Sparky and Rhonda Rucker

Described as “delightful,” “a joy to see and hear” and “an absolute must to see” by concert attendees and fellow musicians, husband-and-wife folk duo Sparky and Rhonda Rucker have been invited by the Ten Pound Fiddle to perform 7:30 p.m. Friday (March 28) at East Lansing's University Lutheran Church.

With 10 albums as a duo, Sparky and Rhonda have been combining music and activism for more than 30 years. Sparky played freedom songs during the civil rights movement, and Rhonda has published three books — two of which take place during the civil rights movement and one of which takes place during the Civil War — in addition to releasing her own music.

Attendees can look forward to humorous and historic tales mixed with blues, bluegrass and ballads. Both Sparky and Rhonda play a variety of instruments and are known to mix it up across songs — expect guitar and harmonica but also spoons and bones.

The two have performed on NPR’s “All Things Considered,” “Mountain Stage” and “Morning Edition” programs as well as at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival and the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.

Tickets for Friday’s show are $20 for the public, $18 for Ten Pound Fiddle members and $5 for students. They can be purchased online at tenpoundfiddle.org or at the box office beginning at 6:30 p.m. the evening of the show.