PUHI — For the last four decades, Robin and Linda Williams have traveled around the country sharing their personal blend of bluegrass, folk, old-time and acoustic country. So far, the Virginia-based duo has left their musical mark on 49 U.S.
PUHI — For the last four decades, Robin and Linda Williams have traveled around the country sharing their personal blend of bluegrass, folk, old-time and acoustic country.
So far, the Virginia-based duo has left their musical mark on 49 U.S. states. That will all change March 27 when they arrive in the 50th state for a four-night run of shows, including one here on Kaua‘i.
“(Hawai‘i) will be the last,” Robin said over the phone March 17 from the couple’s home near the Blue Ridge Mountains in Virginia. “(We’ve) crossed all others.”
Still fresh off the release of their latest album, “These Old Dark Hills,” the husband and wife, singer-songwriter duo performs at 7:30 p.m. Thursday at Kaua‘i Community College Performing Arts Center.
“We’ve never been (to Hawai‘i) in any way, to perform or otherwise,” Linda said. “We’re looking forward to some sunshine and lush vegetation.”
Linda, a native of Anniston, Ala., and Robin, born in Charlotte, N.C., first met in 1971 on a visit to Myrtle Beach, S.C., according to the couple’s website. In 1975, they recorded their first album in Minneapolis and made their first appearance on a the radio show “A Prairie Home Companion,” which at the time was just getting off the ground.
Since then, the couple has never looked back, recording more than 20 albums and performing alongside some of the genre’s top artists, including Emmylou Harris, Sam Bush and Tim O’Brien.
Robin said the best way to describe the couple’s style is “acoustic Americana.”
“We’re songwriters … The instrumentation we do is reminiscent of old commercial country music,” he said. “We’re always adding to it, which is the great thing about this music.”
While the couple says some of their best musical memories have “happened away from the stage,” they also continue to enjoy the big stage, having appeared on major programs as “The Grand Old Opry,” “Austin City Limits” and “Music City Tonight.”
On Thursday, they bring the acoustic county they love to the big stage in Puhi.
After 40 years, the couple said they still enjoy being on the road and have learned to balance work and personal time.
“If we get out there and get burnt out then the music’s not fun,” Robin said. “The music is the reason for us doing it. We have to feel good about the music that we’re playing.”
Unlike in the past, Linda said she and her husband don’t maintain such a rigorous tour schedule.
“We’ve lessened sort of the intensity of the travel,” she said. “Sort of take it as it comes … stay out for shorter periods of time.”
Despite Hawai‘i’s distance from their Virginia home, the couple said they jumped at the invitation to cross the islands off their list.
“I’ve only seen pictures,” Linda said, adding that she is looking forward to her first visual of Hawai‘i’s green mountains.
“We’re going to arrive there with our antennas up, our senses aware, try to pull in as much as we can while we are there,” Robin added. “We’re excited about coming out there for the first time. We hope it isn’t the last time.”
The Washington Post wrote that Linda and Robin as “able to sum up a life in a few details with moving completeness.” And David W. Johnson of The Boston Globe said, “Among contemporary country performers, Robin and Linda Williams shine like a diamond amid rhinestones.”
Presented by Lazar Bear Productions and SHAKA, the performance begins at 7:30 p.m., with doors open at 7 p.m. An autographed guitar auction during the event will benefit The Kaua‘i Visitor Industry Charity Walk.
Tickets cost $30, $45 for Gold Circle and can be purchased in advance from www.lazarbear.com, Hanalei Strings and Things (Hanalei), The Healthy Hut (Kilauea), Kaua‘i Music and Sound (Kapa‘a), Papayas Natural Foods (Kapa‘a), Progressive Expressions (Koloa) and Scotty’s Music (Kalaheo).
For more information visit www.robinandlinda.com or www.lazarbear.com.
