CLIFF WAGNER From Los Angeles, California. Wagner was born and raised in Mississippi. Attended the Berklee College of Music (Boston). 1999, lived and played bluegrass…
FRANK WAKEFIELD From Emory Gap, Tennessee, near Knoxville. Lives in Upstate New York. Full name: Franklin Delano Roosevelt Wakefield. Known for his technical virtuosity on…
GARY WALDREP BAND From Kilpatrick, Alabama. Formed in 1998. 1981-1989, Waldrep performed with the Warrior River Boys (plays banjo). 1989, helped form the Sand Mountain…
CLIFF WALDRON From Northern Virginia; originally from Jolo, West Virginia. 1964-66, played with a group called the Page Valley Boys. 1967, began professional musical career…
BRADLEY WALKER From Athens, Alabama. Confined to a wheel chair since childhood, he was born with Muscular Dystrophy. Began singing as a child. At age…
CORY AND JARROD WALKER From Lithia, Florida (near Tampa) They are brothers who began performing together in their teens. Cory plays banjo, guitar and resonator…
LARRY WALLACE (THE LARRY WALLACE BAND) From Starkville, Mississippi Wallace played banjo with Jimmy Martin’s Sunny Mountain Boys for 10 years (1990-2000) 2002, formed the…
MATT WALLACE From Knoxville, Tennessee. Began playing bass at age 10. Has played bass with David Parmley and Continental Divide, Audie Blaylock and Redline, Pine…
RANDY WALLER From Washington, D.C. Lives in Richmond, Virginia. Son of Charlie Waller (Country Gentlemen). When Randy was four years old, his father made a…
JOE K. WALSH From Portland, Maine. A mandolinist who has worked with The Gibson Brothers, Joy Kills Sorrow, Mr. Sun, Jonathan Edwards, Darol Anger, Scott…
MARTY WARBURTON (AND HOME GIRLS) From Las Vegas, Nevada. Plays banjo and guitar. Was a member of Dry & Dusty (with Butch Baldassari) and Sagegrass.…
EVAN WARD From Fountain City, Indiana. Began playing banjo at age 11. 2000, joined first band at age 12, an Ohio group called Simple Tymes.…
CHRIS WARNER From Red Lion, Pennsylvania. 1966, played banjo with Del McCoury, who was a neighbor at the time. 1967-1969, joined Jimmy Martin’s Sunny Mountain…
JOHNNY WARREN AND CHARLIE CUSHMAN From Nashville, Tennessee. Warren (fiddle) is the son of former Foggy Mountain Boy Paul Warren. Cushman (banjo) is a celebrated…
PAUL WARREN From Hickman County, Tennessee. 1938, began playing fiddle professionally with Johnny Wright and His Tennessee Hillbillies. 1942, joined the Army and during WWII,…
RICKY WASSON From Clay City, Kentucky. Began playing bluegrass when he was four years old. He says that he never knew there was any other…
ALLEN WATKINS From Alabama. 1976, formed the Homemade String Band at age 16. Won the North Alabama Banjo Championship. 1978, joined the Front Porch String…
DOC WATSON From Deep Gap, North Carolina. One of America’s best known folk singers and flat-pick guitarists. Real name: Arthel Lane Watson. 1960, he was…
JIM WATSON From North Carolina. A founding member of the Red Clay Ramblers. 1988, joined Robin and Linda Williams and Their Fine Group, playing bass.…
TREVOR WATSON From southwest Virginia. Plays banjo with Shannon Slaughter. After graduating from Virginia Tech, he became a cast member at the Carolina Opry (Myrtle…
THE WAYFARING STRANGERS From the New York/New England area. An eclectic group featuring Matt Glaser, Andy Statman, Tony Trischka, John McGann and Jim Whitney. A…
WE BANJO 3 From Galway, Ireland. Formed in 2011 by two sets of brothers: Enda Scahil (banjo) and Fergal Scahil (banjo, fiddle, viola, dobro, percussion,…
WEARY HEARTS From Arizona. Formed in 1985 by Ron Block (banjo), Eric Uglum (guitar/mandolin), Butch Baldassari (mandolin) and Mike Bub (bass). In 1988, Chris Jones…
DARRELL WEBB From Knoxville, Tennessee. 1993, began his pro career at age 19 playing mandolin with the Lonesome River Band (replacing Dan Tyminski). 1997, joined…
TOMMY WEBB From Langley, Kentucky (Floyd County). Sings lead and tenor vocals, plays guitar and clawhammer banjo. Began performing in high school with The Pine…
ERIC WEISSBERG From New York City. Began performing as a 10-year-old on radio station WNYC. He plays all the bluegrass instruments including Dobro™ and steel…
JON WEISBERGER From Nashville. Grew up in Yellow Springs, Ohio. Plays bass (currently with Chris Jones and the Night Drivers) and has released several solo…
