The members of Blue Wolf

Jerry Spanhanks was raised in a musical family in Texarkana, AR. At the age of 9 his Dad and Mom set out to start up a family country band. Performing with the Spanhanks Country Band for 9 years, Jerry played lead guitar and sang. As a young boy, he traveled to festivals and occasionally had the chance to jam with people who are well-known today; David Grisman, Sam Bush, Don Reno, Tony Rice, J.D. Crowe, and Mike Auldridge. In the late 1970's Jerry played rock n' roll. He took a vacation from playing during the 80's but in '93, Jerry was asked to learn the banjo and then teach it to a friend. This started a love for bluegrass and fast guitar breaks. In 1974 and 1994, Jerry won state guitar player in a contest in northern Minnesota. He started playing with bluegrass bands while trying to find the groove that musical artists strive for. Expect great playing on the banjo and dobro as Jerry focuses on these latest interests.

Shirley Mauch Spanhanks grew up on a farm near Mooreton, ND listening to her Mom play piano, harmonica and accordion. She took accordion lessons herself for about four years. While working in Yellowstone National Park in the summer of '69, she was given a guitar and dabbled in folk songs. In 1976, Shirley heard Doc Watson and the "Will the Circle Be Unbroken" album and loved the guitar picking. When she found Adam Granger teaching flatpicking in '78, she became a life-long student of his. Shirley performed with Calamity Jane and the Eclectic Company (doing "Artist-in Residence" programs in the schools) for about seven years. She played accordion with the Heart of the Beast's production "On the Day You Were Born", which took her to places like Toronto, Seattle and Salt Lake City. In 1994, Shirley attended South Plains College in Levelland, Texas to study bluegrass for 2 1/2 years. She studied guitar with Joe Carr and Alan Munde. During the summer of '95, Shirley played guitar and accordion with the 80-member musical "Texas" put on in Palo Duro Canyon near Amarillo, TX. When she returned to Minneapolis, she was asked to join the successful all-female bluegrass group the "Outskirts". Shirley was awarded a Folk Art Apprenticeship Grant to study flatpicking guitar with Master Adam Granger in 1997. Shirley now enjoys the challenge of playing with her husband, Jerry Spanhanks in the bluegrass group Blue Wolf.

Nick Larson is an exceptional vocalist and bass player. He was with Blue Wolf prior to taking a year off and then returned to Blue Wolf in September of 2007. Nick has a music degree from North Central College in Minneapolis, MN. Some of Nick's original songs can be heard on myspace and hopefully on a future CD from Blue Wolf. Nick's vocal abilities and driving bass playing make him a sought after musician.

Mike Hedding joined Blue Wolf in May of 2007. Although Mike has only been playing music for two years, his creative ideas and sense of rhythm make him a valuable member of Blue Wolf. Mike enjoys studying the mandolin playing of Bill Monroe but also has been influenced by newer players such as Matt Flinner and Chris Thile. Mike also has been known to play 5-string banjo as well in the band. Expect great things from Mike Hedding.

Catie Jo Pidel is the newest member of Blue Wolf but she is no stranger to the Minnesota Bluegrass scene. Her fiddle playing has been heard at all the local festivals and many fiddle contests. Her friendly smile, boundless energy and love of all things bluegrass have made her many friends. At age 13, she took first place in the teen division at the 2007 Minnesota State Fair Fiddle Contest where she was spotted by one Garrison Keillor’s talent scouts. A couple days later she was invited to be part of the “best of the fair” show of A Prairie Home Companion. You can listen to the show at http://prairiehome.publicradio.org/programs/2007/09/01/. Catie Jo's back-up and lead playing are superb and are helping to strengthen the sound of Blue Wolf.