Songbag Concert Series

Small Potatoes will bring a delightful variety of music traditions to the Carl Sandburg Songbag Concert Series with a performance on Sunday, April 8, from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the Carl Sandburg State Historic Site in Galesburg.

More than 25 years ago, Jacquie Manning and Rich Prezioso, the Chicago-area duo known as Small Potatoes, decided to hit the road. “In one year, we quit our jobs, bought a car, and became full-time folk singers,” Manning and Prezioso said.

Now more than 1.5 million miles, 3,500 shows, and six Dodge Caravans later, they are listed as a “favorite act” by many coffeehouses, clubs and house concerts across the U.S. They have made repeat appearances at major folk festivals. From the start, they’ve called themselves eclecto-maniacs and described their music as “Celtic to Cowboy.” They say it has taken them “years of careful indecision” to come up with a mix of music that ranges from country, blues, and swing to Irish. Their website is http://smallpotatoesmusic.com.

The Small Potatoes performance will be in the Sandburg Site’s Barn at 313 E. Third Street in Galesburg. The show starts at 4 p.m. and ends at 6 p.m. with a break for refreshments around 5 p.m. A donation of $5 per person is suggested. The concert is sponsored by the Carl Sandburg Historic Site Association and the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR).

The final Spring Songbag concert of the season will be May 13, and will feature John Heasly and Jerry Schroeder.

Carl Sandburg was a collector and performer of America’s folk songs. The series is named in honor of Sandburg’s book “The American Songbag,” published in 1927. The Carl Sandburg State Historic Site includes the home where the famed poet and biographer was born. For more information, visit www.sandburg.org.