GILLIAN WELCH (AND DAVID RAWLINGS) From New York City; grew up in West Los Angeles; moved to Nashville in 1992. Her parents were writers for…
TRAY WELLINGTON From Wilkesboro, North Carolina. Given name: Trajan Wellington. Began playing banjo at age 13. He grew up on Flint Hill Road. 2015, formed…
GREGG WELTY From Raleigh, North Carolina. Grew up in Western New York; lives in Pittsburgh, PA. He is a banjo player, son of Eric Welty,…
MISSY WERNER From Hamilton, Ohio (near Cincinnati) Plays mandolin and leads The Missy Werner Band. 1990’s, had a band called Next in Line. Performs at…
WESTWEND From Knoxville, Tennessee. A duo featuring Wendy Crowe (vocals) and Jonathan Maness (vocals, guitar and mandolin). Jonathan and Wendy were married in 2013. Their…
WHEELER From Weber City, Virginia Band members: Kevin Wheeler (bass), Tiffany Wheeler (lead vocals), Mark Jackson (mandolin), Justin Salyer (guitar), Steven Mounts (banjo). 2009, released…
PETER WERNICK From New York City. Lives in Niwot, Colorado. Known as “Dr. Banjo” because of a best-selling banjo instruction book he authored (over 200,000…
THE WHITES From Wichita Falls, Texas. Moved to Nashville in 1971. 1976, began performing in Fort Smith, Arkansas as a family band as Buck White…
CLARENCE WHITE (See also THE KENTUCKY COLONELS) From Los Angeles (Burbank), California (although he was born in Lewiston, Maine). He began playing the guitar at…
JEFF WHITE From Syracuse, NY; grew up in Northern Indiana. 1979, formed first bluegrass band The Suburban Grass in Indiana with David and Melody Johnson.…
ROLAND WHITE From Maine. Grew up in California. Lives in Nashville. First band: The Country Boys with his brothers Clarence and Eric (began in Maine,…
WHITEWATER From Nashville. Formed in 1995 by guitarist Brad Davis who was working with Marty Stuart at the time. They appeared with Bill Monroe on…
TIM WHITE From Blountville, Tennessee. Originally from Roanoke, Virginia. A graphic artist by trade. Among his accomplishments: the painting of a huge mural in Bristol,…
KEITH WHITLEY From Sandy Hook, Kentucky. 1970, at age 15, began his professional musical career when he and his friend Ricky Skaggs worked with Ralph…
THE WHITSTEIN BROTHERS From Colfax, Louisiana. A brothers duet featuring Robert (guitar) and Charles (mandolin) Whitstein. Their style is reminiscent of the Louvin Brothers, the…
MARK WHITT (AND TRUE BLUEGRASS) From Xenia, Ohio (near Dayton) with roots in Sandy Hook, Kentucky. Plays guitar and mandolin; sings and writes traditional bluegrass…
JERRY WICENTOWSKI From Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Grew up in New York City. A singer, guitarist and orthodox Jew, his group Lucky Break performs bluegrass interpretations of…
MARSHALL WILBORN Originally from Austin, Texas. Best known as one of bluegrass music’s top bass players, although his first instrument is banjo. 1982, joined Whetstone…
WILD AND BLUE From White House, Tennessee. Formed in 1988 by David Harvey and his two sisters, Jan Harvey and Jill Snider. David Harvey (mandolin)…
THE WILDERS From Kansas City, Missouri. An alt-country band featuring Ike Shelton (guitar), Phil Wade (mandolin/dobro/banjo), Betse Ellis (fiddle), and Nate Gawron (bass). Formed in…
WILDFIRE From East Tennessee. Formed in 2000 by members of J.D. Crowe’s band The New South who worked in both bands until 2001 when they…
THE WILDWOOD GIRLS From Speedwell, Tennessee. Originally from Chicago. An all-female band. Formed in 1977 as The Wildwood Pickers by 16-year-old Kim Koskela (banjo), Robin…
THE WILDWOOD VALLEY BOYS From Milan, Indiana. Originally formed in 1992, then re-formed in 1997. They are the second generation of the The Boys from…
BLAKE WILLIAMS From Sparta, Tennessee (also the birthplace of Lester Flatt). 1972-1979, worked with Lester Flatt and the Nashville Grass. 1981-1991, played banjo for Bill…
JEANNETTE WILLIAMS From Danville, Virginia. Formed a group in 1989 called Clearwater. The band name was changed in 1996 to Jeannette Williams and Clearwater. For…
JOHNNY WILLIAMS From Danville, Virginia. A guitarist and songwriter, he is married to singer Jeannette Williams and performs with her band. His songs have been…
