Cairns, Chris (1974-Present)

He is a bluegrass singer-songwriter, guitarist, banjo player, producer and teacher born in Long Island, New York, whose life in music began when he was about eight years old and he started to play the banjo and guitar. Within just a couple of years he had started to give performances and by the time he was an early teenager he had formed his band The Yankee Bluegrass Boys who played locally at an ice cream shop.

When he was eleven years old he was a performer at the Statue of Liberty celebration closing ceremony, which was aired live on the television.

He studied at Cornell University and after graduation, around 1998, he re-located to Santa Barbara, California where he founded the band Wild Sage who recorded Endless Detour, Fresh Produce, Live at Painted Sky and Live at Strawberry. They were also a popular act at various festivals such as the 2000 Telluride Bluegrass Festival and the 2001 Strawberry Music Festival.

Spreading his wings further in 2003, he established Firestart Records and became the frontman for The Chris Cairns Band with Tom Corbett on mandolin, Tom Lee on string bass and vocals and Mike Mullins on guitar and vocals. His subsequent recordings include his 2003 debut album Runaway Train and 2007’s Hello Blue. In 2005 the band appeared at the KCBX Public Radio Live Oak Festival near Lake Cachuma, California, and in 2007 he made a guest appearance with the band None Too Soon in Tucson, Arizona.

Aside from his own band he has performed with the punk-bluegrass group Whiskey Chimp.

Sources:

Cairns, Chris (1974-Present)

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