Bob Bovee & Gail Heil

Bob Bovee and Gail Heil have been performing old time music together for over twenty years. Gail learned much of her music from fiddlers in Missouri where she grew up and singers from the Ozarks. Bob, a native of Nebraska, came from a family that played and sang old time songs, especially songs of the working cowboy. Much of their repertoire comes from family and friends, but they have borrowed much from the 78 rpm recordings of the 1920s and 30s.

Accompanying themselves on fiddle, guitar, harmonica, banjo and autoharp, a show with Bob and Gail might include southern and Midwestern dance tunes, sentimental duets, humorous ditties, yodels, blues and rags, unaccompanied ballads, and more. Though they put their own stamp on the material, these two are ever-mindful of the tradition and respectful of the songs and sources.

Performing for all ages from the smallest children to senior citizens, Bovee and Heil can tailor a show to fit the audience or bring you a real old time dance with Gail providing the teaching and calling. Their programs are filled with humorous stories and anecdotes, history and folklore, and they have been called a "treasury of toe-tapping Americana." Thematic programs are also a specialty.

Bob and Gail have recorded numerous albums on Marimac, Train on the Island and Copper Creek Records, as well as being included on collections on Rounder, Smithsonian-Folkways, Flying Fish, and MBOTMA.