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MARLEY'S GHOST Lovers of folk, bluegrass and eclectic-acoustic spinoff music may already be familiar with the names of Danny Wheetman, Jon Wilcox, Mike Phelan and Ed Littlefield Jr. from their distinctively checkered careers: in locales like Aspen, Santa Barbara, the San Francisco Bay Area and the Great Northwest. Though having played in common musical circles since the late 60's, it wasn't until St. Patrick's Day, 1986, when the job description called for fluency in traditional Celtic music, a solid background in country, rock and vintage pop and a willingness to stretch into reggae, rhythm-and-blues and assorted "world music" hybrids at the drop of a downbeat that they banded together to form MARLEY'S GHOST. They emerged officially a short time later at the Strawberry Spring Music Festival near Yosemite and have ever since been acquiring musical momentum, a large and loyal following and rave reviews at festivals, clubs and colleges up and down the West Coast as well as frequent touring to Texas, Colorado and the Eastern seaboard.

DANNY WHEETMAN (vocals, bass, rhythm guitar, fiddle, harmonica, banjo, dobro, lap steel) comes to the group after a long touring career with the John Denver Band, Liberty and the Honky Tonk Swamis. His showmanship and unique sense of humor combined with an uncommonly powerful and resonant baritone provide the focal point for the group's upbeat and highly entertaining performance, He has recorded on the RCA label and recently appeared as Hank Williams' fiddler in the Mark Taper Forum and Old Globe Theatre productions of "Lost Highway". Dan is recognized as a fine songwriter, one of his compositions having been recorded by Kermit the Frog.

JON WILCOX (vocals, mandolin, rhythm guitar) has solo recordings on the Folk-Legacy and Sierra-Briar labels and has toured internationally as a singer-songwriter and interpreter of traditional American and British Isles music.. A graduate of Stanford Law School and former high school history teacher, he has been heavily influenced by the tenor vocal styles of Ralph Stanley and Sam Cooke, the songwriting of Van Morrison and Jesse Winchester and the gospel genius of Sweet Honey in the Rock.

MIKE PHELAN (vocals, lead guitars, fiddle, dobro, bass, lap steel) grew up in Columbus, Ohio, where he was inspired at an early age by the great bluegrass and blues players who performed there regularly. Upon moving to California in the mid-1970's, he was involved with various bluegrass and old timey bands around Santa Barbara before establishing himself in the Sonora area, where he soon became the vocal and instrumental mainstay of numerous. Mother Lode country, rock and swing bands. A fine singer in the classic country style and sharing most of the Ghost's lead instrumental chores with Ed Littlefield Jr., Mike cites guitarists Steve Cropper and B. B. King and Western swing vocalist Tommy Duncan as his major influences.

ED LITTLEFIELD JR. (vocals, pedal steel guitar, Highland bagpipes, keyboards, mandolin, dobro, lead guitar) is a product of the Northern California folk music scene. Relocating to Washington State in the early 1970's, he toured extensively with the well known Seattle Western swing band, Lance Romance, before founding Sage Arts, one of the Northwest's premier recording studios, where he continues as a producer and sound engineer. One of the most innovative and creative of the new breed of pedal steel guitarists, Ed counts among his major influences Buddy Emmons, Bobby Black, Jerry Garcia and bluegrass greats Flatt and Scruggs.

"So far this has been the most musically enriching discovery I've made in the past couple of years.  This talented, multi-instrumental quartet is simply stunning in the breadth of musical styles embraced into a rich sound encompassing country with a folk heart and lifted up by reggae's spiritual essence... Their four-part harmonies are equal to the Nashville Bluegrass Band and their instrumental prowess and eclecticity is on par with New grass Revival... Essential!"