# Gabe Witcher

Gabriel Witcher (born June 11, 1978) is an American multi-instrumentalist, producer, composer, and arranger, best known as a fiddle player and singer. He is a founding member of the string ensemble Punch Brothers. Witcher and his fellow Punch Brothers won the 2019 Grammy for Best Folk Album and were named Affiliate Scholars of Oberlin Conservatory in 2014.

## History

Gabe Witcher began his performing career in 1984, at the age of six, at the Strawberry Music Festival in Yosemite when he was invited on stage by Bill Monroe to perform a duet in front of a workshop crowd. Later that day Witcher, along with his father, were invited to perform three songs on the main stage in between acts. This launched the formation of "The Witcher Brothers" which performed throughout the southwest United States for 25 years.
In 1993 Witcher contributed original compositions to the soundtrack of the 1983 film The Skateboard Kid. Many of these pieces he performed with his band, Trashkittens. This includes a music video rendition of the electric guitar–driven "Hard to Find", which ends the film.
In 1995 Witcher was asked to join the Laurel Canyon Ramblers, led by veteran bluegrass/country musician, Herb Pedersen, after their original fiddler Byron Berline relocated to a new city. He was with the Ramblers four years and recorded two albums with them.
In 1999, Witcher joined Béla Fleck's "The Bluegrass Sessions: Tales from the Acoustic Planet, Vol. 2" tour (filling in for fiddler Stuart Duncan) with Sam Bush, Jerry Douglas, Bryan Sutton and Mark Schatz. In 2002 Witcher joined Jerry Douglas' band and was a regular member until the formation of Punch Brothers in 2008.
Witcher spent 2005 working with Kenny Loggins and Jim Messina on the Loggins and Messina "Sittin' In Again" tour where he played Fiddle, Mandolin, Dobro, Percussion and sang.
In 2010, he joined the Dave Rawlings Machine for two weeks of tour dates. The lineup consisted of Rawlings, Gillian Welch, two members of Old Crow Medicine Show, and Witcher.
He performed with Eve 6 on the Horrorscope tour (2000–2001) performing bass and backing vocals, allowing vocalist Max Collins more mobility onstage (Collins plays bass guitar on the album). He also performed on the track "Anytime" from the 2001 film Out Cold.
Witcher has appeared on film & television scores including as The Good Dinosaur, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2, Inside Llewyn Davis, The Hunger Games, Brokeback Mountain, Cars, Toy Story, True Detective, Nashville, Better Call Saul, Sons of Anarchy and many others. He co-produced music with T Bone Burnett for the television shows Nashville and True Detective.
Witcher has one Grammy win and ten Grammy nominations. He had six nominations with Punch Brothers and four Grammy nominations as a producer: 2017 Best Bluegrass Album for Noam Pikelny's Universal Favorite, 2017 Best Contemporary Instrumental Album for Julian Lage & Chris Eldridge Mount Royal, 2015 Bluegrass Album of the Year for Noam Pikelny Plays Kenny Baker Plays Bill Monroe, and 2013 Bluegrass Album of the Year for Noam Pikelny's Beat the Devil and Carry a Rail, which also won "Album of the Year" at the IBMA Awards in 2014. He has also appeared on records by Paul Simon, Eric Clapton, Elton John, Beck, Willie Nelson, Neil Diamond, Fiona Apple, and Shania Twain.
Witcher has written arrangements for Elton John, Kronos Quartet, Punch Brothers, Rhiannon Giddens, Boston Pops, San Francisco Symphony, l'Orchestre Symphonique de Bretagne, North Carolina Symphony, The Secret Sisters, Nashville, and True Detective.
Witcher composed and arranged music for Red Dead Redemption 2 and was music director and conductor for the live performance of the score at the Red Bull Music Festival in Los Angeles in the Spring of 2019.

## Personal life

On September 15, 2013, Witcher married actress Mary Faber. They have two sons.

## Music Director

Sara Bareilles: Saturday Night Live, Ellen, Good Morning America, The Late Late Show w/ James Corden, The Talk, "Amidst The Chaos" Album Release Tour (2019)
The Music of Red Dead Redemption 2: Red Bull Music Festival Los Angeles (2019)
Kennedy Center presents: American Acoustic w Chris Thile – All Star Jam (2016)
Another Day, Another Time: f/ the music of Inside Llewyn Davis – Los Angeles (2013)

## Discography
### Punch Brothers

| Year | Title | Label |
| 2008 | Punch | Nonesuch |
| 2010 | Antifogmatic | Nonesuch |
| 2012 | Who's Feeling Young Now? | Nonesuch |
| 2013 | Ahoy! | Nonesuch |
| 2015 | The Phosphorescent Blues | Nonesuch |
| 2015 | The Wireless (EP) | Nonesuch |
| 2018 | All Ashore | Nonesuch |

