Rock River is one of the main tributaries to the Mississippi River, winding 155 miles through northwestern Illinois. The Rocking Rock River has a history in music about its culture and folklore depicted by musicians Sufjan Stevens and Art Thieme. Who were both legends and used their songs to tell stories about life as it was, describing the legends, history and traditions of the area. Take a ride along the rivers and share the muse of Rock River’s Music. Sufjan Stevens

An American singer-songwriter and musician was born in Detroit, Michigan, releasing his first recording on Asthmatic Kitty, which was a label co-founded with his stepfather in in 1999 release title, A Sun Came.

Stevens’ second album was titled Illinois and became his best known work when it hit number one on the Billboard Top Heatseeker’s chart. The album was a rendering about the cities of Chicago, Decatur and Jacksonville. His song talks “To the Workers of the Rock River Valley Region, I Have an Idea Concerning Your Predicament.

Stevens’ music varied from electronica, lo-fi folk to the symphonic instrumentations. He’s themes contain spiritual elements drawing from the bible for many of his inspirations. He is considered to be part of the pop folk revival with influences across the board in music classifications.

Art Thieme

Art Thieme was an American folk musician, who was born in Chicago Illinois. He sang and told tales about the steamboat Julia Belle Swain, which is still operating out of La Crosse, Wisconsin. And the diesel boat Twilight. Boats like the Twilight were nicked named as floating palaces in novels by Mark Twain. Today there are replicas and restorations with modern conveniences still running the Mississippi and Illinois Rivers.

Thiemes managed the Old Town Folk Art Shop during the mid-1960 and sang at the No Exit Coffeehouse in Chicago for 37 years. His instruments of choice were the guitar, banjo and the saw.

Thieme’s discography:

Outright Bold-Faced Lies, 1977 Kicking Mule Records
Songs Of The Heartland, 1980 Kicking Mule Records
That’s The Ticket, 1983 Folk-Legacy Records
On the Wilderness Road, 1986 Folk-Legacy Records
On The River, 1988 Folk-Legacy Records
The Older I Get, The Better I Was, 1998 Waterbug Records
Art Thieme LIVE: Chicago Town & Points West, 2006 Folk-Legacy Records