Bill Hinckley and Judy Larson 1015 20th Avenue Northeast Minneapolis MN 55418 (612) 788-4425 (612) 870-3500 Work Samples Audio: Negotiable Froggie Went a Courtin' Billy in the Lowground To hear the work samples, Windows Media Player is required. If you do not have it installed, you can download it for free here: Download Windows Media Player

Bill Hinkley and Judy Larson Folk music We play a wide variety of folk songs and tunes from several different ethnic backgrounds. We sing and play guitar, fiddle, and mandolin. Our playing and singing is entertainment for family, school, church, and community groups. We've played extensively for weddings, folk festivals, business grand openings, and other celebrations. We were regular performers on Minnesota Public Radio's "A Prairie Home Companion" at the show's outset. Recently (1999) Bill Hinkley was inducted into the Minnesota Music Hall of Fame in New Ulm, Minnesota. In November 2000, Bill Hinkley and Judy Larson received a lifetime achievement award from the Minnesota Bluegrass and Oldtime Music Association. Available: We are available for performances seven days a week between the hours of 10 a.m. and 10 p.m. We would prefer to limit mileage to 200 miles. Space: We would like a stage or floor space at least 10 ft. wide and 6 ft. deep, with armless chairs and four microphones on four boom stands. We have a small public address system to use if needed. Fee: Negotiable

Additional Information:
Bill and Judy heard music in their families as they grew up. Judy's family enjoyed getting together, and singing was something they did for fun on those occasions. Judy had piano lessons beginning at the age of five, took up the ukelele at age eight or nine, and later the mandolin and guitar. On Bill's side, his father had a background as a small-town band clarinetist, and both parents loved to sing.

Their musical backgrounds influenced Bill and Judy to become musical performers, and coming of age in the 1960's influenced their repertoire. By this era, music representing many traditions had been recorded, and was easily available on commercial recordings. Bill and Judy were among those who attempted to recreate the music of diverse traditions, and present it to the public.

Bill moved from his native Saint Louis in 1969. In 1970, he joined a Twin Cities jug band called the Sorry Muthas. It was in this band experience that he met Judy, and after the breakup of the Muthas, Bill and Judy became synonymous with performing music taken from a variety of American traditions. To them, it is extremely natural to perform old blues, Scandinavian and Irish tunes, as well as old-time string band tunes, and a jug band tune every now and then. They still play annually with members of the Sorry Muthas, as they compete in the annual battle of the jug bands held on the west bank neighborhood of Minneapolis. The Bill and Judy duet seem to fulfill the niche of songster, a type of musician able to gauge the taste of an audience, and perform music appropriate to any social occasion. Bill compares their work with that of Martin, Bogan and Armstrong, John Jackson, and Mance Lipscomb.

Over the years, Bill and Judy have garnered significant musical notice. They have been regularly featured on public radio's A Prairie Home Companion. In 1999, the Minnesota Music Hall of Fame honored Bill for his contribution to folk music, and in 2000, Bill and Judy were given a lifetime achievement award by the Minnesota Bluegrass and Old Time Music Association. Countless times, Bill has participated as a player, judge and master of ceremonies at Minnesota Fiddlers Association contests.

One hesitates to use words such as "old masters" to describe the work of Bill and Judy, because the words seem to imply that the bulk of their work is done. However, it is true that they are now considered senior masters of what they do, even though they are still learning and refining their presentations. They continue to develop their music, and this gives their presentations a depth that their colleagues and contemporaries recognize. Moreover, Bill and Judy communicate their life experiences to their audiences in a way that engenders shared identity and community membership. It is to this combination that one of Bill's violin students alluded when she stated that Bill and Judy's contribution is deep and binding.