NEWBERRY – Together at last, Janis Ian and Tom Paxton, legendary folk singers/songwriters share their huge talents at the Newberry Opera House on Oct. 21 at 3 p.m.

Ian is counted among the greatest songwriters in America. She burst onto the scene at age 15 with her controversial saga of interracial love, Society’s Child. In the 1970s her song, “Jesse,” became a pop standard after Roberta Flack topped the charts with it. “Stars,” possibly the best song ever written about the life of a performer, recorded by artists as diverse as Mel Torme and Cher; and the worldwide hit “At Seventeen,” a song that brought her five Grammy nominations (the most any solo female artist had ever garnered) in 1975, and which is now reaching its third generation of listeners.

Ian is a formidable talent, a force of nature. Ella Fitzgerald called her. Reviewers have called her live performances “overwhelming to the spirit and soul,” and “drenched with such passion, the audience feels they’ve been swept up in a hurricane.”

Paxton was her mentor when she was 13, and now they are together, at last.

Paxton has been an integral part of the songwriting and folk music community since the early 60s Greenwich Village scene, and continues to be a primary influence on today’s “New Folk” performers. His early success in Greenwich Village coffeehouses, such as The Gaslight and The Bitter End, led to an ever-increasing circle of work. Then in 1965 he made his first tour of the United Kingdom — the beginning of a still-thriving professional relationship that has included at least one tour in each of the succeeding years.

Paxton’s songbook includes such modern standards as “The Last Thing On My Mind,” “Ramblin’ Boy,” “Bottle of Wine,” “Goin’ to the Zoo,” “Whose Garden Was This?” and more. His songs have been recorded by many artists including Willie Nelson, Placido Domingo, Gram Parsons, The Pogues and Simon and Garfunkel.

A night to remember with two powerful songwriters on one stage.

For tickets and information please call the Newberry Opera House at 276-6264 or visit online at www.newberryoperahouse.com.