This month sees the coming together of two folk generations at Alexander’s in Chester.

Despite being separated by a generation and the Atlantic Ocean, Kevin Dempsey, (guitarist, singer, songwriter and producer) and fiddler and singer Rosie Carson share a great passion for traditional music from both cultures.

This unlikely duo isn’t really a coincidence at all. Kevin and Rosie’s dad Steve (who has brought British folk, folk rock, and Celtic music to Cincinnati for three decades) have been friends since the early eighties, having met in England during the formation of folk super-group Whippersnapper.

Having performed in Cincinnati many times, he has known Rosie (now 18) since her early childhood and followed her progress on fiddle and, more recently, as a singer.

Kevin is an icon of British folk music and has played in some memorable line-ups with Dave Swarbrick, Chris Leslie, Joe Broughton, Peter Knight, Dando Shaft, Uiscedwr and Mary Black.

He is renowned for delivering fresh and vibrant arrangements of traditional and contemporary tunes and his vocals bring both meaning and feeling to the lyrics.

As a producer, his resume includes Straws In the Wind, the CD by folk legends Martin Carthy and Swarbrick.

Rosie enrolled at the Riley School of Irish Music in Cincinnati at age eight and went on to study fiddle with Seamus Connelly, Liz Carroll, Liz Kane, and Oisin Mac Diarmada.

She has won national competitions for both fiddle and voice, which took her to Ireland for world competitions and led to further studies in singing with Muireann Nic Amhlaoibh.

Recently, Rosie has been performing and recording with Cincinnati band The Graveblankets and will be releasing a new CD with them.

In September, Rosie also performed in New York City with singer Teddy Thompson (son of legendary guitarist Richard Thompson).

Rosie and Kevin have played on various tours in Europe where they also headlined their own shows. They played two shows in Austria before recording their second album Between the Distance in the UK and USA in 2011.

In the USA Rosie has accompanied and sung with many legendary UK folk names on stage such as Richard and Teddy Thompson.

Kevin and Rosie are performing at Alexander’s in Chester on Thursday, January 22. Tickets are £10 and are available from www.alexanderslive.com or by calling 01244 340005.