Luke Bulla

Luke Bulla has been singing and playing music most of his life. Touring with and singing in his family band from age four, Luke took up the fiddle at seven. Over the course of the next few years, he won the National Fiddle Contest (in Weiser, Idaho) six times in his respective age categories. His seventh win came in the Grand Champion division at age sixteen, making him the youngest to have earned the title at the time. Entering Nashville's Grand Masters fiddle contest at age ten, Luke distinguished himself by being the youngest person to have made the top ten. Spring of 1999 found Luke moving to Nashville to establish himself as a full time musician. He spent his early years in Tennessee playing fiddle in Ricky Skaggs' band, Kentucky Thunder. Following the Skaggs stint, he became a member of the John Cowan Band. More recently Luke has performed and/or recorded with Jim Lauderdale, Darrell Scott, Alison Krauss, Jerry Douglas, Lyle Lovett, Sam Bush, Edgar Meyer, Bela Fleck, Bryan Sutton, Kevin Costner & Modern West, Russ Barenberg Trio, Sean Watkins, Sara Watkins, Tony Rice, Chris Thile, Peter Rowan, Glen Phillips, Rodney Crowell, and Earl Scruggs, to name a few. Luke is a perennial instructor at Mark O'Connor's fiddle camps. With long-time friend, Casey Driessen, Luke founded the band, Wisechild. The band toured briefly with John Mayer and Counting Crows. In addition to violin, Luke plays guitar, sings and writes songs. His newest band collaboration, W.P.A. (Works Progress Administration), includes members Sean Watkins (Nickel Creek, Fiction Family), Glen Phillips (Toad The Wet Sprocket), Sara Watkins (Nickel Creek), Benmont Tench (Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers), Pete Thomas (Elvis Costello and the Imposters, The Attractions, Los Lobos), Greg Leisz (Joni Mitchell, Wilco, Sheryl Crow, Beck), and Davey Faragher (Elvis Costello and the Imposters, Cracker). In the spring of '09, Lyle Lovett asked Luke to join his Large Band, and Luke now tours full time in that configuration. He also just released his new EP featuring Sam Bush, Bela Fleck, Aoife O'Donovan to name a few.