Rhythm and Roots Concert Series, Live Americana Music in Downtown TucsonRhythm and Roots Concert Series, Live Americana Music in Downtown Tucson
Peter Dalton Ronstadt, a fifth generation Ronstadt in Tucson, son of late Michael J Ronstadt, nephew of Linda Ronstadt, and great grandson of Federico Jose Maria Ronstadt, aims to explore the musical heritage of his family while presenting new and original material.
Along with his band, ‘The Company’, Petie paints a musical picture of the American Southwest by presenting music from the region, music from Mexico, collected favorites, songs of his father, and new songs that draw inspiration from all the elements of his upbringing. With a lush tapestry of instruments along with unique arrangements, enjoy a moment in time while P.D. Ronstadt & The Company take you on a musical journey that will lift spirits and stir memories.
Sparky and Rhonda Rucker deliver an uplifting presentation of toe-tapping songs spiced with humor, history, and tall tales. Their music includes a variety of old-time blues, Appalachian music, slave songs, and spirituals as well as originals, and they accompany themselves with fingerstyle picking and bottleneck blues guitar, blues harmonica, old-time banjo, piano, spoons, and bones. Rhonda is also a children’s author, and her new picture book, Make a Change (Pelican, 2017), tells the story of a boy’s surprise at his first civil rights demonstration.
Over forty years of performing, 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 duo’s most recent recording is Down by the Riverside.