Sarah Lee Guthrie & Johnny Irion

Sarah Lee Guthrie and Johnny Irion formed a husband-and-wife folk-pop duo after crossing paths in Los Angeles, introduced by their shared acquaintance Chris Robinson of the Black Crowes, each already maintaining individual careers in music alongside deep roots in artistic lineages. Guthrie, daughter of Arlo Guthrie and granddaughter of Woody Guthrie, stood alongside Irion, who grew up in a musical household and counted writer Thomas Steinbeck—son of novelist John Steinbeck—as an uncle. The couple wed in 1999 and launched their collaborative performances two years afterward in 2000, quickly earning festival acclaim through an appealing fusion of classic folk traditions, introspective originals, firm vocal harmonies, and engaging narrative skill. Four years on, they issued the Entirely Live! EP in 2004, then the album Exploration in 2005, the combined DVD and CD package Folksong in 2009, and Bright Examples in 2011.