Wimberley Bluegrass Band | |
|---|---|
| Genres | |
| Years active | 2008-Present |
| Members | Danielle Wimberley James Wimberley Mark Wimberley Michael Wimberley |
| Website | www |
Wimberley Bluegrass Band is an American bluegrass band that has been recording and performing since 2008. [1] The group consists of the Wimberley siblings, Danielle, James, Mark, and Michael. Their sound is largely based on vocal harmonies and the traditional style of 40s era bluegrass [2] and western swing. The group gained prominence in the Los Angeles music scene after an article appeared in CBS-LA naming them one of LA's Top-Five Bluegrass Bands. [3]
The Wimberley siblings grew up in California and asked their parents for a banjo one Christmas after hearing Foggy Mountain Breakdown by the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band's Will The Circle Be Unbroken Vol. 1 album. [4] They began performing regularly at Los Rios Rancho in Oak Glen, California. They developed an encyclopedic knowledge of the music's history, [2] often memorizing album personnel from liner notes. [5]
Within the next few years, Wimberley Bluegrass Band began performing and headlining [6] at festivals and making occasional television [7] and radio appearances. [2]
Wimberley Bluegrass Band members cited musical influences like Bill Monroe, Flatt and Scruggs, [8] Ricky Skaggs, and Doyle Lawson. [9]
In 2011, the Wimberley siblings made the choice to go to college at the same time, despite ranging five years in age from eldest to youngest. [10] They continued to perform during this time, incorporating their music into their academic careers, with a radio program on [11] Chapman Radio and participating in their KCET broadcasts. [12] [13] They graduated from Chapman University together, walking commencement in the same weekend in 2016. [14] [15] At the time, Michael was 17, making him Chapman University's youngest graduate. [16] [10]
The Wimberley Bluegrass Band met actor Atticus Shaffer at a concert in Pasadena [17] and through that introduction, Wimberley Bluegrass Band's original Hard Working Man [18] was featured on an episode [19] of ABC's hit sitcom The Middle. [20]
Wimberley Bluegrass Band participated in a benefit concert with John C Reilly produced by The New LA Folk Festival and LA Record for the Japanese Red Cross Society. [21]
Wimberley Bluegrass Band made an unaired appearance on season 9 of America's Got Talent. [22]
During their studies at Chapman University, they gave a bluegrass demonstration at TED xChapmanU [23] [24]
Wimberley Bluegrass Band appeared as a guest on Jonas & Warren's song California to Tennessee. [25]
Danielle and James, were featured musicians and background actors for a KFC Commercial featuring Darrell Hammond, parodying Colonel Sanders' Mandolin Band. [26] [27]
Wimberley Bluegrass Band were part of the inaugural performance at the Musco Center for the Arts along with the Mariachi Divas. [28] They occasionally tour with Dennis Agajanian. [29]
Wimberley Bluegrass Band has released seven albums since 2008, [30] [31] three of which are still in print. [32] They perform a mix of traditional and original music. [33] [34]