### Jerry Douglas

| Year | Title | Label |
| 2006 | The Best Kept Secret | Koch |

### Laurel Canyon Ramblers

| Year | Title | Label |
| 1996 | Blue Rambler 2 | Sugar Hill Records |
| 1998 | Back on the Street Again | Sugar Hill Records |

## Credits
### Albums

| Artist | Project | Role |
| Paul Simon | So Beautiful or So What | Fiddle |
| | Stranger to Stranger | Fiddle, Vocals |
| Eric Clapton | Old Sock | Fiddle |
| Elton John | Wonderful Crazy Night | Arranger, Conductor |
| Willie Nelson | The Great Divide | Fiddle |
| Neil Diamond | Dreams | Fiddle |
| Beck | Return of the Grievous Angel | Fiddle |
| Shania Twain | Now | Fiddle |
| Rosanne Cash | The River & the Thread † | Fiddle |
| Fiona Apple/Jon Brion | So Sleepy | Fiddle |
| Emmylou Harris | Return of the Grievous Angel | Fiddle |
| Merle Haggard | Chicago Wind | Fiddle |
| John Denver | All Aboard† | Fiddle |
| Bette Midler | It's the Girls! | Fiddle |
| Punch Brothers/ VariousArtists | Another Day, Another Time | Fiddle, Vocals |
| Dierks Bentley | Up on the Ridge ^ | Fiddle |
| The Chieftains | Voice of Ages | Fiddle |
| Eddy Mitchell | Heros, Jumbalaya | Fiddle |
| Johnny Hallyday | Rester Vivant | Fiddle |
| Travis Tritt | The Storm | Fiddle |
| Lee Ann Womack | Something Worth Leaving Behind | Fiddle |
| Dwight Yoakam | Dwights Used Records | Fiddle |
| Sara Watkins | Young in All the Wrong Ways | Producer, guitars, Fiddle, Arrangements |
| Rhiannon Giddens | Tomorrow Is My Turn | Fiddle, Violin, Guitar, Arranger (Strings, Horns) |
| Phoebe Bridgers | Stranger in the Alps | Violin |
| Noam Pikelny | Noam Pikelny Plays Kenny Baker Plays Bill Monroe ^ | Producer |
| Noam Pikelny | Beat The Devil and Carry a Rail^ | Producer |
| Jerry Douglas | The Best Kept Secret ^ | Fiddle, Strings |
| Chris Thile | How to Grow a Woman from the Ground ^ | Fiddle, Vocals, Arranging |
| The Secret Sisters | Put Your Needle Down | Fiddle, Violin, Arranger (Strings) |
| Chris Hillman | The Other Side | Fiddle |
| Tom Brosseau | What I Mean to Say Is Goodbye | Fiddle |

### Film

^ Academy Award Nominee Best Original Song
! Golden Globe Nominee Best Original Song
| Title | Composer | Role |
| The Peanut Butter Falcon | Gabe Witcher, Jonathan Sadoff, Noam Pikelny, Zach Dawes | Fiddle |
| The Ballad of Buster Scruggs | Additional Music | Fiddle |
| The Good Dinosaur | Mychael & Jeff Danna | Fiddle |
| The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2 | Additional music | Composer |
| Toy Story^! | Randy Newman | Fiddle |
| Cars † | Randy Newman | Fiddle |
| Cars 3 | Randy Newman | Fiddle |
| The Princess and the Frog | Randy Newman | Fiddle |
| Inside Llewyn Davis | T Bone Burnett | Fiddle, Vocals |
| The Hunger Games | James Newton Howard | Fiddle |
| Brokeback Mountainº | Gustavo Santaolalla | Fiddle |
| Babelº | Gustavo Santaolalla | Violin |
| Charlie Wilson's War | James Newton Howard | Fiddle |
| This Is 40 | Jon Brion | Fiddle, Violin |
| Kingsman: The Golden Circle | Henry Jackman, Matthew Margeson | Fiddle |
| A Million Ways to Die in the West | Joel McNeely | Fiddle |
| Wild Hogs | Teddy Castellucci | Fiddle |
| The Homesman | Marco Beltrami | Violin |
| Robin Hood | Marc Streitenfeld | Fiddle |
| The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie | Andy Paley | Fiddle |
| Nights in Rodanthe | Jeanine Tesori | Fiddle |
| Soul Men | Stanley Clarke | Fiddle |
| The Dukes of Hazzard | Nathan Barr | Fiddle |
| Without a Paddle | Chris Beck | Fiddle |
| Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins | David Newman | Fiddle |
| The Best Of Me | Aaron Zigman | Fiddle |
| Bridge to Terabithia | Aaron Zigman | Fiddle |
| Christmas Cottage | Aaron Zigman | Fiddle |
| Flicka | Aaron Zigman | Fiddle |
| The Wendell Baker Story | Aaron Zigman | Fiddle |
| The Notebook | Aaron Zigman | Fiddle |
| Mater and the Ghostlight | Bruno Coon | Fiddle |
| Bigger, Stronger, Faster* | Dave Porter | Fiddle |
| Venom | James L. Venable | Fiddle |
| The Cave | Reinhold Heil | Violin |

