James “Sparky” Rucker is a singer, storyteller, historian, and author, whose distinguished voice has left an indelible mark on the traditions of American music and storytelling. Internationally recognized for his prolific career, he has released sixteen albums, including a variety of old-time blues, spirituals, work songs, ballads, civil rights music, and originals. For half a century, Rucker has been preserving and sharing African American and Appalachian folk culture with an unwavering commitment to education, social justice, and community.
A native of Knoxville, Rucker is descended from a long line of preachers from the Church of God, Sanctified. His parents instilled in him a love of singing as a child, and he began playing guitar at age eleven. The doo-wop, soul, and rock bands he joined as a youth directly influenced his raucous guitar and singing style. He was mentored by blues legends Rev. Pearly Brown, Buddy Moss, and Johnny Shines, who famously traveled with Robert Johnson. Imbued with this lineage of musical richness, Rucker brings to life ballads, blues, and spirituals with a spirited cadence that captivates audiences and conveys the enduring relevance of traditional narratives.
After graduating from the University of Tennessee, Rucker taught school in Chattanooga before pursuing music full time. Rucker performs with his wife, Rhonda Rucker, and they now reach thousands of children each year as they travel across the country and give educational performances in schools and colleges. Rucker’s artistry blends performance with pedagogy, while solidly placing him in the blues ballad tradition. His unique variants of “John Henry” and “Jesse James” were used in the 1994 National Geographic Society’s film, Storytelling in North America. His renditions of ballads such as “Stagger Lee,” and “Follow the Drinking Gourd” are not only musically compelling but steeped in historical context. His storytelling goes beyond entertainment—it is a vehicle for truth-telling, especially about race, labor, and civil rights. In every performance, Rucker affirms the cultural legacy of Black Appalachians.
A veteran of the civil rights and folk revival movements, Rucker’s advocacy has always been wedded to his music. He participated in workshops at the Highlander Center alongside Rosa Parks and Bernice Reagan and sang freedom songs at marches alongside other folksingers such as Guy Carawan and Pete Seeger. During Rucker’s career, he has served on the boards of Sing Out! magazine and the Southern Folk Cultural Revival Project (SFCRP). He toured throughout the South with the SFCRP for several years with such luminaries as, Ola Belle Reed, Dock Boggs, Alice Gerrard, Mike Seeger, and Bessie Jones & the Georgia Sea Island Singers.
Rucker has performed at prestigious venues across the nation such as the Kennedy Center, and the Smithsonian Folklife Festival, but equally treasures his regular visits to rural schools, libraries, and local festivals across Tennessee. As a keynote speaker and performer, Rucker has appeared on NPR’s Prairie Home Companion, Mountain Stage, and Morning Edition. In addition to his musical recordings, he has authored essays and stories featured in anthologies like Encyclopedia of Appalachia, More Ready-To-Tell Tales, and multiple storytelling guides. He has taught at folk music camps, where his expert bottleneck blues guitar style and powerful storytelling continue to inspire students of all ages.
Rucker’s work has been recognized with major accolades. Recently, he received UT Knoxville’s Alumni Professional Achievement Award, and in 2022 was honored with the Black Appalachian Storytellers Fellowship from South Arts. Throughout his life, Rucker has been not only a preserver of folk traditions, but a living embodiment of them. Whether mentoring young performers, championing Black Appalachian history, or offering songs of hope in challenging times, Rucker has consistently elevated the traditional arts as tools for understanding, healing, and connection. A Tennessee treasure, his voice carries the power of generations. As one journalist wrote, “echoes of Woody Guthrie, Robert Johnson, Leadbelly, Mississippi John Hurt, and many others can be heard in Rucker’s music. Yet he copies none of them. His style is his own.”
