OXFORD – 6 On The Square in Oxford will open its fall 2021 season with a concert from folk stalwarts Robin and Linda Williams at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Aug. 20.

The Williamses’ frequent appearances on the public radio show "A Prairie Home Companion" gave them a wider audience, but they have been performing together for more than four decades.

Their wryly observant lyrics and music embrace the wide palette of Americana, which includes bluegrass, folk, old-time and acoustic country.

Their live performances have earned many fans over the years, and their songs have been covered by like Emmylou Harris, Tom T. Hall, George Hamilton IV, Tim and Mollie O'Brien, Mary Black, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Kathy Mattea and The Seldom Scene.

Linda is a native of Anniston, Ala., and Robin (the son of a Presbyterian minister) was born in Charlotte, N.C. They met and fell for each other in 1971 on a visit to Myrtle Beach, S.C., while Linda was teaching school and Robin was a full-time musician on a national coffeehouse circuit.

Over the years, they have released two dozen acclaimed albums. They also have performed on "The Grand Ole Opry," "Austin City Limits," "Music City Tonight," “WoodSongs” and "Mountain Stage." In 2005, they were included in Robert Altman's final film, "A Prairie Home Companion," which offered a fictional representation of behind-the-scenes activities at the long-running radio show. A collection of their best live performances from the show was released in 2007 as, appropriately, "Radio Songs."

Last month, the Williamses released their 24th album, "A Better Day A-Coming," which includes eight original songs, three by other songwriters and two from the public domain done in their unique style. It was recorded in their living room during three sessions in 2019 and 2020.

“A Better Day A-Coming” marks the culmination of several transitions, both personal and professional, since their last release in 2013. Adjusting to life after 60, they left the farmhouse and 8 acres where they lived in for 42 years and transitioned to city life 12 miles away. They also dropped their road band (dubbed Their Fine Group) and returned to their roots as a duo.

For more information, go online to robinandlinda.com.

Tickets for the Aug. 20 show are $30; purchase online (with added $2 service fee) at 6onthesquare.org, or call 607-843-OTS6 (6876) to make a reservation. Doors open one hour before the start of the performance. Audience members will be required to wear masks.

The performance also will be streamed live online on a pay-what-you-can basis. Please purchase more than two hours before the show, or you will not get your viewing link in time. More information at 6onthesquare.org.

This concert is made possible in part with public funds from the Statewide Community Regrants Program of the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo and the New York State Legislature, and administered by The Earlville Opera House. The performance is also sponsored by Wells Fargo Advisors.

6 On The Square, Inc. is an intimate, not-for-profit, volunteer-based acoustic music listening room and arts venue located at 6 Lafayette Park in downtown Oxford.

– From 6 On The Square