Wimberley Bluegrass Band

Wimberley Bluegrass Band
Genres
Years active2008-Present
MembersDanielle Wimberley

James Wimberley

Mark Wimberley

Michael Wimberley
Websitewww.wimberleybluegrassband.com

Wimberley Bluegrass Band is an American bluegrass group that has been recording and performing since 2008.[1] The band is made up of the Wimberley siblings, Danielle, James, Mark, and Michael. Their musical style is strongly rooted in vocal harmonies and draws heavily on traditional 1940s-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]

History

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]

Influences

Wimberley Bluegrass Band members cited musical influences like Bill Monroe, Flatt and Scruggs,[8] Ricky Skaggs, and Doyle Lawson.[9]

College and academia

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]

Notable work

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 TEDxChapmanU[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, making appearances with Greg Laurie, Franklin Graham, and Wil Graham. [29][30]

Music

Wimberley Bluegrass Band has released seven albums since 2008,[31][32] three of which are still in print.[33] They perform a mix of traditional and original music.[34][35]

Members

  • Danielle Wimberley - mandolin, vocals
  • James Wimberley - banjo, dobro, vocals
  • Mark Wimberley - guitar, bass, vocals
  • Michael Wimberley - fiddle, vocals[8]

References

  1. ^ "Banding Together - with the Wimberley Bluegrass Band | Orange Review". orangereview.com. Retrieved 2025-08-15.
  2. ^ a b c "The Wimberley Bluegrass band is a family affair". Orange County Register. 2014-01-22. Retrieved 2025-08-14.
  3. ^ "Best Local Bluegrass Bands In LA - CBS Los Angeles". www.cbsnews.com. 2013-09-19. Retrieved 2025-08-14.
  4. ^ Lawless, John (2016-08-05). "Wimberley Bluegrass Band video tease". Bluegrass Today. Retrieved 2025-08-14.
  5. ^ Jordan, Andrew. "Banding Together". Orange Plaza Review. Retrieved 2025-09-03.
  6. ^ "Wimberley Bluegrass Band". NAMM.org. Retrieved 2025-09-03.
  7. ^ SCVTV; Admin (2011-06-26). "Wimberley Bluegrass Band". SCVTV.com. Retrieved 2025-08-14.
  8. ^ a b Takahama, Valerie (2022-02-21). "Culturephile: Meet the Wimberley Bluegrass Band from Orange". Orange Coast Mag. Retrieved 2025-08-15.
  9. ^ "Wimberley Bluegrass Band". NAMM.org. Retrieved 2025-08-15.
  10. ^ a b "At age 17, Michael Wimberley becomes Chapman's youngest graduate". Orange County Register. 2016-05-23. Retrieved 2025-08-14.
  11. ^ "Teacher, Banjo Player, Advisor, Oh My! - Faculty Interview with Travis Bartosh". School of Communication. Retrieved 2025-08-14.
  12. ^ "*TUNE IN ALERT*: KCET Broadcasts 53rd ANNUAL WASSAIL CONCERT AT CHAPMAN UNIVERSITY". PBS SoCal. 2016-12-09. Retrieved 2025-08-15.
  13. ^ "PHOTOS — Chapman goes a-wassailing". Orange County Register. 2015-12-07. Retrieved 2025-08-15.
  14. ^ "Chapman graduation: Four bluegrass-playing siblings, four bachelor's degrees, all in one weekend". Orange County Register. 2016-05-20. Retrieved 2025-08-14.
  15. ^ "4 Siblings Ranging in Age From 22 to 17 All Graduating Together From Chapman University". KTLA. Archived from the original on 2020-10-22. Retrieved 2025-08-14.
  16. ^ Hanson, Brittany (2016-05-16). "Tune in: Wimberley siblings featured on KTLA". Chapman Newsroom. Retrieved 2025-08-14.
  17. ^ Amrie (2017-05-16). "Atticus Shaffer on THE MIDDLE's "wonderful" Season Finale". My Take on TV. Retrieved 2025-08-14.
  18. ^ "The Middle" Steaming Pile of Guilt (TV Episode 2015) - Soundtracks - IMDb. Retrieved 2025-08-14 – via www.imdb.com.
  19. ^ Chemel, Lee Shallat (2015-02-25), "Steaming Pile of Guilt", The Middle, Patricia Heaton, Neil Flynn, Charlie McDermott, retrieved 2025-08-14
  20. ^ "Banding Together - with the Wimberley Bluegrass Band | Orange Review". orangereview.com. Retrieved 2025-08-14.
  21. ^ "LOUVIN BROTHERS TRIBUTE". www.iseehawks.com. Retrieved 2025-08-14.
  22. ^ Hollywood Junket (2014-02-17). AMERICA'S GOT TALENT Season 9 L.A. Auditions -Wimberley Bulegrass Band. Retrieved 2025-11-04 – via YouTube.
  23. ^ TEDx Talks (2015-09-02). Wimberley Bluegrass Band | Wimberley Bluegrass Band | TEDxChapmanU. Retrieved 2025-08-14 – via YouTube.
  24. ^ Douglas, Cathi (2015-05-21). "Bluegrass-Playing Siblings Share a Bond and a Dream in Harmony". Chapman Newsroom. Retrieved 2025-08-14.
  25. ^ "Jonas & Warren". Spotify. Retrieved 2025-08-14.
  26. ^ Neumann, Sean (2017-09-12). "Why Did Colonel Sanders Press 30,000 Copies of a Children's Mandolin Record?". VICE. Retrieved 2025-08-16.
  27. ^ KFC TV Spot, 'Phillip' Featuring Darrell Hammond. Retrieved 2025-08-14 – via www.ispot.tv.
  28. ^ Arp, Dennis (2016-03-01). "With Hardhat Concert, Chapman thanks all who helped build Musco Center". Chapman Newsroom. Retrieved 2025-08-14.
  29. ^ "Wimberley Bluegrass Band - Heroes and Friends". wimberleybluegrassband.com. Retrieved 2025-12-03.
  30. ^ "Seaside Community Church in Torrance hosts inaugural 4th of July Carnival and Concert". Daily Breeze. 2025-06-26. Retrieved 2025-08-14.
  31. ^ "Mark Wimberley". SpeakerHub. Retrieved 2025-08-14.
  32. ^ "Class Notes". www.chapman.edu. Retrieved 2025-08-14.
  33. ^ "Wimberley Bluegrass Band - Store". wimberleybluegrassband.com. Retrieved 2025-08-14.
  34. ^ Lawless, John (2016-08-05). "Wimberley Bluegrass Band video tease". Bluegrass Today. Retrieved 2025-09-03.
  35. ^ Clark, Danny (2019-02-05). "2019 NAMM report, bluegrass edition". Bluegrass Today. Retrieved 2025-08-14.
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