For over thirty years, Rhonda Rucker has been a professional musician, author, and storyteller. Performing as the duo, Sparky & Rhonda Rucker, she and her husband have recorded ten albums together. Their CD, Treasures & Tears, was nominated for a W.C. Handy Award, and their music was included on the Grammy-nominated anthology, Singing Through the Hard Times.

Rhonda’s Civil War-era novel, Swing Low, Sweet Harriet, was a Crystal Kite Award finalist. Her more recent books, Make a Change and Welcome to Bombingham, take place during the civil rights movement, one of her favorite time periods because of its powerful soundtrack of spirited songs.

After meeting and marrying James “Sparky” Rucker, Rhonda left medicine to effect change with music. She is a multi-instrumentalist, playing blues-style harmonica, banjo, piano, guitar, and rhythmic bones. While much of the duo’s repertoire is traditional American folk, Rhonda also writes originals with powerful melodies rooted in the folk and gospel genres, and these songs often address difficult topics like climate change.

Rhonda’s performance credits include the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C., the Smithsonian Folklife Festival, and the Vancouver Folk Festival as well as NPR's On Point, Morning Edition, and All Things Considered.

Sparky and Rhonda have been featured tellers at the International Storytelling Center and Festival. Together, they have received many accolades, including the Underground Railroad Free Press Award, the Spirit of Freedom Commemorative Medal of Honor (African American Civil War Memorial), the MLK Art Award from the Dr. Martin Luther King Commemorative Commission, the Howard “Louie Bluie” Armstrong Legacy Award, and the Robert H. Chambers Award for Excellence in the Traditional Arts.

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