Uncle Earl
Bands / Ensembles
Uncle Earl (2000–present) is an all-woman old-time string band formed in Ann Arbor, Michigan, by singers and songwriters KC Groves and Jo Serrapere. Groves has said the name was chosen as a joke for an all-woman group. The early lineup included Amanda Kowalski, banjo player Casey Henry, Sally Truitt and Tahmineh Gueramy, and recorded the independent album She Went Upstairs in 2002. The original group broke up when Groves moved to Colorado. By the end of 2003 she had formed the band's best-known lineup: Groves (mandolin, guitar, vocals), Kristin Andreassen (guitar, fiddle, ukulele, harmonica, clogging, vocals), Rayna Gellert (fiddle, guitar, vocals) and Abigail Washburn (banjo, vocals). After two self-released EPs and steady touring, the band signed with Rounder Records. Its label debut, She Waits for the Night (2005), was produced by Dirk Powell, and Waterloo, Tennessee (2007) was produced by John Paul Jones of Led Zeppelin.
In the newsletter
- No. 30 August 2002