Katharine Whalen

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]

discography

• Katharine Whalen's Jazz Squad (1999, Mammoth Records)
• Dirty Little Secret (2006, M.C. Records)
• Madly Love (2011, Five Head Entertainment)
• Whaler's Ink (2014, as Risk Whalen with Brian Risk)
• Swedish Wood Patrol EP (2017, with Swedish Wood Patrol)
• Certain Seas (2019, with Certain Seas)
• A Simple Sampler of Small Delights (2021, with Certain Seas)
• To Hide a Heart That's Blue (2021, with her Jazz Squad)
• Oh Sage Orange Egg (2024, with Certain Seas)
• Let's get Lost - Songs Chet Would Sing (2024, with her Jazz Squad)

References

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