Music Steeped in American History - Sparky & Rhonda Rucker in concert

1. April 12,

2014: Sparky and

Rhonda Rucker

Branford

Folk Music Society favorites Sparky and Rhonda Rucker from Tennessee will

make a return visit to the coffeehouse on April 12, bringing their musical

performances steeped in American history and tradition.

For

more than 40 years, Sparky and Rhonda Rucker have performed throughout the

U.S. as well as overseas, singing songs and telling stories from the American

folk tradition. Sparky is internationally recognized as a leading American

folklorist, musician, historian, storyteller, and children’s author. He

accompanies himself with fingerstyle picking and bottleneck blues guitar,

banjo, and spoons. Rhonda, a medical doctor and also an author with a lengthy

list of published articles and a recently released historical novel set in

the Civil War, is an accomplished harmonica, piano, banjo, and bones player,

and also adds vocal harmonies to their songs.

            Together they take their audience

on an educational and emotional journey that ranges from poignant stories of

slavery and war to an amusing rendition of a traditional tale or witty

commentaries on current events. Their music includes a variety of old-time

blues, slave songs, Appalachian ballads, spirituals, work songs, Civil War

music, cowboy music, railroad songs, and their own original compositions.

The

Ruckers have been featured tellers at the International Storytelling Center

and Festival. Sparky is a natural storyteller, having grown up hearing his

father, uncles, and other family members endlessly telling tales. Sparky and

Rhonda each tell solo stories, but they also tell stories together (in

tandem), always adding life and humor to the characters and tricksters in

their Brer Rabbit tales, Jack tales, High John the Conqueror stories,

preacher tales, and family stories.

            Their special passion for the

American Civil War inspired the development of “The Blue and Gray in Black

and White”, a historical program that tells stories from the war in music and

narrative.

The

couple has performed at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. and the

Smithsonian Folklife Festival as well as on nationally syndicated radio shows

such as “Prairie Home Companion”, “Mountain Stage” and NPR’s “Morning

Edition”.

They’ve

recorded numerous albums, and their 1991 release, Treasures and Tears,

was nominated for the W.C. Handy Award for Best Traditional Recording. The

duo contributed to the 2009 anthology tribute CD dedicated to the late Bruce

“Utah” Phillips entitled Singing

Through the Hard Times which was a finalist for a GRAMMY in the Best

Traditional Folk category.

Admission: $15 for nonmembers, $12

for members, $5 for kids 12 and under       Pay at the door.





Branford Folk Coffeehouse


First Congregational Church of Branford


1009 Main Street, Branford, CT.





8:00pm





Wheelchair accessible.





For more information call 203-488-7715


Email: branfordfolk@gmail.com




http://folknotes.org/branfordfolk/







Branford Folk Coffeehouse welcomes refreshment donations of pastries, cold

drinks and other assorted goodies! Bring your own travel mug or thermos and

take home any leftover coffee!





Branford Folk Music Society -

Traditionally, the Best Folk Music in southern Connecticut since 1973.