WYOMING HOME GROWN
Loren ôTeenseö Willford, a fourth generation Wyoming native, began performing with the Willford family band when he was in the first grade. He has been entertaining audiences as a guitarist, vocalist and teller of tall tales ever since. He and Jack Wallace have been playing together for over twenty years. In 1984 they toured Europe, promoting Wyoming tourism. A former rancher, Willford now serves in the Wyoming House of Representatives. For concerts he plays guitar, sings and acts as emcee.
Jack Wallace started playing violin as a fourth grader in the Cheyenne public schools. He performed many years on the DazeeÆs DanceHall float at the Cheyenne Frontier Days parades. He has won the State of Wyoming ôOld Time Fiddle Championshipö many times, as well as a number of other awards. Wallace is especially noted for his ôTrick Fiddling,ö and has performed in orchestras, include the Albuquerque, Cheyenne, and Wyoming Symphonies. He is currently an orchestra teacher in the Cheyenne Public Schools. He plays violin in the band and does some singing.
Bob Smith is a Laramie native and a graduate of the University of Wyoming. He began playing guitar in 1960, inspired by the folk music boom. He later co-founded the Rocky Mountain Boys, the first bluegrass band in the Rocky Mountain region. The group went on to record several albums. Smith has played in a number of bands and has performed with Willford and Wallace for the last eighteen years. He performs all styles of music including country, ragtime, finger pickings and blues. Smith is manager of a Music Pro Shop in Laramie and sings with the band.
Kate McKeage began playing electric bass in bands at the age of sixteen and has been working steadily ever since. During that time she has played most styles of music, from country to polkas to metal. McKeage is also a double bassist and has performed in orchestras and chamber ensembles in Germany and the western United States. She is currently on the faculty of the University of Wyoming Department of Music and performs with the faculty jazz combo. She joined the band in 1992 and plays bass and sings with the group.
8/8/01: Wyoming Home Grown
