Katharine Whalen Explained

Katharine Whalen is a musician, singer, and songwriter originally from Greenville, North Carolina.^[1] She contributed vocals, banjo, and ukulele as a member of the Chapel Hill jazz band Squirrel Nut Zippers, a group that she founded in 1993 with then-husband Jimbo Mathus.^{[2] [3]}

After the breakup of Squirrel Nut Zippers, Whalen released an album on Mammoth called Katharine Whalen's Jazz Squad.^[4] She took part in revival Zippers revival tours during the years 2007–09. Since then she has been a member of the bands Swedish Wood Patrol and Certain Seas.^[5]

Solo discography

• Katharine Whalen's Jazz Squad (Mammoth Records, 1999)
• Dirty Little Secret (M.C. Records, 2006)
• Madly Love (Five Head Entertainment, 2011)
• Whaler's Ink (with Brian Risk, as Risk Whalen, 2014)
• To Hide a Heart That's Blue (2021)

Notes and References

1. Book: Coston, Daniel . North Carolina Musicians: Photographs and Conversations . McFarland p. 79 . 2013 . 978-0-7864-7461-5.
2. News: Hussey . Allison . Katharine Whalen's Decade-Long Break from Playing Squirrel Nut Zippers Songs Comes to an End . . July 4, 2018 . October 10, 2020.
3. News: Menconi . David . Squirrel Nut Zippers: what happened, a Zippers opera . . October 15, 2018 . October 10, 2020.
4. News: Bergstrom . John . Katharine Whalen & Her Fascinators: Madly Love . . August 10, 2011 . October 10, 2020.
5. News: Harris . Vincent . Now with two new bands, Katharine Whalen's days after Squirrel Nut Zippers are full . . October 24, 2019 . October 10, 2020.