Abigail Washburn facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Abigail Washburn
Washburn at the Smithsonian Folk Festival, 2014
Background information
Born	(1977-11-10) November 10, 1977 (age 47) Evanston, Illinois, U.S.
Genres	Americana old-time
Instruments	Vocals, Clawhammer Banjo
Labels	Nettwerk, Rounder Records
Associated acts	Béla Fleck The Sparrow Quartet Uncle Earl

Abigail Washburn (born November 10, 1977) is an American clawhammer banjo player and singer. She plays and records music on her own. She also performs with bands like Uncle Earl and Sparrow Quartet. She is part of an experimental group called The Wu Force. Plus, she plays as a duo with her husband, Béla Fleck.

Early Life and Musical Journey

Abigail Washburn was born in Evanston, Illinois. She spent her early school years near Washington, D.C.. Later, she went to high school in Minnesota. She studied East Asian cultures at Colorado College. She learned to speak Mandarin Chinese during summers.

After college, she lived in China for a while. She thought about becoming a lawyer there. But before a planned trip back to China, she visited a meditation center. This experience changed her mind. She decided to follow her dream of making music. Soon after, she got a record deal in Nashville, Tennessee.

Playing with Uncle Earl

In Tennessee, Abigail met KC Groves. KC was a founder of the band Uncle Earl. Abigail joined the band and toured with them for five years. This "all G'earl" (all-girl) group released two albums. These were She Waits for the Night (2005) and Waterloo, TN (2007). The second album was even produced by John Paul Jones from the famous band Led Zeppelin.

First Solo Album: Song of the Traveling Daughter

Abby Washburn at Merlefest 2007

In 2004, Abigail entered a songwriting contest. She won second place for her song "Rockabye Dixie." This helped her get noticed by the Nettwerk record label.

Her first solo album was called Song of the Traveling Daughter. It was produced by Béla Fleck. The album featured talented musicians like Ben Sollee on cello. Jordan McConnell, a guitarist from the band The Duhks, also played on it.

The Sparrow Quartet and China Tours

Sparrow Quartet in Asheville, North Carolina, 2008

In 2005, Abigail went back to China with a group called the Sparrow Quartet. This group included Ben Sollee, Béla Fleck, and fiddler Casey Driessen. They recorded an EP (a short album) called Abigail Washburn The Sparrow Quartet. Two songs on this album were sung in Mandarin Chinese.

The U.S. government asked the Sparrow Quartet to tour Tibet in 2006. No other American band had done this before. They also performed in Beijing during the 2008 Olympics. In 2008, Abigail taught American folk music at Sichuan University. That same year, the Sparrow Quartet released a full album. It was also produced by Béla Fleck.

After the album, the quartet toured North America. They played at many big festivals. They returned to China for more performances during the 2008 Summer Olympics.

Afterquake Project

In 2008, Abigail volunteered to help after a big earthquake in China. This inspired her to create a music project called Afterquake. She worked with Dave Liang from Shanghai Restoration Project. They released an EP in May 2009. Part of the money from sales went to help earthquake relief. They recorded the whole project in just two weeks. It included electronic music mixed with voices and sounds from the disaster area.

City of Refuge and The Silk Road Tour

In 2010, Abigail started recording her second solo album, City of Refuge.

She also went on "The Silk Road Tour" with her band "The Village." They traveled across China, from Hohhot to Ürümqi. Their goal was to connect people through music. They performed at schools, universities, and theaters. They also played in town squares and on city walls. They even played with local musicians from different Chinese groups. This amazing journey was shown in videos on YouTube.

The Wu-Force

Abigail formed a unique band called The Wu-Force. They played their first show in Beijing in 2011. The band describes their music as "kung fu-Appalachian avant-garde folk-rock." Their songs are in different languages. They talk about international relations and environmental issues in China. They also mix Chinese folk and opera with new music. The band includes Kai Welch and Chinese zither (guzheng) player Wu Fei. They released a self-titled EP in 2017. Wu Fei and Washburn later released another album together in 2020.

Béla Fleck & Abigail Washburn Duo

Abigail and her husband, Béla Fleck, started playing music together as a duo. This allowed them to tour and keep their family together after their son was born in 2013. They began touring steadily in 2013.

A year later, they announced their first duo album. It featured only banjos and their voices. They recorded and produced the album themselves at home. This album became very popular. It reached #1 on the Billboard Bluegrass charts. It also won them a Grammy Award for Best Folk Album.

Personal Life

Abigail Washburn is married to fellow banjo player Béla Fleck. They first met at a square dance in Nashville. Abigail was dancing, and Béla was playing music. They got married and had their first son in May 2013. Their second son was born in 2018.

Activism and Cultural Exchange

Abigail Washburn is also known for her activism. She was named a TED fellow in 2012. She gave a talk about building good relationships between the U.S. and China through music.

In 2013, she became the first US-China Center Fellow at Vanderbilt University. This was because of her work as an ambassador for American culture in China. She is always eager to help connect the two countries.

Discography Highlights

Abigail Washburn has released many albums, both solo and with her bands.

• Song of the Traveling Daughter (2005) was her first solo album.
• With Uncle Earl, she released She Waits for Night (2005) and Waterloo, Tennessee (2007).
• Abigail Washburn & The Sparrow Quartet (2008) was a popular album with her quartet.
• City of Refuge (2011) was another solo album.
• With her husband Béla Fleck, she released Béla Fleck & Abigail Washburn (2014), which won a Grammy. They also released Echo in the Valley (2017).

Images for kids

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  Washburn at the Smithsonian Folk Festival, 2014

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  Abby Washburn at Merlefest 2007

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  Sparrow Quartet in Asheville, North Carolina, 2008