Cathy Barton & Dave Para: American Traditional Music

Cathy and Dave have been recording lively dance tunes, old ballads, new songs, and much more since 1979. This delightfully entertaining pair has toured far accross the United States and Europe, but their music is grounded in the area around their hometown of Boonville, Missouri, the Ozarks, and the heartland of this country. They play guitar, banjo, dulcimer, autoharp, bones, spoon and mouthbow, and cover such themes as life along the Missouri River, the Civil War, and the Lewis and Clark Expedition. They have truly immersed themselves in learning the history of these songs, and are full of stories about the music and the people keep it alive.

Their friend, collaborator, and fine musician in his own right, Ed Tricket said of them, "Cathy Barton and Dave Para, as much as any folk musicians I know, carry on the sense of importance of folk music, the value of digging for old musical gold, of traveling far and wide to collect old songs and tunes, and of being friends with, rather than exploiters of the old-timers who have provided such wonderful musical foundations for us all."

Dave and Cathy will be bringing with them their brand new album, Sabbath Home, a fine collection of gospel songs, ranging from "Papa was a Preacher" to "Amazing Grace." They were very well received in their last appearance at Caltech, and we look forward to their return. Come hear American traditional music at its best!

Cathy Barton & Dave Para

Presented By:

Caltech Folk Music Society