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Ellen Nagase
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KING WILKIE - BROKE (REB-1802), 2004

Musicians
Drew Breakey: Bass
Reid Burgess: Mandolin, Vocals
John McDonald: Guitar, Vocals
Ted Pitney: Lead Guitar, Vocals
Nick Reeb: Fiddle
Abe Spear: Banjo

Production Credits
Produced by Bob Carlin
Recorded and mixed at Overdub Lane, Durham, NC
Engineered by John Plymale
Mixed by Wes LaChot and Bob Carlin
Recorded: December 1-5, 2003
Mastered by David Glasser at Airshow Mastering, Boulder, CO

Taking their name from Bill Monroe’s favorite steed, the
boys in King Wilkie allow their razor-sharp musicianship, and edgy, passionate harmonies to inject timeless themes of love (won and lost), loneliness, spirituality (and crippling lack thereof) and death with a freshness and energy that is vital and relevant. The seeds of the band were germinated in Ohio in 2000. College pals Ted Pitney and Reid Burgess took in a bluegrass festival and, transported by what they saw and heard, set about immersing themselves in all things bluegrass. Upon graduating in 2001, the duo moved to a farmhouse outside
Charlottesville and began recruiting musicians from across the country. The resulting band is firmly planted in bluegrass soil, but the boys don’t live in a vacuum. Their take on traditional music is seasoned by the dynamism of the various member’s outside influences, with favorites including such disparate acts as The White Stripes, Gillian Welch, Wilco, The Byrds, and even some paint-stripping hard rockers.

Recorded at Overdub Lane Studios in Raleigh, NC by veteran producer Bob Carlin (John Hartford), Broke is bracketed by high-stepping instrumental takes on Ralph Lewis’ “40 West.” In between, there are covers of Jimmie Rodgers’ “Blue Yodel #7,” Jimmie Davis’ “Where the Old Red River Flows,” “Sparkling Brown Eyes” (a hit for Wanda Jackson and Webb Pierce), the Monroe Broth-
ers’ “Some Glad Day” and the ageless traditional, “Little Birdie.” The album also includes well-crafted originals, four tunes by Ted Pitney and two by Reid Burgess.

There you have it, solid picking and high lonesome singing—all presented with grace and flair. King Wilkie may
be "Broke," but these boys sure don’t need fixing...