Cathy Fink was born in Maryland, but began her musical career in Canada in the early 1970s, busking and playing folk music in coffeehouses. A singer, guitarist, banjo player and yodeler, she made her recording debut in 1975 with Duck Donald, with whom she toured for five years and recorded three albums.
Marcy Marxer grew up in Swartz Creek, Michigan and learned to play guitar, mandolin, hammered dulcimer and button accordion while still in high school. She went to work for General Motors but continued to play at every opportunity. In 1978, after receiving theater training at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts and the Ringling Brothers Clown College, she devoted herself to music full-time.
Cathy Fink and Marcy Marxer are a musical duo who perform folk, bluegrass and children’s music. They are white musicians, music educators, activists, and a married couple of 35 years. The singing duo are pioneering women in bluegrass music, as well as prominent figures in counry, folk, and children's music. They have received 14 Grammy Nominations and 2 Grammy Awards, and have performed with Pete Seeger, Theodore Bikel, Tom Paxton, Patsy Montana, and Riders in the Sky.
The two met in 1980, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, at the Mariposa Folk Festival. By 1983 they had begun writing songs together and appearing on each other's albums. Soon after, they began performing together, often in children's concerts. In 1989, they released a self-titled album, and the partnership became complete.
