The Creek Rocks

In the late 90’s/early 00’s, a new Folk Revival was emerging. O, Brother Where Art Thou brought old bluegrass and gospel into the mainstream for a brief moment when alternative, grunge, and boy bands reigned supreme. Alison Krauss and Ricky Skaggs were reemerging as accepted bluegrass artists in Country Music and acoustic music became more acceptable than merely “Unplugged” in Pop and Rock. Bands such as Yonder Mountain String Band and Old Crow Medicine Show began to emerge as newer, edgier bluegrass and old-time attracting a newer, younger audience and upsetting the old folks. Smack dab in the middle of the US, in Springfield, MO, Big Smith shook the Ozarks with their traditional folk music framed as hard-stomping hillbilly-rock.

Around the same time down in Batesville, AR, Cindy Woolf began her solo career as a singer-songwriter melting hearts with her charming voice and also Ozark steeped original songs. When Cindy moved to Springfield and met Mark Bilyeu from Big Smith, the Creek Rocks were inevitable. Mark produced Cindy’s second and third albums, they fell in love and have since carved out a space all their own in Ozark folk music history.