Gabe Witcher
American bluegrass fiddler
Biography
Lists
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The basics
Quick Facts
| Intro | American bluegrass fiddler | ||
| Places | United States of America | ||
| is | Musician Fiddler Record producer Composer | ||
| Work field | Business Music | ||
| Gender |
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| Birth | 11 June 1978 | ||
| Age | 46 years | ||
| Family |
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The details
Biography
Gabriel "Gabe" Witcher (born June 11, 1978) is an American multi-instrumentalist, producer, and arranger best known as a fiddle player and singer, He is a founding member of the string ensemble Punch Brothers. Witcher and his fellow Punch Brothers were named Affiliate Scholar of Oberlin Conservatory in 2014.
History
Gabe Witcher began his performing career in 1984, at the age of six, at the Strawberry Music Festival in Yosemite when he was invited on stage by Bill Monroe to perform a duet in front of a workshop crowd. Later that day Witcher, along with his father, were invited to perform three songs on the main stage in between acts. This launched the formation of "The Witcher Brothers" which performed throughout the southwest United States for 25 years.
In 1995 Witcher was asked to join the "Laurel Canyon Ramblers", led by veteran bluegrass/country musician, Herb Pedersen, after their original fiddler, three-time National Fiddle Champion Byron Berline, moved from Los Angeles to Oklahoma. He was with them for four years and appeared on two albums with them.
In 1999, Witcher joined Bela Fleck's "The Bluegrass Sessions: Tales from the Acoustic Planet, Vol. 2" tour (filling in for fiddler Stuart Duncan) with Sam Bush, Jerry Douglas, Bryan Sutton and Mark Schatz. In 2002 Witcher joined Jerry Douglas' band and was a regular member until the formation of Punch Brothers in 2008.
Witcher spent 2005 working with Kenny Loggins and Jim Messina on the Loggins and Messina "Sittin' In Again" tour where he played Fiddle, Mandolin, Dobro, Percussion and sang.
In 2010, he joined the Dave Rawlings Machine for two weeks of tour dates. The lineup consisted of Rawlings, Gillian Welch, two members of Old Crow Medicine Show, and Witcher.
He performed with Eve 6 on the Horrorscope tour (2000-2001) performing bass and backing vocals, allowing Max Collins more mobility onstage. He also performed on the track "Anytime" from the 2001 film Out Cold.
Witcher has appeared on film & television scores including as The Good Dinosaur, The Hunger Games - Mockingjay 2, Inside Llewyn Davis, The Hunger Games, Brokeback Mountain, Cars, Toy Story, True Detective, Nashville, Better Call Saul, Sons of Anarchy and many others. He co-produced music with T-Bone Burnett for the television shows Nashville and True Detective.
Witcher has 7 Grammy nominations. 5 nominations with Punch Brothers and two Grammy nominations as a producer: 2013 Bluegrass Album of the Year for Noam Pikelny's "Beat The Devil and Carry a Rail", and 2015 Bluegrass Album of the Year for "Noam Pikelny Plays Kenny Baker Plays Bill Monroe", which also won "Album of the Year" at the IBMA Awards in 2014. He has also appeared on records by Paul Simon, Eric Clapton, Elton John, Beck, Willie Nelson, Neil Diamond, Fiona Apple...
Witcher has written arrangements for Elton John, Kronos Quartet, Punch Brothers, Rhiannon Giddens, North Carolina Symphony, The Secret Sisters, Nashville and True Detective.
Personal life
On September 15, 2013, Witcher married actress Mary Faber.
