathy says that she knows in her heart, she was to be in that pageant. “Every single thing she needed; the funds were met. She found college courses being offered “right” in little Bowdon ND that pertained to her speech and platform. “Everything” fell together so perfect. Her platform was “Family Values.”

She never came back with a crown, but she did come back with a new way of looking at life, family, and purpose. She now knows what is being expected of her, and what plans are meant, for her musical family. She now realizes that they can make a difference in this world.

Each year gets a little more exciting for this little family. The fall of 2003, they traveled to Lewistown Mt. , and opened a show for Ian Tyson. (Ian Tyson is one of the most famous country artists from Canada.)

They had a star on their dressing room, and a house of 700-800 people, and when their show was over, various people visited with them, but two particular ones, shared stories of how Prairie Rose and the Sidekicks had made a difference in their lives that evening. One shared how her son was paralyzed because of a bronco accident and one of their songs touched their heart, and they had to have this song to share with their son, while one……shared of spending the evening the previous night, in a hospital in Montana, with a family who had a daughter who had attempted suicide. He shared how lousy he felt the world was., but he said, “And then I came here tonight, and saw you and your family, and realized, “there’s still good in this world.”

Slade, Cheyenne, and Cassidy have been in many honor choirs while in high school. Slade also sang in Sioux Falls, SD., with kids from a six state area. The musical group was also featured at the Cowboy Symposium, in Cheyenne, Wy., over Labor Day of 2004, and that same weekend, sang for their first time at Lifelight Festivals, in Sioux Falls, SD. They performed on the same stage as the Gatlin Brothers, Todd Agnew, and Salvador. They were one of 80 groups accepted, and they were told that the expected attendance would be over 200,000 people. It was an extremely exciting event!!!! This upcoming summer, Labor Day, 2010, they will once again be featured at Lifelight Festival. Thesummer of 2004 they toured into Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, and North Dakota.

The mid 2000s they won various competitions. They placed in a Farmers Union Contest and a Homegrown Talent Contest. Their number one fan, husband/father, Wade Unterseher was killed tragically Christmas Day 2007. Thanks to Wade's sister, she encouraged them to submit playing for the North Dakota Governor's Prayer Breakfast, April of 2008. (This was her way of keeping their music going.) They were accepted as the featured entertainment, and that helped them continue entertaining. This family group has played for Praise on the Prairie, at Hazen N.D., and continue singing in churches throughout the Midwest. Bluegrass, Cowboy, Country, Gospel, and some Patriotic and Comedy, is Prairie Rose and the Sidekicks. Slade plays banjo, dobro, mandolin, fiddle, drums and lead guitar, but he's been focusing on banjo and lead guitar on stage. Cheyenne plays fiddle, keyboard and harmonica, but has focused on keyboard and even does a yodeling song. Cassidy played a rhythm instrument and was learning how to play the mandolin, but seems to focus on vocals,and mom plays rhythm guitar. They start some songs out silly, they start some out serious., but one way or another they’ll make you laugh and cry. They know they’ve been given a gift, and they go through whatever doors open for them., and let their heart lead their way. (Their banjo, mandolin, dobro, a guitar and a fiddle, were all gifts given them by fans. Each gift was given with an expression of how they felt “led” to give it to them. The Lord has enabled them to have the instruments they’ve needed, when needed.”)

They know they’d never be able to afford to travel, but with their music; it gives them a chance to see our country and sing their way to and from, as a family.

Cathy feels it won’t be long, and it’ll be, “The Sidekicks, and Prairie Rose.”
*Prairie Rose and the Sidekicks” have 2 CD’s available. They’re hoping to have two additional recordings done this summer and also working on a Video of North Dakota, USA.