Tim Sparks and Phil Heywood

Two National Fingerpicking Champs team up to play acoustic guitar music
that is both rootsy and far-flung, and the result is greater than the sum
of its parts.

Tim Sparks has been redefining the acoustic guitar repertoire since
he won the National Fingerpicking Championship in 1993, with a ground breaking
arrangement of Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker Suite.

Sparks continues to
surprise, challenge, and thrill audiences with his diverse repertoire and
stunning technique. Equally at home with Country Blues, Jazz or World Music,
Sparks' extraordinary ability has earned him an international reputation as one
of the most innovative guitarists working today.

Phil Heywood has been based in the
Twin Cities since the mid-eighties, performing locally and regionally while also
establishing himself in the greater guitar and acoustic music world. He is the
1986 National Fingerpicking Champion, and the winner of the 1987 American
Fingerstyle Guitar Festival Competition.  

He has toured with world-renowned
guitarist Leo Kottke, played with Chet Atkins on NPR's A Prairie Home
Companion, and shared the stage with such acoustic guitar luminaries as
Norman Blake, John Renbourn, Peter Lang, Pat Donohue, Chris Smither and John
Hammond. His lucid, groove-oriented playing and warm vocals can be heard on
five CDs.