Sparky and Rhonda Rucker

Sparky and Rhonda Rucker are a husband and wife team who perform throughout the U.S., singing songs and telling stories from the American tradition. James “Sparky” Rucker is an internationally acclaimed folklorist, historian, musician, storyteller, and author who has been singing songs and telling stories from the American tradition for over forty years. He accompanies himself on guitar, banjo, and spoons, and has released over eleven recordings. He has appeared on numerous radio programs, including National Public Radio’s Morning Edition, and Prairie Home Companion and performed in two videos produced by the Public Broadcasting System, Carry It On and Amazing Grace: Music in America. Rhonda Rucker practiced medicine for five years before becoming a full time folk musician. An accomplished harmonica and piano player she also adds vocal harmonies to the duo and her unique style of harmonica playing complements the duo’s railroad songs, Appalachian music, blues and slave songs, Civil War music, gospel, work songs, cowboy music, ballads and original compositions by Sparky Rucker. Rhonda Rucker appears on four of her husband’s eleven recordings and their 1991 release, Treasures and Tears, was nominated for the W.C. Handy Award for Best Traditional Recording. Sparky and Rhonda Rucker also contributed music to the syndicated television mini-series The Wild West, directed by Keith Merrill. Sparky’s unique renditions of “John Henry” and “Jesse James” were also used in the National Geographic Society’s 1994 video entitled Storytelling in North America. Because of their imaginative approach to teaching history, Sparky and Rhonda Rucker are popular performers in schools, colleges, and universities nationwide. They performed for Kentucky Educational Television’s video, Old Music for New Ears in 1991. They also give teacher in-service training programs and provide valuable resource lists to help teachers augment multicultural education.

$15/$10 Members. Available in advance, by phone or in person, at the Outpost Performance Space (268-0044)