Korby Lenker

Korby Lenker, a multi-instrumentalist who also sings, writes songs, and plays guitar, began piano instruction at age eight during 1984 while growing up in Idaho and later declared that music was his sole path forward, noting there had never been any alternative since "it was always gonna be music." In high school he joined the band Clockwork Orange, which specialized in new wave and rock covers, and during his time at Western Washington University in Bellingham he launched the regionally successful alt-bluegrass group the Barbed Wire Cutters in the late 1990s. After that ensemble disbanded following its two favorably received releases—the self-titled Barbed Wire Cutters in 2002 and Full Moon to Rise in 2003—he relocated to Seattle to concentrate on solo work. Equipped with strong acoustic guitar technique across varied styles and a flexible, adaptable vocal approach, Lenker devoted sustained effort to songwriting, crafting an approachable yet non-impressionistic manner whose understated complexities recall Paul Simon or a more pop-oriented Randy Newman, blending straightforward presentation with distinctive character and depth. He settled in Nashville in 2007. Among his solo albums are First Takes from 2001, Ghost of Whiteboy from 2002, and Bellingham from 2003, while King of Hearts in 2006 marked a shift toward greater rock and pop leanings within an essentially acoustic framework. The self-titled Korby Lenker appeared in 2014.