### Television

^ Emmy Nominated
| Title | Selection | Role |
| True Detective Season 3 | Score | Recordist, Additional Music, performer |
| True Detective Season 2 | Score | Violin, Electric Violin, Electric Bass |
| True Detective | The Angry River | Composer, Arranger (strings), Violin |
| Nashville | Nothing in This World Will Ever Break My Heart Again^ | Co-Producer (w/ T Bone Burnett), Arranger (Strings, Background vocals), Violin |
| Nashville | Ho Hey | Co-Producer (w/ T Bone Burnett), Guitar, Fiddle, Mandolin |
| Nashville | Used | Co-Producer (w/ T Bone Burnett), Arranger (Strings, Background vocals), Fiddle |
| Nashville | Consider Me | Co-Producer (w/ T Bone Burnett), Arranger (Strings, Background vocals), Fiddle |
| Nashville | We Are Water | Co-Producer (w/ T Bone Burnett), Arranger (Strings, Background vocals), Fiddle |
| Nashville | Looking for a Place To Shine | Co-Producer (w/ T Bone Burnett), Arranger (Strings, Background vocals), Fiddle, Mandolin, Keyboards |
| Nashville | Hanging on a Lie | Co-Producer (w/ T Bone Burnett), Arranger (Strings, Background vocals), Fiddle, Mandolin, Keyboards |
| Nashville | Stomping Ground | Co-Producer (w/ T Bone Burnett), Arranger (Strings, Background vocals), Fiddle,Mandolin, |
| Nashville | Gun for a Mouth | Fiddle |
| Nashville | Tough All Over | Fiddle |
| Nashville | Let There Be Lonely | Keyboards |
| Better Call Saul | Score | Violin |
| Sons of Anarchy | All Along The Watchtower | Fiddle |
| Legends of Tomorrow | Score | Fiddle |
| Justified | Score | Fiddle |
| Turn: Washington's Spies | Score | Fiddle |
| Party of Five | Score | Violin |
| King of the Hill | Score | Fiddle |
| Crossing Jordan | Innocent When You Dream | Fiddle |
| Heartland | Score | Fiddle |
| Point of Honor | Score | Fiddle |
| Texas Rising | Score | Fiddle |
| Bonnie & Clyde | Score | Fiddle |
| Hatfields & McCoys | Score | Fiddle |
| Sarah Silverman Show | Score | Fiddle |
| News Radio | Score | Fiddle |
| Just Shoot Me! | Score | Fiddle |
| Worst Week | Score | Fiddle |
| Curious George | Score | Fiddle |
| Berenstain Bears | Theme Song | Fiddle |
| Three Moons Over Milford | Score | Fiddle |
| Any Day Now | Score | Fiddle |
| George and Leo | Score | Fiddle |
| The Lazarus Man | Score | Fiddle |
| Dilbert | Score | Fiddle |

### Live Television

| Artists | Show |
| Punch Brothers | Conan The Tonight Show with Jay Leno Austin City Limits Jools Holland CBS Saturday Morning Late Show with David Letterman |
| Punch Brothers w/ Steve Martin | Late Show with David Letterman |
| Dolly Parton | 78th Academy Awards Show |
| Beck and Willie Nelson | The Tonight Show with Jay Leno Farm Aid |
| Willie Nelson and Lee Ann Womack | The Tonight Show with Jay Leno |
| Willie Nelson | Academy of Country Music Awards |

## Bands/Tours

| Dates | Artist | Role |
| (2006–2023) | Punch Brothers | Fiddle, Vocals, Drums |
| (2014) | Steve Martin and Martin Short | Fiddle |
| (2012) | Paul Simon | Fiddle |
| (2010) | Dave Rawlings Machine | Fiddle, Guitar, Vocals |
| (2006) | k.d. lang | Fiddle, Guitar |
| (2005) | Loggins and Messina Sittin' In Again Reunion Tour | Fiddle, Mandolin, Dobro, Percussion, Vocals |
| (2002–2008) | Jerry Douglas Band | Fiddle |
| (2000–2001) | Eve 6 | Bass |
| (1999) | The Bluegrass Sessions f/ Béla Fleck, Sam Bush, Jerry Douglas, Bryan Sutton, Mark Schatz | Fiddle |
| (1995–2000) | Laurel Canyon Ramblers | Fiddle |
| (1984–2008) | The Witcher Brothers | Fiddle, Vocals |