Music Director
Kennedy Center presents: American Acoustic w Chris Thile - All Star Jam (2016)
Another Day, Another Time: f/ the music of Inside Llewyn Davis - Los Angeles (2013)
Discography
Punch Brothers
| Year | Title | Label |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Punch | Nonesuch |
| 2010 | Antifogmatic | Nonesuch |
| 2012 | Who's Feeling Young Now? | Nonesuch |
| 2013 | Ahoy! | Nonesuch |
| 2015 | The Phosphorescent Blues | Nonesuch |
| 2015 | The Wireless | Nonesuch |
Jerry Douglas
| Year | Title | Label |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 | The Best Kept Secret | Koch |
Laurel Canyon Ramblers
| Year | Title | Label |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Blue Rambler 2 | Sugar Hill Records |
| 1998 | Back On The Street Again | Sugar Hill Records |
Credits
Albums
† Grammy Award Winner
^ Grammy Award Nomination
| Artist | Project | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Paul Simon | So Beautiful or So What | Fiddle |
| Stranger to Stranger | Fiddle, Vocals | |
| Eric Clapton | Old Sock | Fiddle |
| Elton John | Wonderful Crazy Night | Arranger, Conductor |
| Willie Nelson | The Great Divide | Fiddle |
| Neil Diamond | Dreams | Fiddle |
| Beck | Return Of The Grievous Angel | Fiddle |
| Rosanne Cash | The River and the Thread † | Fiddle |
| Fiona Apple/Jon Brion | So Sleepy | Fiddle |
| Emmy Lou Harris | Return Of The Grievous Angel | Fiddle |
| Merle Haggard | Chicago Wind | Fiddle |
| John Denver | All Aboard† | Fiddle |
| Bette Midler | It's the Girls! | Fiddle |
| Punch Brothers/ VariousArtists | Another Day, Another Time | Fiddle, Vocals |
| Dierks Bentley | Up On the Ridge ^ | Fiddle |
| The Chieftains | Voice of Ages | Fiddle |
| Eddy Mitchell | Heros, Jumbalaya | Fiddle |
| Johnny Hallyday | Rester Vivant | Fiddle |
| Travis Tritt | The Storm | Fiddle |
| Lee Ann Womack | Something Worth Leaving Behind | Fiddle |
| Dwight Yoakam | Dwights Used Records | Fiddle |
| Sara Watkins | Young In All the Wrong Ways | Producer, guitars, Fiddle, Arrangements |
| Rhiannon Giddens | Tomorrow Is My Turn | Fiddle, Violin, Guitar, Arranger (Strings, Horns) |
| Noam Pikelny | Noam Pikelny Plays Kenny Baker Plays Bill Monroe ^ | Producer |
| Noam Pikelny | Beat The Devil and Carry a Rail^ | Producer |
| Jerry Douglas | The Best Kept Secret ^ | Fiddle, Strings |
| Chris Thile | How To Grow A Woman From The Ground ^ | Fiddle, Vocals, Arranging |
| The Secret Sisters | Put Your Needle Down | Fiddle, Violin, Arranger (Strings) |
| Chris Hillman | The Other Side | Fiddle |
| Tom Brosseau | What I Mean to Say is Goodbye | Fiddle |
Film
º Academy Award Winner for Best Score
^ Academy Award Nominee Best Original Song
! Golden Globe Nominee Best Original Song
† Grammy Award Winner Best Original Song
| Title | Composer | Role |
|---|---|---|
| The Good Dinosaur | Mychael & Jeff Danna | Fiddle |
| The Hunger Games - Mockingjay 2 | Additional Music | Composer |
| Toy Story^! | Randy Newman | Fiddle |
| Cars † | Randy Newman | Fiddle |
| Inside Llewyn Davis | T Bone Burnett | Fiddle, Vocals |
| The Hunger Games | James Newton Howard | Fiddle |
| Brokeback Mountainº | Gustavo Santaolalla | Fiddle |
| Babelº | Gustavo Santaolalla | Violin |
| Charlie Wilson's War | James Newton Howard | Fiddle |
| The Princess and the Frog | Randy Newman | Fiddle |
| This is 40 | Jon Brion | Fiddle, Violin |
| A Million Ways To Die In The West | Joel McNeely | Fiddle |
| Wild Hogs | Teddy Castellucci | Fiddle |
| The Homesman | Marco Beltrami | Violin |
| Robin Hood | Marc Streitenfeld | Fiddle |
| The Spongebob Squarepants Movie | Andy Paley | Fiddle |
| Nights in Rodanthe | Jeanine Tesori | Fiddle |
| Soul Men | Stanley Clarke | Fiddle |
| The Dukes of Hazzard | Nathan Barr | Fiddle |
| Without a Paddle | Chris Beck | Fiddle |
| Welcome Home, Roscoe Jenkins | David Newman | Fiddle |
