Marty Wendell has spent six decades playing the music he first heard through an old radio tuned to Sun Records — rockabilly, country, the American roots material that took hold in Memphis and never really let go. He went on to open for Johnny Cash alongside the Carter Family and Carl Perkins, record at Sun Studios in Memphis, and earn two Grammy nominations along the way. On Friday, October 16, 2026, the Rockabilly Hall of Famer brings that catalog to Caffe Lena in Saratoga Springs, sharing the bill with Laura Leigh — a Washington County singer-songwriter who released a new Americana album this past spring and then won the 2026 Eddie for Americana Artist of the Year.
About the Show
This isn’t a standard double bill. Each artist performs a solo set before they join together onstage — so the evening is structured to show you where each one stands alone before revealing what happens when they play together. Caffe Lena describes the format as hearing “where their musical paths differ, where they cross, and what happens when they play together.”
Wendell’s path stretches back to the early 1960s. A Ticonderoga native, he has released 18 albums across nearly six decades, including Rock & Roll Days (2019) — a Grammy-nominated record celebrating the legacy of Sun Records — and Risky Business, which earned him a second Grammy nomination in the Best Americana Album category. The latter was produced in Nashville by Chris Scruggs, grandson of legendary Earl Scruggs. He holds memberships in both the Rockabilly Hall of Fame and the Eddies Hall of Fame.
Leigh’s sound blends old-time country, folk, and rock and roll. Her April 2026 album Late Night Laura Leigh features Tim Carbone’s fiddle and Dave Lawlor’s restrained telecaster work across five tracks that move through character studies at a deliberate pace. The 2026 Eddie win for Americana Artist of the Year caps a year her songwriting had already made the case for.
Venue & Logistics
Caffe Lena is a 110-capacity folk club and listening room at 47 Phila Street in Saratoga Springs, and one of the better small rooms in the Capital Region for this kind of music. Doors open at 6:30 p.m.; the show runs 8:00 to 10:00 p.m. A $5 livestream is also available, with 100% of proceeds going directly to the artists.
Tickets
General admission is $27.11. Caffe Lena members pay $23.86, and a child/student ticket is $13.56. Buy tickets