Cheryl Wheeler and Patty Larkin come to Blairstown

The temptation is strong to call Cheryl Wheeler and Patty Larkin “folk singers.” Both specialize in thoughtful story-songs, and both are primarily known for their acoustic performances.

But both women also attested to drawing inspiration from a much broader spectrum of music. For example, Larkin studied jazz guitar as a student at the respected Berklee School of Music.

Wheeler, for her part, claims that she loved listening to show tunes as much as to such dyed-in-the wool folkies as Joan Baez and Peter, Paul and Mary.

She also speaks reverently of Joni Mitchell (“a goddess”), another artist who mingled folk and jazz to form a personal style of songwriting.

Regardless of labels, Wheeler says that music has been the touchstone for her live. “I got my first guitar when I was 12. There was never any question that I’d be a musician. The only question was whether I’d be able to make a living at it.”

Considering that she is now 63, Wheeler can safely say that she has, in fact, made that living. Besides releasing more than a dozen albums over the past 30 years, she has written songs covered by the likes of Garth Brooks, Kathy Mattea and Bette Midler.

Wheeler can even cite the fact that her song “Lifelines” was covered by Peter, Paul and Mary.

Wheeler and Larkin will share the stage of the Historic Blairstown Theatre this Saturday, Dec. 13.

“I always love working with Patty,” Wheeler says of Larkin. “Her stuff is so unexpected. Plus, she’s a blast to be around.”

Though they hail from different places — Wheeler is a Maryland native and Larkin was born in Iowa — the two musicians eventually gravitated to the New England club scene in the 1970s and early 1980s.

They were part of a generation that grew up exposed to the folk music boom of the 1960s, as well as the pop and rock that ruled radio at the time.

All these influences found their way into the work of Wheeler and Larkin, as well as such fellow travelers as Shawn Colvin, Christine Lavin, and Mary-Chapin Carpenter.

New England also had an impact on Wheeler. “My dad was a camp counselor, and we’d drive up to Vermont from Maryland,” she says. “I remember thinking, ‘I want to live here.’ ”

From the beginning, Wheeler sought to make herself feel comfortable in front of audiences. As a result, she began talking more and more during her concerts, not only about the specific songs but about current events.

“It’s what I do,” she says. “If it’s on my mind, I’ll talk about it. There’s no good reason against gay marriage, so give it up.”

On the other hand, not all her songs are politically or socially charged.

“The last song I wrote was about flying around in an inflatable airplane with my seven dogs,” she says with a laugh. “It takes me a long time to get material.”

AN EVENING WITH CHERYL WHEELER AND PATTY LARKIN

WHAT: Wheeler and Larkin are both singer-songwriters who emerged in the New England folk scene of the 1980s.

WHEN: 8:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 13, doors open at 8 p.m.

WHERE: Historic Blairstown Theatre, 30 Main St., Blairstown

TICKETS: $30

INFORMATION: 908-362-1399 or www.thehbt.com