| The Best Of Me | Aaron Zigman | Fiddle |
| Bridge to Terabithia | Aaron Zigman | Fiddle |
| Christmas Cottage | Aaron Zigman | Fiddle |
| Flicka | Aaron Zigman | Fiddle |
| The Wendell Baker Story | Aaron Zigman | Fiddle |
| The Notebook | Aaron Zigman | Fiddle |
| Mater and the Ghost Light | Bruno Coon | Fiddle |
| Bigger, Stronger, Faster* | Dave Porter | Fiddle |
| Venom | James L. Veneble | Fiddle |
| The Cave | Reinhold Heil | Violin |
Television
^ Emmy Nominated
| Title | Selection | Role |
|---|---|---|
| True Detective Season 2 | Score | Violin, Electric Violin, Electric Bass |
| True Detective | The Angry River | Composer, Arranger (strings), Violin |
| Nashville | Nothing In This World Will Ever Break My Heart Again^ | Co-Producer (w/ T Bone Burnett), Arranger (Strings, Background vocals), Violin |
| Nashville | Ho Hey | Co-Producer (w/ T Bone Burnett), Guitar, Fiddle, Mandolin |
| Nashville | Used | Co-Producer (w/ T Bone Burnett), Arranger (Strings, Background vocals), Fiddle |
| Nashville | Consider Me | Co-Producer (w/ T Bone Burnett), Arranger (Strings, Background vocals), Fiddle |
| Nashville | We Are Water | Co-Producer (w/ T Bone Burnett), Arranger (Strings, Background vocals), Fiddle |
| Nashville | Looking For A Place To Shine | Co-Producer (w/ T Bone Burnett), Arranger (Strings, Background vocals), Fiddle, Mandolin, Keyboards |
| Nashville | Hanging On A Lie | Co-Producer (w/ T Bone Burnett), Arranger (Strings, Background vocals), Fiddle, Mandolin, Keyboards |
| Nashville | Stomping Ground | Co-Producer (w/ T Bone Burnett), Arranger (Strings, Background vocals), Fiddle,Mandolin, |
| Nashville | Gun For A Mouth | Fiddle |
| Nashville | Tough All Over | Fiddle |
| Nashville | Let There Be Lonely | Keyboards |
| Better Call Saul | Score | Violin |
| Sons Of Anarchy | All Along The Watchtower | Fiddle |
| Justified | Score | Fiddle |
| Turn: Washington's Spies | Score | Fiddle |
| Party of Five | Score | Violin |
| King of the Hill | Score | Fiddle |
| Crossing Jordan | Innocent When You Dream | Fiddle |
| Heartland | Score | Fiddle |
| Point of Honor | Score | Fiddle |
| Texas Rising | Score | Fiddle |
| Bonnie and Clyde | Score | Fiddle |
| Hatfields and McCoys | Score | Fiddle |
| Sarah Silverman Show | Score | Fiddle |
| News Radio | Score | Fiddle |
| Just Shoot Me | Score | Fiddle |
| Worst Week | Score | Fiddle |
| Curious George | Score | Fiddle |
| Berenstain Bears | Theme Song | Fiddle |
| Three Moons Over Milford | Score | Fiddle |
| Any Day Now | Score | Fiddle |
| George & Leo | Score | Fiddle |
| The Lazarus Man | Score | Fiddle |
| Dilbert | Score | Fiddle |
Live Television
| Artists | Show |
|---|---|
| Punch Brothers |
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| Punch Brothers w/ Steve Martin |
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| Dolly Parton |
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| Beck and Willie Nelson |
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| Willie Nelson and Lee Ann Womack |
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| Willie Nelson |
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Bands/Tours
| Dates | Artist | Role |
|---|---|---|
| (2006–Present) | Punch Brothers | Fiddle, Vocals, Drums |
| (2014) | Steve Martin and Martin Short | Fiddle |
| (2012) | Paul Simon | Fiddle |
| (2010) | Dave Rawlings Machine | Fiddle, Guitar, Vocals |
| (2006) | K.D. Lang | Fiddle, Guitar |
| (2005) | Loggins and Messina Sittin' In Again Reunion Tour | Fiddle, Mandolin, Dobro, Percussion, Vocals |
| (2002 - 2008) | Jerry Douglas Band | Fiddle |
| (2000 - 2001) | Eve 6 | Bass |
| (1999) | The Bluegrass Sessions f/ Bela Fleck, Sam Bush, Jerry Douglas, Bryan Sutton, Mark Schatz | Fiddle |
| (1995-2000) | Laurel Canyon Ramblers | Fiddle |
| (1984 - 2008) | The Witcher Brothers | Fiddle, Vocals |