Islanders will have a chance to hear two well-known musicians combine forces for the first time at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 11, when Rick Ruskin and Kat Eggleston take the stage together at Havurat Ee Shalom on Westside Highway.

The concert is the brainchild of local promoter and guitar enthusiast Jessa Zimmerman.

“Kat and Rick have known each other for years but have never played together. This may be the only chance to hear such an intriguing combination of talent,” Zimmerman explained.

Eggleston is a local singer and songwriter who boasts four solo CDs and an album with Irish supergroup Bohola.

“Kat is an astounding performer who works magic with her audiences,” said Zimmerman.

Rick Ruskin started playing guitar in 1962 and in just one year became a respected professional musician in his native Detroit, Mich. In 1964, while still in junior high school, he was chosen to open the bill for the Reverend Gary Davis at Detroit’s legendary Retort Coffee House. This engagement resulted in a fast and permanent friendship with the master blues, ragtime and gospel guitarist.

Rev. Davis was so taken by the young Ruskin’s skill and eagerness that he invited Ruskin to spend that summer with him at his Long Island home. By the end of the summer, Davis stopped teaching Ruskin new material and told him, “It’s time you started paying attention to your own music.”

Ruskin has been doing so ever since. He has toured with Tanya Tucker, Jackie De Shannon and Olivia Newton-John, as well as released numerous solo albums.

Advance tickets for the Eggleston/Ruskin show are available for $12 at the Vashon Bookshop. Tickets at the door, if any are left, will be $15.