The Rooster's Wife brings national touring singer songwriter Jonathan Byrd back to Aberdeen Sunday, Jan. 17, for an evening of acoustic music.

The music starts at 7 p.m. with the doors opening at 6 p.m. for this evening of soup and a song. The admission of $12 includes music, soup from the Aberdeen Cafe; and fresh bread from the Bakehouse.

Poplar Knight Spot is located one block east of U.S. 1 on Knight Street in downtown Aberdeen

Folk legend Tom Paxton discovered Jonathan Byrd's music and sent him a quick e-mail, saying, "What a treat to hear someone so deeply rooted in tradition, yet growing in his own beautiful way."

For his third album, Byrd approached his friends, the critically acclaimed world-music duo Dromedary, often featured on National Public Radio's All Things Considered.

"The Sea and The Sky" is the result, a vast, poetic suite of music that weds world sounds to deeply rooted folk balladry.

A native of Chapel Hill, Byrd grew up singing in the Southern Baptist church, where his father preached and his mother played piano. After four years in the Navy, he returned to Chapel Hill to play in rock bands in that legendary underground music scene.

A friend of Byrd's invited him to an old-time fiddle festival in the mountains of southwest Virginia, where his writing began to change. Assimilating the sounds of Southern traditional music, Byrd wrote new songs in an ancient style.

One of those first songs was "Velma," a murder ballad based on the true story of Velma Barfield, the last woman to be executed in North Carolina (in 1984) and the murderer of Byrd's own grandfather. (This was the track that prompted Tom Paxton to respond so eloquently to Byrd's music.)

As Byrd grows into a contemporary artist of increasing influence, his traditional roots are always evident in his simple, poetic storytelling and classic flatpick guitar style.

The latest release," the Law and the Lonesome," combines excellent poetry with the best in outlaw country tunes.

The Rooster's Wife is a private nonprofit association organized to celebrate the performing arts in Aberdeen. Various levels of sponsorship are available.

Visit www.theroosterswife.org or call (910) 944-7502 for more information.