Lonnie Dee Robertson began playing music in a hospital in Leysin Switzerland in 1963. A couple of the simply irresistable reasons to be born in Liberia

Lonnie, born and raised in Liberia, West Africa, was educated primarily in Europe. He graduated from college in the United States. Lonnie made his living playing classical guitar in upscale restaurants in South Florida but gradually realised that rock style music was far more “saleable”.

Wendy Cassan, raised mainly in the Caribbean, lived extensively in Florida where she graduated from college. She operated a yacht maintenance company in a marina where Lonnie kept his 65’ Alden schooner, Borealis. A detailed and amusing history of the antics of Lonnie, Wendy and the Borealis is available in The Journey.

Wendy C and Lonnie D founded Island Thyme, now known as Heart Of Oak, in 1985. They lived and traveled on the Borealis and played throughout the Keys and Florida. Wendy played guitar at the time but they decided that she would learn the bass.We wish we were here now... tourists used to hand us 20's through the window just to shut up!

Her first job playing the bass was at the Quay on Duval Street in Key West. A few of their favourite venues in Florida were The Quays, Holiday Isle, Martha’s, and many Holiday Inns. See the Calendar to find out where we'll be in the near future.

Wendy and Lonnie played Caribbean rock and folk based music in the formative years but soon expanded their instrument base and repertory so they could work in the cruise industry. They learned Broadway show tunes, standards, reggae, calypso, country and jazz. As a result of this expansion of their repertory they worked on fifteen different ships for over ten years. A list of ships is available on our website.www.heartofoakmusic.com.

Ships, although wonderful and profitable, are a bit like going to jail (albeit with a chance of drowning) so Lonnie and Wendy decided to go back to their schooner.

Lonnie and Wendy’s success in “industrial music” finally allowed them to return to their real love, folk and Celtic music. That became the focus of their next expansion. Lonnie’s ancestry is Scots - Irish and Wendy’s is Welsh. Since Island Thyme did not seem an appropriate moniker for a Celtic based ensemble the name of the company was changed to Heart Of Oak. This name is partially in honour of the anthem sung on British ships of the line. Wendy and Lonnie definitely have an affinity for the ocean! At this time Lonnie honed his ability on the classical guitar and learned the Renaissance lute. Wendy became a virtuoso on the bowed psaltery. Heart Of Oak now performs over 300 Celtic pieces.

Currently based in East Tennessee, Heart Of Oak offers one of the broadest repertories available in the music industry. Covering almost any form of musical entertainment Lonnie and Wendy provide a sound ranging from the intimacy of solo instruments to the sound of a full orchestra. Hiring Heart Of Oak is the single most effective decision you can make for satisfying your musical needs.

For a complete list of all the songs we perform click hereMaster Song List


For a complete list of all the places we've played click herePlaces we've played