Luke Bulla has been singing and playing music most of his life. Touring with and singing in his family band from age four, Luke took up the fiddle at seven. Over the course of the next few years, he won the National Fiddle Contest (in Weiser, Idaho) six times in his respective age categories. His seventh win came in the Grand Champion division at age sixteen, making him the youngest to have earned the title at the time. Entering Nashville’s Grand Masters fiddle contest at age ten, Luke distinguished himself by being the youngest person to have made the top ten.
Spring of 1999 found Luke moving to Nashville to establish himself as a full time musician. He spent his early years in Tennessee playing fiddle in Ricky Skaggs’ band, Kentucky Thunder which earned him his first Grammy Award. Following the Skaggs stint, he became a member of the John Cowan Band.
More recently Luke has performed and/or recorded with Brandi Carlile, Jim Lauderdale, Darrell Scott, Alison Krauss, Jerry Douglas, Lyle Lovett, Sam Bush, Edgar Meyer, Bela Fleck, Bryan Sutton, Kevin Costner & Modern West, Russ Barenberg Trio, Shawn Colvin, Tony Rice, Chris Thile, Peter Rowan, Patty Griffin, Glen Phillips, Rodney Crowell, and Earl Scruggs, to name a few. Luke was also a perennial instructor at Mark O’Connor’s fiddle camps growing up. With long-time friend, Casey Driessen, Luke founded the band, Wisechild. The band toured briefly with John Mayer and Counting Crows.
In addition to violin, Luke plays guitar, mandolin, sings and writes songs. He had a band collaboration, W.P.A. (Works Progress Administration), included members Sean Watkins (Nickel Creek, Fiction Family), Glen Phillips (Toad The Wet Sprocket), Sara Watkins (Nickel Creek), Benmont Tench (Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers), Pete Thomas (Elvis Costello and the Imposters, The Attractions, Los Lobos), Greg Leisz (Joni Mitchell, Wilco, Sheryl Crow, Beck), and Davey Faragher (Elvis Costello and the Imposters, Cracker). In the spring of ’09, Lyle Lovett asked Luke to join his Large Band, and Luke now tours full time in all of Lyle’s configurations. Luke also released a solo EP featuring Jerry Douglas, Sam Bush, Bela Fleck, Aoife O’Donovan to name a few.
In 2015 Luke co-founded a Bluegrass/Americana record label called, Pure Music | Nashville with music and business executive John L. Heithaus. Luke’s new LP, Who Loves You Better was released by Pure Music Nashville May 28, 2016 and is available at online music stores around the globe. Recorded at Zac Brown’s awesome Southern Ground Nashville, the LP was produced by Grammy winner Bryan Sutton. Who Loves You Better showcases featured vocal performances by: Sharon & Cheryl White, Maura O’Connell, Lee Ann Womack and Sara Jarosz complemented by a veritable A-List of Americana’s finest musicians including: Jerry Douglas, Noam Pikelny, Sam Bush, John Cowan, Sam Grisman, Bryan Sutton and many more.
