Ginny Hawker and Tracy Schwarz's strong soul-stirring singing, honed through 16 years of making music together, makes you feel their devotion to the place from which their music springs. As they wrap their songs in stories of the people and the places of the music, audiences are transported to another time when life was more real and families were held close. Their harmonies are hair-raising and representative of the finest American traditional music.

Home for Ginny and Tracy is the small village of Tanner, W. Va., in the heart of Appalachia. Ginny grew up in a large extended family of singers and musicians, and her father, Ben Hawker, was her mentor growing up. Together, they taught the beautiful old singing of his Primitive Baptist Church for 10 years at the Augusta Heritage Workshops in Elkins, W. Va. He went with her to the Smithsonian, the Chicago Folk Festival and the Vancouver Folk Festival. Ben also introduced her to early bluegrass harmony through the oral tradition.

Ginny and Tracy will be joined onstage at Bear on the Square by Kari Sickenberger, a member of PolecatCreek, a North Carolina-based old-time and bluegrass group. Kari and her Polecat Creek singing and songwriting partner, Laurelyn Dossett, sang with Garrison Keillor on a recent show in Greensboro, N. C., and they have played at Merlefest, Birminghanm’s City Stages, First Night Raleigh, FloydFest, and Shakori Hills. Kari has a released CD, “Settle Down”, which contains all originals written by her and combines two of her favorite genres, old-time Appalachian and honky tonk. Kari also sang harmony on some of Ginny and Tracy’s CDs.

Hear a bit of Katie Dear