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.