2020 Performers
Sparky and Rhonda Rucker
Blending traditional folk music and stories, Sparky and Rhonda Rucker take audiences on an emotional journey through four hundred years of cultural and folk history.
Sparky and Rhonda Rucker perform throughout the U.S. as well as overseas, singing songs and telling stories from the American folk tradition. Sparky Rucker has been performing over forty years and is internationally recognized as a leading folklorist, musician, historian, storyteller, and author. He accompanies himself with fingerstyle picking and bottleneck blues guitar, banjo, and spoons. Rhonda Rucker is a musician, children's author, storyteller, and songwriter. Her blues-style harmonica, piano, old-time banjo, and bones add musical versatility to their performances.
Sparky and Rhonda have performed at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. and the Smithsonian Folklife Festival as well as NPR's On Point, Prairie Home Companion, Mountain Stage, and Morning Edition. Their recording, Treasures & Tears, was nominated for a W.C. Handy Award, and their music is also included on the Grammy-nominated anthology, Singing Through the Hard Times.
The Ruckers have been featured tellers at the International Storytelling Center and Festival. Find them on Facebook.
The Armstrong Legacy Trio
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Like his father, Howard “Louie Bluie” Armstrong, Grammy-nominated bassist Ralphe Armstrong is an astonishing musical powerhouse. Ralphe began performing with his father by age 5. By age 13 he played with Smokey Robinson and the Miracles; by 16 he affiliated with Jean-Luc Ponty and Frank Zappa (which continued for many years). The original bassist in the Mahavishnu Orchestra with John MacLaughlin, Ralphe has performed and recorded with Aretha Franklin, James Carter, Sting, Roger Daltrey, Eminem, and many more artists in a wide variety of genres. Earlier this year, Ralphe was honored by his hometown and voted "Best Jazz Instrumentalist" at the Detroit Music Awards.
The trio's guitarist Ray Kamalay is a long-time professional musician who has shared the stage with many great performers, including Mark O'Connor, Doc Watson, Jethro Burns, Steve Goodman, Joel Mabus and Holly Near. Ray began performing with Howard and Ralphe in 1988 when the three of them formed the Howard Armstrong Trio.
Switching up violin and mandolin, John Reynolds is an old-time music whiz. Early on, as an ethnomusicology student at Kent State University, John was influenced by a number of traditional music masters including our own Howard Armstrong, whom John knew and performed with for decades.
The Louie Bluie Food Stompers
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Featuring guest performers: Kelle Jolly, Nancy Brennan Strange, Will Boyd, The Roberts Sisters, Black Atticus and Carie Ferra
See Bios below.
Ramoth-Gilliead
(the really bad)
In 2005, Ramoth-Gilead (the really bad) emerged from his secret hideout practice room and set out to provide an alternative to the "cookie cutter" music heard on the radio. Ramoth became a troubadour, traveling the U.S. for six and a half years, mostly by Greyhound Bus, to perform on street corners in Denver, at open mics in New Orleans, in the New York and Chicago subways, the coffeehouse scene in Southern California, and many points in between.
Soon word got out about his talent and music venues and different individuals kept him on schedule for live performances. Ramoth-Gilead can be found performing his original music in living rooms, churches, and other listening rooms almost anywhere he's called to go. When he's close to home, locals enjoy his unique flavors of cover songs at various restaurants, country clubs, and open markets around Texas and Louisiana. Whether solo or as Ramoth-Gilead and His Affiliads (various accompanying musicians), Ramoth continues to provide a fresh, new sound for any audience or occasion.
Dom Flemons
The ever-popular Dom Flemons will be featured in our livestream of this year's Louie Bluie Festival! He'll be discussing Howard "Louie Bluie" Armstrong, and will of course showcase a few of his own tunes.
Kasey Moore
(with Tony Branam)
Kasey Moore is a 16 year old vocalist/instrumentalist that enjoys musical genres such as Soul, Bluegrass, Classical and Blues. She is a tenor drummer in the Knoxville Pipes and Drums Band. Kasey contributes to a few groups but is interested in advancing her career as a soloist.
The Louie Bluie Foot Stompers
Kelle Jolly
Performing with the Louie Bluie Foot Stompers
Vocalist Kelle Jolly, "The Tennessee Ukulele Lady", is one of East Tennessee's most celebrated jazz musicians. She and her husband, saxophonist Will Boyd, were the 2015 MLK Art Award recipients in Knoxville. She is the founder of Ukesphere of Knoxville, a ukulele group for all ages. As an ambassador of jazz, she has traveled to Muroran, Japan as Knoxville's Sister City representative with her husband, saxophonist Will Boyd, at various jazz festivals and events. She and her uke are featured on Will Boyd's latest album release, "Freedom, Soul, Jazz". Kelle Jolly is the host of Knoxville's newest radio show on WUOT 91.9FM (www.wuot.org), Jazz Jam with Kelle Jolly, an hour-long show that celebrates great singers of jazz. She is also the founder of the Women in Jazz Jam Festival (www.womeninjazzjamfestival.com), which will take place in MarchPhoto by Darnell Britton
Nancy Brennan Strange
Performing with the Louie Bluie Foot Stompers
Nancy Brennan Strange has been entertaining audiences in Knoxville and parts of the Southeast for many years! She started as a folk singer in the ‘70’s, but later gravitated towards jazz. She is the director of music at the University of Tennessee Catholic Student Center, and worked with Carpetbag Theatre as music director for Linda Parris Bailey’s play about Howard Armstrong ( ‘Between a Ballad and a Blues)’. Nancy is a member of Knoxville band 'The Tennessee Sheiks'. She has recorded three CD’s- one a jazz CD (Les Etoiles Mysterieuses) and two with the Sheiks.
She is a huge fan of Howard (Louie Bluie) Armstrong and his music & art; and was very fortunate to spend time with him, and his wife, Barbara Ward Armstrong on their trips to Campbell County and Knoxville.
Will Boyd
Performing with the Louie Bluie Foot Stompers
Multi-reed instrumentalist, composer, educator Will Boyd hails from soul sax tradition like artists Eddie Harris, David Newman, and Houston Person. Originally from Orangeburg SC by way of Queens NY, Will currently resides in Knoxville TN. He is a member of the Knoxville Jazz Orchestra and currently has 2 solo albums “Live at the Red Piano Lounge” and “Freedom Soul Jazz”. Will also co-leads a group with Wife, jazz radio host, and founder of the Knoxville Women in Jazz Jam Festival Kelle Jolly.
The Roberts Sisters
Performing with the Louie Bluie Foot Stompers
The Roberts Sisters are 14 year old twins who have been singing for nearly two years. They have appeared on the on the Woodsongs Old Time Radio program which airs nationally, WATE TV Christmas special and Living Tennessee Television program. They are regulars on the Postmark Lafollette Jamboree and performed at the Wild Hog and Fried Pickle festivals recently. Ayiana and Anaia are home schooled and plan to pursue medical careers.