How We Started

The Gary Waldrep Band hails from a little community called Kilpatrick, nestled in the Northeastern corner of Alabama, near Boaz. The band performs with a traditional sound spiced with original songs and old standards, making them a favorite with acoustic music lovers across the country.

Since the band’s formation in  the spring of 1998, they have made various appearances across the United States.  Their itinerary for the coming year is proving that The Gary Waldrep Band will once again be, as they say, "burning up the roads" on the Bluegrass circuit.

GARY WALDREP

Gary plays the banjo, sings lead and tenor, and  provides most of the M.C. duties for the group. Gary has been a touring member  of three nationally known groups; The Warrior River Boys (1981-1989) Wendy  Bagwell and the Sunliters (1985), and The Sand Mountain Boys, which he helped  organize in 1989. Gary’s musical success is measured in many accomplishments. In 1990, Gary was nominated for a Grammy award for his  recording of "Vintage Bluegrass" on Old Homestead Records. Gary is an  exceptionally good crowd pleaser with his old time clawhammer style of banjo picking. For this talent, he was named "The Old Time Player of the Year for two consecutive years. This honor was awarded in Nashville, TN. by the Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music in America. The Alabama State Council on the Arts has deemed him Alabama's youngest Master Musician. For the past eighteen  years, Gary has traveled all over the United States and Canada entertaining  crowds. Gary brings to the stage an array of vocal and instrumental talent that both promoters and fans recognize as first class entertainment. Gary plays and  endorses the "Golden Era" banjo presented to him by the Deering Banjo Company of Lemon Grove, CA.

 


Mindy Rakestraw

Mindy started in music in elementary school band playing the trumpet and eventually switching to Euphonium and Tuba in high school and college at Jacksonville State Univ in Alabama. Guitar came in her teens playing folk and rock music. Mindy was introduced to bluegrass by her parents who were longtime bluegrass fans. She started an all female band “Foxchase” with two fellow students in college, playing Georgia festivals in the late 70’s. She joined “Cherokee Rose”an all female band with Frances Mundy, Connie Morris and Tyra Somers. CR eventually relocated to Winston-Salem, N.C. The band continued for a stint with other personnel ( Louisa Branscomb. Sally Wingate, Lynn Morris, Missy Raines) along with Mindy and Tyra. After a couple of years Mindy returned to Atlanta area joining“Indian Summer” band. She also recorded and played upright Bass with Red and Murphy Henry for a couple of years and electric Bass with a jazz band “Public Relations”. Mindy along with Frances Mooney  formed “Fontanna Sunset” 1998. Mindy fills in on bass with local Atlanta band “Ramblin Grass” and has been performing and recorded with The Daughters of Bluegrass. She was inducted into the Atlanta Country Music Hall of Honor in 2001. Mindy has on occasion filled in with the Gary Waldrep Band and in January 2006 joined forces with Gary and band on vocals and playing Guitar.
You can visit Mindy's Myspace by clicking here:

Jane Baxter

Jane Baxter joined GWB in February of 2006, playing Gary's acoustic bass
guitar. Jane was born into, and raised in, the tradition of bluegrass music
thanks to her parents, and grew up traveling to festivals & shows all over the
southeast, watching their band, The Bluegrass Five, perform on shows with
countless numbers of bluegrass greats. At fourteen, she taught herself to play
bass and guitar, and since then has played bass and sang in bands in multiple
genres of music from bluegrass, country, rock, jazz, and oldies, performing at
events, festivals and clubs all over the southeast. Among those she's
performed with are, Gypsy Heart with bluegrass songwriter Louisa Branscomb,
Curtis Burch Jr. of New Grass Revival, and country artists Ty Herndon and Vern
Gosdin.
She counts performing for athletes in the Olympic Village during the 1996
Atlanta Centennial Olympics, as well as marching past millions in the streets
of New York City in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade during high
school band,
as her most unique experiences to date. Her most fulfilling music experiences
have been performing and jammin' with all the "bluegrass kin" she
grew up with,
especially her parents. Jane resides in her hometown of Carrollton, Georgia,
and works in management at the national fulfillment center for The HoneyBaked
Ham Company of Georgia.
Visit Jane's myspace page by clicking here.

Stan Wilemon

Stan joined GWB in Jan 2007 playing mandolin and singing baritone and lead vocals.He was born and raised on Sand Mountain in the community of Snead, AL. Stan is a well known songwriter on the circuit, providing a number of original tunes for the band. He has played in numerous bands including the The Sand Mountain Boys, David Davis and the Warrior River Boys, The Gary Waldrep Band and latest singing  lead vocals and playing guitar with The Larry Gillis Band.




The Gary Waldrep Band is dedicated to Bluegrass and Gospel music, and their foremost intention is to perform that music for you, and share their appreciation of it with their fans.  Sometime in the near future, The Gary Waldrep Band will be appearing in or near your hometown, and when they do, make plans to attend their show.