JOSH WILLIAMS From Benton, Kentucky. Lives in Dickson, Tennessee. Was one of bluegrass music’s child prodigies. Gained national recognition when he appeared on the 1993…
JUNIOR WILLIAMS From Irvine, Kentucky Plays banjo and guitar. 2001-2013, played banjo with Newfound Road. 2011-2019, formed NewTown with fiddler Katie Penn, whom he married.…
PAUL WILLIAMS From Wythe County, Virginia. Lives in Morristown, Tennessee. Real name: Paul Humphrey. 1951, joined the Lonesome Pine Fiddlers as a teenager. When he…
ROBIN AND LINDA WILLIAMS From Millbrook, Virginia (Shenandoah Valley). Gained national recognition while performing as regulars on Garrison Keillor’s “A Prairie Home Companion” on public…
ROGER WILLIAMS Grew up in Danville, NH; lives in Glastonbury, CT. He was born in Presque Isle, Maine. He is a well-known northeastern Dobro™ player.…
TYLER WILLIAMS (THE TYLER WILLIAMS BAND) From Central Ohio. He was born with Cerebral Palsy and became blind in infancy. Began playing piano and singing…
VERN WILLIAMS Originally from Newton County, Arkansas; moved to California in the 1950’s. Began playing bluegrass in northern California with fiddler/guitarist Ray Park. “Vern and…
KEVIN WILLIAMSON From Kenova, West Virginia. Lives in Nashville. Worked with Dave Evans, Redwing, Glen Duncan and Phoenix, other bands before striking out on his…
TONY AND GARY WILLIAMSON (THE WILLIAMSON BROTHERS) From Siler City, North Carolina. Tony is a well-known mandolin virtuoso, with several solo projects to his credit.…
WILSON BANJO COMPANY From Westminster, South Carolina. They are a band rather than a banjo making business, although founder and banjo-player Steve Wilson has experience…
CHUBBY WISE From Lake City, Florida. Real name: Robert Russell Dees. He was adopted by his father’s sister, whose husband’s name was Wise. Has been…
MAC WISEMAN From Crimora, Virginia. Lives on Percy Priest Lake, near Nashville. Was born in 1925, the same year the Grand Ole Opry started. Real…
THE WITCHER BROTHERS From Granada Hills, California. Formed in 1985 by Dennis Witcher (mandolin) and his son Gabe (fiddle), who was only six years old…
WOLFPEN BRANCH From Louisville, Kentucky. Formed in 2019-2020 by Arthur Hancock IV (guitar) and Chris Shouse (mandolin). They were later joined by Roddy Puckett (bass),…
JIM AND LYNNA WOOLSEY A husband and wife duo from Petersburg, Indiana. At age 15, Jim began playing with the Patoka Valley Boys. Soon thereafter,…
A.L. WOOD AND THE SMOKEY RIDGE BOYS (THE WOOD FAMILY TRADITION) From Statesville, North Carolina. Banjo player and singer A.L. (or Al) Wood began performing…
WOOD AND WIRE From Austin, Texas. Formed in 2010 by Tony Kamel (guitar), Matt Slusher (mandolin), Dom Fisher (bass) and Trevor Smith (banjo). They call…
WOOD BOX HEROES From Nashville. Formed in 2022 by Barry Bales (bass), Jenee Fleenor (fiddle), Seth Taylor (mandolin), Matt Menefee (banjo), and Josh Martin (guitar).…
THE WOOKS From Lexington, Kentucky. The Urban Dictionary defines a wook as: “a hippie without any ambition, motivation, or drive other than drugs and image.…
GENE WOOTEN From Franklinton, North Carolina. Moved to Nashville in 1977. Played Dobro™ with several bands including Wilma Lee Cooper and The Clinch Mountain Clan,…
JAKE WORKMAN From Draper, Utah. 2001, began playing guitar at age 13, when his parents gave him a guitar for Christmas. Formed a rock band…
CURTIS WRIGHT From Huntingdon, Pennsylvania. A singer, songwriter and guitarist, he began his career in a band called Country Generation. He also worked with Vern…
NORMAN WRIGHT AND KEVIN CHURCH From Virginia. 1991, both left The Country Gentlemen to form their own band. Wright has also worked with The Bluegrass…
DEDE WYLAND From Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Lives in Baltimore, Maryland. 1975, was lead singer for Wisconsin-based bluegrass band Grass, Food and Lodging. 1980, moved to New…
STUART WYRICK From Luttrell, Tennessee (“Tater Valley”) Began performing at age 8. 1995-2009, played banjo with the gospel group New Road. He also has a…
THOMAS WYWROT From Dryden, Ontario, Canada; Lives in Nashville. As a teenager, played guitar with a family band called the Muddy River Boys. 2005, played…