With five decades of performing experience, Sue Massek has performed as a solo artist and with The Reel World String Band throughout the USA, Canada, Italy, and Central America. She has three albums as a solo artist and seven albums with her band. Sue has worked in schools for over 30 years including residencies as an adjudicated artist for the Kentucky Arts Council’s Teaching Artist Directory and VSA Kentucky. She was Kentucky’s 1st community scholar and is now a Master Artist for the Kentucky Arts Council’s Folk and Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Master/Apprentice grant program. She apprenticed under Kentucky artists including Lily May Ledford, Clyde Davenport and Blanche Coldiron. Sue has worked as a cultural organizer for Kentucky Foundation for Women, Appalachian Women’s Alliance and for the Kentucky Arts Council as a Circuit Rider.

Born in Kansas, Sue has called Kentucky home for nearly 40 years and is devoted to Appalachia and the people who live there.