Biography

The Tuttles with AJ Lee
Authentic bluegrass & roots music from the next generation!

The next generation of bluegrass & Americana music is here: The Tuttles with AJ Lee! This young, super talented band is composed of singers and multi-instrumentalists who have been playing music since they were barely old enough to hold a pick.

The band has received numerous awards: Best Band for two years in a row from The Northern California Bluegrass Society; Molly Tuttle voted Best Guitarist, Michael Tuttle the Best Mandolin Player, and Jack Tuttle the Best Fiddler. Best Vocalist awards went to AJ Lee in 2010, 2011 and 2013 and Molly in 2012. This band receives standing ovations wherever they play because of their youthful, vibrant performances of old traditional tunes and tasteful new originals.

What People are Saying
- Pete Wernick, Hot Rize, "A.J. Lee and Molly Tuttle are the kind of singers who can bring you into a song, and create a duet blend that makes the senses stand at attention. Molly’s younger brothers, Sullivan and Michael, are playing strong and agile leads. Jack Tuttle, one of the most respected music teachers in Northern California, helps bluegrass take root in the next generation.”

- Bluegrass Music Association of Canada, Dave Porter Vice-President, "At Gettysburg they received 3 standing O's and were introduced for their second set as the surprise and discovery of the festival. The reception was the same at Wind Gap...their instrumental wizardry almost made me laugh out loud in sheer amazement."

The Band Members
-A.J. Lee of Tracy, California is a bit of a musical phenom. She’s not yet 16, and she’s already been the subject of a Mother Jones article titled “Could This Kid Be the Next Allison Krauss?” Popular Webzine Californiality calls AJ "California's Hottest Singer" because of her jaw-droppingly beautiful voice. She is also a talented multi-instrumentalist. AJ and the Tuttles first crossed paths at the California Bluegrass Association’s festival in Grass Valley in 2004. They started performing together in 2008, when AJ and Michael were just 11, and recorded their first album, Introducing the Tuttles with AJ Lee, in 2010.

- Molly Tuttle has a beautiful, natural singing voice, phenomenal guitar and banjo skills and award-winning songwriting talent. She has performed on Prairie Home Companion with Jack and has taken first place at MerleFest's highly competitive Songwriting Contest. Molly has received many other awards, including the first Hazel Dickens Memorial Scholarship, from the Foundation for Bluegrass Music; scholarships to the highly selective Acoustic Music Seminars lead by Mike Marshall; and scholarships to the Berklee College of Music for her songwriting and guitar skills. Molly's singing, song-writing and multi-instrumental talents amaze listeners. She made her first CD, The Old Apple Tree, at age 13 with her father, Jack and it is often played on Pandora Internet Radio, which produced a video on Molly after the CD’s release.

- Sullivan and Michael Tuttle started to have an international following when they were just 6 and 8 years old and their video of El Cumbanchero, which they played impossibly fast and beautifully, went viral on Youtube -- it now has over 1.6 millions views from around the world. Their musicianship was impressive at that young age and just keeps getting even better.

- Jack Tuttle has taught and performed bluegrass music for most of his life. He's the father of Molly, Michael, and Sullivan and is the band’s bass player. Jack is a masterful performer and instructor on fiddle, banjo, guitar and mandolin and an expert in bluegrass music. Jack taught the kids bluegrass music at home, just as he learned from his father, Gerald Tuttle, on the family farm in Illinois where Jack’s family formed the original Tuttle Family bluegrass band. Jack has been awarded the California Bluegrass Association's highest honor, the Lifetime Membership award for his great contributions to helping bluegrass music thrive in California.

Bookings by Jack Tuttle, Jack@JackTuttle.com
(650) 248-4951
TheTuttlesWithAJLee.com