CARTHAGE — Legendary singer-songwriter David Mallett writes and sings songs that are filled with passion, evocative imagery and a sense of the inevitable passage of time.

The loss of American towns and rural landscapes is the subject of many of his songs, as are the issues of wilderness preservation and the struggle of the common man.

Sunday, June 20, the Dave Mallett Trio will return to Skye Theatre to give a 7 p.m. concert, preceded by a 6:15 jam session.

Although rooted in place, Mallett’s songs speak to the essential things that move us all. If you grow up in a small rural town, as Mallett did, you can’t help but learn its stories. He knows about the people who shouldn’t have stayed, but did; and those who shouldn’t have left, but did. He knows the factory work, field work, memories of summer dances, loves and losses, and inspiring stories of courage and despair.

Raised in a musical family, Mallett was touring at age 10 with his older brother Neil, singing at Grange halls and county fairs. While in his early twenties, he started his solo career, writing songs and eventually performing them across the United States, Canada and Europe.

Mallett’s songs have received international acclaim, and one, “Garden Song,” has been translated into several languages and is one of America’s most popular folk anthems. Other singers who have recorded Mallett’s songs include Emmylou Harris, Alison Krauss, Hal Ketchum, Pete Seeger and even the Muppets.

Mallett’s latest CD of modern folk, “Alright Now,” was released in 2009.

For tickets, $15, call 562-4445. Skye Theater is at 2 Highland Drive.

Singer-songwriter David Mallett