Korby Lenker   -  Biography

Although it's a rarity in the Pacific Northwest, Korby Lenker has made his way as a professional bluegrass musician since 1999. After graduating from college with a degree in humanities and spending six months in West Virginia, he returned to Washington to focus on making music. His bluegrass band, The Barbed Wire Cutters, has been called the "young riders of the bluegrass revolt" by SPIN magazine.

In 2003, he showcased at the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) conference with his band and also as an up-and-coming singer-songwriter. He has sung songs for Ralph Nader, shared the stage with Leftover Salmon, Yonder Mountain String Band and Rhonda Vincent and played up and down the West Coast. His own composition "Punkin Brown" -- inspired by the well-known snake-handling preacher -- won best song at the 2002 Columbia Gorge Bluegrass Festival, and he has organized three successful festivals of his own.

His album Bellingham earned him a showcasing spot at the 2004 Americana Music Association annual conference. Later that year, he released the gospel album, David Goliath. Lenker lives in Seattle.