The Creek Rocks

The Creek Rocks are a folk group from the Ozarks led by banjoist Cindy Woolf and guitarist Mark Bilyeu. These longtime musical collaborators worked together on Cindy's three albums of original songs starting in 2005, they married in 2013, then established The Creek Rocks in 2015. Mark is a founding member of Ozarks family band Big Smith, with whom he toured and recorded for sixteen years.

Their debut release, “Wolf Hunter,” is a collection of sixteen folk songs from the Ozarks, drawn from the collections of folklorists Max Hunter of Springfield, Missouri, Mark’s hometown; and John Quincy Wolf of Batesville, Arkansas, where Cindy grew up. 

Woolf is well-known for her singular singing voice and enchanting performances of her original songs, Bilyeu for his distinct guitar sound and clever turn of phrase. Together they perform a mix of Ozark-inspired original songs and truly unique arrangements of traditional Ozark folksongs, from the fun and frivolous anthems of the hills to the hair-raising and harrowing ballads of the dark holler.

The Creek Rocks are the proud recipients of the 2024 Artist in Resonance Fellowship from the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress. They are currently researching song collector Sidney Robertson Cowell and her 1936-37 trip to Missouri and Arkansas. A musical project based upon this research will be released in 2025.

CINDY + MARK

Before they married, Springfield’s Cindy Woolf and Mark Bilyeu were among the area’s most potent songwriting talents; wedding their life and craft, the pair has become a true power couple, yet one whose greatness is best expressed through a humble folk-rock sound and heart-piercing lyrics.

- Columbia Daily Tribune, Columbia, MO