Joan Wilson Rueter

Joan Wilson Rueter's diverse, far-ranging musical influences have led her down many creative paths as an artist. From childhood piano lessons, to playing bass in her high school jazz band, and teen years spent playing drums in punk rock bands, Joan has never been one to limit herself to just one musical pursuit. As a teen, she headed out west from Michigan to California, and soon took up playing the fiddle and accordion. Her first foray into country music led to a appearance at San Francisco's Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival and a European tour with The Whoreshoes, a band she helped found. An interest in folk music drove her to co-create the bands The Barbary Ghosts and Whiskey & Women, with whom she spent years touring the West Coast, Canada, and Europe, playing numerous international folk and maritime festivals. Currently she divides her time between side-man fiddle duties, leading folk-inspired duo Penny Opry, and writing and recording her own original music.