King Wilkie

King Wilkie was an American music group formed in Charlottesville, Virginia in 2002 by Reid Burgess and Ted Pitney. Their debut album was released on Rebel Records. Their last CD, Low Country Suite, was released in June 2007 on Zoe/Rounder Records and was produced by Jim Scott.

While their early sound was commonly filed under bluegrass, King Wilkie developed a more eclectic acoustic style, drawing from other influences, such as Folk, Americana, and Rock.

The band toured extensively throughout the U.S., Canada and Europe. Appearances on NPR, combined with festival performances and radio airplay fueled the band's popularity, eventually resulting in their album Low Country Suite climbing into the top 20 on the Billboard charts for Americana music.

History

*King Wilkie's 2004 debut "Broke" reached #1 on the Bluegrass album chart that year.

*They were named IBMA's emerging artist of the year in 2004.
*They made their debut on The Grand Ole Opry at the Ryman Auditorium in 2005.

In 2005, the self-released EP "Tiera Del Fuego" introduced a more intricate song-based approach. Although the recording drew from a wide array of influences, their early baptism into the world of bluegrass and old time americana music was still evident.

Trivia

*The band is named after Bill Monroe's horse "King Wilkie".